Director: David Jackson
Scipt Writer: Max Enscoe, Annie DeYoung, Paul Bernbaum
Cast: Sara Paxton, Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Joey Zimmerman etc
Synopsis: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Halloweentown)
18-year-old Marnie (Sara Paxton)
decides to forego her original college plans and attend Witch
University in Halloweentown. Marnie is offered a full scholarship for
her good deeds and for her work in the previous years. Much to her
mother Gwen's (Judith Hoag) dismay, Marnie goes, and her brother Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) is reluctantly forced along by Gwen to keep an eye on her. The school is not what it seems, as witches and warlocks cannot use magic; instead they learn about Shakespeare and old magic history. Marnie had thought she would learn how to use her magic and is now crestfallen. She runs into her old friend Ethan (Lucas Grabeel) and makes a new friend named Aneesa the Genie (Summer Bishil).
She also makes three new enemies in the Sinister Sisters, a triad of
malevolent, extremely snobby, spoiled, and manipulative witches with
whom Dylan is immediately infatuated and are the daughters of Silas
Sinister (Keone Young).
Marnie discovers that she is responsible for the university's
restriction of magic. The university was originally established only for
warlocks and witches to learn how to use magic, but when the portal
was opened, most of them went to college in the mortal realm. Since
then, Witch University has allowed other magical creatures to attend.
The classes are boring for Marnie until she uncovers within the dungeon
of the college a box, with the name "S. Cromwell" inscribed on it,
magically appears in front of her. Marnie meets with one of her
professors, Miss Periwinkle (Millicent Martin), and asks for an
explanation. Periwinkle only tells Marnie that the S. stands for
Splendora and that she and her were very good friends.
Marnie and Dylan learn that the box contains the Gift, a magical
power only a Cromwell can use, which Splendora locked in the box
centuries ago. Meanwhile, the Sinister sisters use Dylan's infatuation
with them to make him do their homework and use as bait for Marnie.
Later, Ethan tells Marnie about a mysterious group, his father was
part of, known as the Dominion that will try to use Marnie to open the
box, but Marnie does not believe him. Marnie later travels to the past
to meet Splendora (also played by Sara Paxton) and learn about the true
nature of the enigmatic gift. Splendora explains that the Gift is an
amulet that bestows the wearer with the power to control anyone, a power
that witches are forbidden to use. Marnie realizes that her principal
and Dr. Grogg (Scott Stevenson) are in the Dominion and Splendora
bestows upon her the key to the box containing the Gift. Splendora is
revealed to be Marnie's grandmother Aggie. Agatha is her middle name and
she hates the Splendora part so she eventually dropped it. Marnie
returns to the present with the key to open the box.
Chancellor Goodwin (Leslie Wing)
steals the Gift for the Dominion and the Sinisters to take over
Halloweentown. Knowing that only a Cromwell can use the Gift, the
Sinister Sisters transform Dylan into a dog to compel Marnie to comply
with their demands. If Dylan is not turned back, he will stay that way
forever after Halloween passes. They agree to return him to his natural
form if Marnie controls Halloweentown for them. Marnie falsely agrees to
aid them in their plot, but turns on them once Dylan is returned to
normal. Marnie, Dylan, Gwen, and Aneesa destroy the Gift. The Dominion
attempt an escape, but are apprehended by Periwinkle who is revealed to
be an undercover detective of the Halloweentown Anti-Dominion League.
She imprisons them in a Witch's Glass where she has stripped them of
their magic and arrested them for treason.
The malevolent Sinister Sisters lose their powers, but Marnie learns
that Ethan willingly gave his powers up after his father was found
guilty in the previous film. Marnie and Ethan begin a new relationship
and leave on a date. The movie ends when Dylan discovers that Marnie did
not destroy the Gift, but instead left it for him in a book. Since
spells cast on the grounds of Witch University become permanent at
midnight, the Gift belongs to him, the only person Marnie trusts with
it’s power. Saving the power of the Gift for important uses only, he
puts the book back showing a glowing red S at the end of the film.
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