It’s October and, for the battle series, we are going to compare two Disney Channel Original Movies available on the Halloween collection on Disney+. One is one of the most popular spooky DCOMs of my youth. The other is a DCOM for a younger generation. Let’s compare “Halloweentown” and “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S.”

1. HALLOWEEN VIBES

When it comes to Halloween movies, one aspect to look at is how much does the holiday affect the plot. While zombies are definitely a Halloween costume staple, “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S” is only really established to take place during football season. While Halloween falls during football season, Halloween doesn’t really factor in. As for “Halloweentown,” it tells you in the name how Halloween is incredibly important to the plot. The entire film takes place on Halloween. Halloween provides the access from the mortal realm to Halloweentown. Point to “Halloweentown.”

Halloweentown 1 | Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 0

2. WITCHES VS. ZOMBIES

Both witches and zombies are Halloween staples. Both tell a wonderful story. My question is witch one helps give off the best Halloween connection beyond the obvious in “Halloweentown’s” name. The inhabitants of Halloweentown drive the majority of the story in “Halloweentown.” The witches, and other Halloweentown inhabitants, take over the film while the mortal realm has a mostly minor role in the film. In “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S,” the zombies and humans are equally important to driving the plot. In the end, I find the witches and Halloweentown inhabitants more important. Point to “Halloweentown.”

Halloweentown 2 | Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 0

3. VILLAINS

The main villain of “Halloweentown” is Kalabar, the mayor of “Halloweentown.” He was in love with Marnie’s mother and wanted to marry her, but Marnie’s mother chose a human and to live in the mortal realm. Kalabar is fueled by hatred after being rejected by mortals in the mortal realm. He is willing to freeze everybody to get what he wants. The villain of “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S” is Bucky, the head cheerleader who doesn’t want anyone encroaching on his popularity. He’s not really villainous, he’s just a self-absorbed teenager. Kalabar is the better villain. Point to “Halloweentown.”

Halloweentown 3 | Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 0

4. MUSIC

This category is a little unfair for “Halloweentown.” “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S” is a musical featuring talented singers and dancers to help further the plot of the story. “Halloweentown” has the right amount of spooky music for its score, but it’s just not enough. Point to “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S.”

Halloweentown 3 | Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 1

5. LEGACY

Both of these films are memorable for fans of Disney Channel Original Movies. “Halloweentown” became a staple for pre-teens, tweens and early teenagers looking for a kind of spooky but not scary Halloween movie. It spawned three sequels. “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S” is one of the more popular newer DCOMs that has already spawned two sequels. I think both will stick around for Disney fans for years, but I think “Halloweentown” has the bigger legacy right now. Point to “Halloweentown.”

Halloweentown 4 | Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 1

“Halloweentown” wins this battle. Both are a lot of fun for fans of Disney Channel Original Movies. Which do you prefer?

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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