It’s weird how “For Better or Worse” never actually took off as an animated series. Comic strips like “Charlie Brown,” “Garfield” and even “The Boondocks” hit big as series, with the former two offering up their own iconic Halloween special. “The Good For Nothing” is a Halloween special mostly in spirit as the central conflict is set primarily on Halloween. That doesn’t make “The Good for Nothing” bad. It just never quite rises to the occasion to be as good as “The Great Pumpkin.”
Tag Archives: Kids
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales (2021)
I have never really been a big follower of the LEGO movie verse over the years, I’ll admit. I loved “LEGO Batman” and “The LEGO Movie” but that’s as far as it’s ever gone. LEGO and Star Wars have teamed up for a while to deliver prime kid content and this time they merge to offer up a Halloween themed movie that’s great for the holiday but also good for the young Star Wars fan. “Star Wars” isn’t exactly known for their spooky stories, but I think they do a very good job mixing their mythology with some horror themed elements. A lot of it proves to be actually quite clever.
The Adventures of the Scrabble People in A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense (1985)
Also known as “A Pumpkin Full of Nonsense,” this animated short from the eighties is probably one of the more bizarre product tie ins I’ve ever seen. While it’s traditionally known as a Halloween special, the idea of Halloween is only minimal in what is a more unusual fantasy adventure. The entire narrative lives and breathes by the implementation of the trademark letter tiles, in so many unusual and baffling ways.
Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble (1993)
In the 1990’s, there were two blonde moppets that took over the world, and their names were Mary Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen. They were twin actresses known for their role in the hit family sitcom “Full House.” As they grew up they became so popular that they were transformed in to cash cows, producing everything from music, merchandise, clothes lines, and of course movie vehicles. One of their first was “Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble,” a Halloween adventure with the pair of blonde, dead eyed girls battling their wicked aunt.
The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook for Kids [Hardcover]
Author Bridget Thoreson previously released the cook book “The Unofficial “Hocus Pocus” Cookbook,” a compilation of drink and food recipes for the adult fan of the 1993 Disney cult classic movie. Now for the Halloween season, author Thoreson releases a sequel but it’s for the kids, this time. Officially titled “The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook for Kids: 50 Fun and Easy Recipes for Tricks, Treats, and Spooky Eats Inspired by the Halloween Classic,” this 128 page hardcover book is a treat for the young “Hocus Pocus” fan in your life.
Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! (2023) (DVD)
Warner Bros. killed it and decided to throw it away, never to really be seen. Then thanks to uproar from the hardcore comic, Superman, and Scooby-Doo fan bases, “Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!” was thankfully saved and thrown in to the already massive library of “Scooby-Doo” movies. This was of course put over in to the straight to home media market where Hanna Barbera’s cash cow rests comfortably. But that’s not at all a slight, as “Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!” is a very good mixing of the crime fighting mutt, and Superman’s poochy pal.
Spy Kids: Armageddon (2023)
It’s been almost fifteen years since there was a new “Spy Kids” installment and one of the last times Robert Rodriguez released a film in theaters (he’s apparently locked in to Netflix like Adam Sandler). Sadly, these days Robert Rodriguez seems more committed to delivering low budget kid accessible entertainment more than anything else, and “Spy Kids: Armageddon” allows him to kill two birds with one stone. Not only is he able to continue his line of mediocre family films, but he gets to revive his long stagnant action franchise for a new generation.
And the results are decidedly a mixed bag.