This wasn't what I originally planned on reviewing tonight, but that fell through...so I thought I'd try something different. Tonight, we're doing short reviews of two Emmy-winning animated Halloween TV specials with musical overtones. Should these favorites of the small screen be a part of your Halloween rituals, or should they be stranded on a deserted island with pirate ghosts and paraphernalia wagons? Let's go trick-or-treating and find out...
Garfield's Halloween Adventure
CBS/DHX Media, 1985
Voices of Thom Huge, Lorenzo Music, Gregg Berger, and C. Lindsay Workman
Directed by Phil Roman
Music and Lyrics by Ed Bogas and Desiree Goyette
The Story: Garfield and Odie dress as pirates and head out to do a little trick-or-treat plundering, hoping to get lots of free candy. Their night takes a turn for the spooky when they're stranded on a deserted island that turns out to be the home of an old man with a terrifying tale. Pirates once buried their treasure on the island...and every year on Halloween night, they come back to claim it. Garfield and Odie have to dodge the ghosts and find a way to get home.
The Song and Dance: Despite them having been an annual thing when I was a kid and my being a big fan of Garfield and Friends, I wouldn't really get to see any of the holiday specials until much later in the 90's. Unlike a lot of Halloween specials intended for kids, it's got some genuine horror. Those ghost pirates really are frightening, especially when they find Odie and Garfield hiding in the cupboard. The sketchy animation style really works with these skeletal wraiths.
Favorite Number: I mildly prefer Garfield's "What Will I Be?" as we get a montage of him trying on costumes with Odie, but his pirate shanty and "Scaredy Cat" are catchy, too.
What I Don't Like: Uh...why are the ghosts attacking Garfield and Odie? Because they're there? While the ghosts do add a lot of spooky vibes to the second half, unless Garfield and Odie did something to them or their treasure, it's more likely that they'd just leave them alone.
The Big Finale: As much as I like the Christmas special, the ghost pirates and the unusual story give this one a bit of an edge. If you're a fan of Garfield or want to find something fun for elementary school-age kids on Halloween night, you'll want to check this one out.
Home Media: My DVD with all three Garfield holiday specials has been out of print for years, but this was just put out as a solo DVD release this past August and it's on Amazon Prime as a free download.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Halloween Is Grinch Night
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, 1977
Voices of Hans Conried, Henry Gibson, Gary Shapiro, and Hal Smith
Directed by Gerald Baldwin
Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
The Story: The citizens of Whoville know to avoid being outside during a sour-sweet wind. It always stirs up the local animal population, creating enough noise to bring out the Grinch with his "paraphernalia" wagon. If the Grinch gets down Mount Crumpet, he'll use that wagon to spook the entire town. When little Eukeriah Who gets lost in the mountains, he takes it on himself to make sure that the Grinch never makes it to Whoville.
The Song and Dance: "Weird" doesn't begin to describe this one. In fact, it's hard to describe. It's pretty simple until Eukeriah gets into that wagon...and then all hell literally breaks loose. I'd love to know what kind of drugs were floating around De Patie-Freleng in the late 70's to produce this type of psychedelic madness. It's like we entered Marilyn Manson's fever dreams. The wild and surreal animation is incredible, and I suspect it's probably one of the reasons this one won an Emmy.
Favorite Number: In addition to the infamous "Grinch Is Gonna Get 'Cha" in the Wagon, I like the opening number "I Wouldn't Go Out On a Night Like This" that describes what the people of Whoville do before and after the sour-sweet wind arrives. The haunting chorus song "He Is Wandering In the Wind" that plays when Eukeriah gets lost is quite lovely.
What I Don't Like: What is this supposed to be? It has nothing in common with the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Is it a sequel? A prequel? An alternate universe? It also lacks the first special's expressive Chuck Jones animation and its touching script.
The Big Finale: Despite the Emmy win, this one is more bizarre than great. It's worth seeing once, if only for the sequence with the Paraphernalia Wagon.
Home Media: Was just released this past weekend as a triple-bill with How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Grinch Grinches the Cat In the Hat on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Amazon Prime.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Ultimate Edition DVD
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Ultimate Edition Amazon Prime
Oh, and I hope all of you have a safe, spooky, and very musical Halloween!
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
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