“All dressed up for All Hallows Eve. But you don’t know why, or what or even from where.”
In the midst of discussing the quintessential Halloween specials that aren’t It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, The Halloween Tree is often an undervalued part of the conversation. The Hanna-Barbera-produced animated adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s 1972 fantasy adventure novel of the same name premiered on TBS in October 1993 to a warm reception, garnering a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. The special, since its initial airing, remains an annual viewing staple among the batch of 90s kids who either caught it on Cartoon Network or VHS, but rarely outside of that subgroup is it mentioned. The notoriety of The Halloween Tree, bar Bradbury’s celebrated novel, seems cemented in its decade despite being one of the most unique depictions of Halloween in children’s animation.
The story opens on a crisp, warm autumn night in a small Midwestern town where a young group of friends, Tom (Voiced by Edan Gross), Ralph (Voiced by Alex Greenwald), Jenny (Voiced by Annie Barker) and Wally (Voiced by Andrew Keegan), don their Halloween costumes, and hop on their bikes to meet up with their leader, Pip (Voiced by Kevin Smets), for a round of trick or treating. Their plans come to a screeching halt when the gang, upon arriving at Pip’s suspiciously decoration-free house, witness him being loaded into the back of an ambulance due to appendicitis. On their way to the hospital, they think they see a translucent Pip running across a gloomy ravine. They follow him only to arrive at a dark, mysterious mansion where, according to Bradbury’s soft, descriptive narration, chimneys are positioned on the roof like gravestones.
When the kids knock on the door, they’re swallowed whole by the winds, and thrown into the castle where they meet its mysterious proprietor, Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud (Voiced by Leonard Nimoy). Together they all observe Pip’s ghostly form climbing a colossal tree outside that appears as if it stretches for miles into the night sky. Each branch is laden with lit jack-o-lanterns that contain the souls from across every path of Halloween past. Moundshroud promptly whisks the kids away on the odyssey of a lifetime when Pip’s ghostly apparition disappears after stealing a pumpkin with his face carved on it.
Leonard Nimoy exchanges his Starfleet attire for a classic red and black cape as he steps into the spirited shoes of Mr. Moundshroud, the time-traveling angel of death who embodies the jagged lankiness of Nosferatu and the swollen yellow head of Mr. Burns. It’s a good look. He sounds as old as he looks, yet brings a confident regalness to his overall manner. When Nimoy speaks, you listen. Moundshroud makes a memorable first impression by questioning the children about the nature of their costumes, an inquiry that none of them can really give a thoughtful answer to. In most cases, children choose their costume because it looks cool. But Moundshroud decides he’ll utilize Pip’s retrieval as an excuse to teach them about the iconographies of their outfits.
A healthy mix of education curiosity and adventurous imagination, The Halloween Tree is one of the few cases where an animated kids special attempts to demystify aspects of the supernatural while simultaneously engaging in mystical fun. Wally, wrapped in toilet paper from head to toe, is first on Moundshroud’s informational docket in the group’s first pit stop – ancient Egypt. He comes face to face with the mummification process firsthand in conjunction with other traditions such as ‘The Festival of Ghosts’ where families would exhume the bodies of past relatives from their sarcophagus to join them at the dinner table on this special day. And the pattern continues as such with the remaining children. Jenny, gowned in witch’s garb, learns a valuable lesson about the folklore behind the origins of witchcraft and how those who practiced during the Dark Ages did not, indeed, live deliciously. And Ralph, costumed as an unspecified monster, grasps the defensive significance of gargoyles while perched atop Notre Dame itself.
The final (and most important) lesson of the evening, however, falls upon the glow-in-the-dark suit-wearing Tom Skeleton (how fitting) who experiences El Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) ceremonies up close and personal. He indulges in traditional holiday Mexican treats, a decorated candy skull with his name on it, and witnesses the dead encompass an entire neighborhood before completing his ultimate task. When you break it down, The Halloween Tree is an alternate universe episode of the Magic School Bus in which Ms. Frizzle straps the children in for a spooky field trip, educating them while simultaneously chasing the spirit of one of her students, most likely Arnold, that she finally got killed on one of those crazy adventures.
The component that immediately brings The Halloween Tree to life is composer John Debney‘s whimsically epic score. A captivating composition wields the power of immersing the viewer into just about anything and Debney’s is no exception. It’s partly why I hold vague memories of first seeing this on VHS in middle school long ago. The music is fully attuned to the mischievous spirit of Halloween, working in tandem with the alluring, colorful animation. You know your music is good when the children assembling a time-traveling transport kite from sentient, roaring circus posters is the second most interesting thing taking place, as Debney gives the moment the wowness it deserves.
Despite never being explicitly referred as the grim reaper, Moundshroud all but spells it out for the dumbfounded children who only fully grasp the weight of his intentions towards the climax. It appears that they glanced over the part where Moundshroud makes it explicitly clear that he’s in it to snatch Pip’s “pumpkin fire soul” in the midst of their time-hopping scavenger hunt. He even has ‘Time Management’ listed as an occupation on his business card. Some have theorized that the scene in which Moundshroud can’t enter Notre Dame indicates that he’s an incarnation of the Devil or some other malevolent, soul-collecting force, but I see it as Pip invoking his right to sanctuary, effectively preventing Moundshroud from retrieving him.
Bradbury’s opening narration really holds Pip to quite the standard in terms of kid group leaders, declaring him “the greatest boy who ever lived.” An overstatement, sure, yet there’s an air of legitimacy to this claim as his friends are undeniably loyal all the way to the end. They thrust themselves, with slight hesitation, into a number of perilous scenarios as Pip’s apparition hops throughout history. You want the kind of friends who will jump on sentient flying gargoyles in the middle of a thunderstorm to literally save your soul. After all they’ve accomplished for him, the emotion really shines through in the movie’s closing moments where they look upon Pip safe and sound at home.
Viewing The Halloween Tree through a more mature lens really opens your eyes to a slew of crafty theming and dark implications that flew over your head as a kid. The climax sees Jenny, Ralph, Wally and Tom finally catching up to Pip after such a long night only to have him and his pumpkin scooped up by a victorious Moundshroud. It dawns on them that they’ve essentially been assisting an angel of death in collecting their best friend’s soul for all eternity. But this is where the special takes an unexpected turn. Tom walks up to Moundshroud and selflessly offers him a year shaved off his life for Pip, inspiring others to follow suit.
And there’s no last minute ‘well, you’ve all learned an incredible lesson and I’ll bring your friend back anyway without removing years from your life’ happy ending resolution. Moundshroud goes through with their proposal. It carries some rather dark implications when you really think about. The kids collectively pay Pip’s bar tab, ensuring that they’ll have to tragically watch him pass on in his teenage years. They may not fear Pip’s death, but as they grow older they’ll certainly fear the moment when Moundshroud comes for them.
In addition to being a fun introspective journey of the holiday, The Halloween Tree also works as an excellent conversation-starter for those with young children who haven’t quite grasped the concept of death and near-death experiences. It tackles the heavy subject matter in a concise and informative fashion that could prove useful. The spooky environments ooze with the simmering Halloween spirit that puts you in the right frame of mind for the big day. The Halloween Tree is less of an educational special and more of an engaging coming-of-age adventure/trivia extravaganza that deserves its rightful setting at the Halloween TV special table.
