Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5868 in VHS
• Released on: 1996-09-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 70 minutes

Amazon.com
Spock (Leonard Nimoy) waxes spooky as Death personified in this video retelling of Ray Bradbury's classic Halloween adventure. A Hanna-Barbera animated presentation, The Halloween Tree tells the story of four close friends who must face their greatest fears as they travel through time to save their dear comrade, Pip. It's Halloween night, Pip's favorite holiday, and the friends are baffled to spot his spirit running through the woods when they've just seen his body hauled off in an ambulance. Mustering their courage, they follow the spirit and meet Moundshroud (Nimoy), the mysterious black-caped proprietor of a haunted house. Moundshroud challenges them each to gain a deeper understanding of the origins of this ghostly holiday as he leads them on an educational journey through faraway places and time periods. From Egyptian sarcophaguses to Mexican graveyards, the children learn the legends behind Halloween and the importance they place on their friendship with Pip. Imaginative, not too scary, well-acted, and nicely drawn, this hour-long treat will appeal to little spooks ages 5 and older. A short Yogi Bear "classic" involving a witch vacationing in Jellystone Park opens the show; parents not into reminiscing might wish to fast-forward past this dated time-waster. --Liane Thomas

Customer Reviews

very entertaining, spooky
First let me warn you, this is a little too spooky for kids 7 and under. But it won both an Emmy Award, and an award from the Film Advisory Board. The film is based on a story by Ray Bradbury, and he narrates the movie. The movie is very different than the book, but than what movie isn't? The scary "Moundshroud" character keeps you guessing as to whether his intents are good or evil. He is wonderfully voiced by Leonard Nimoy, and if you have never heard him voice animated films, not only is he really good but you can't tell it is him!

In the story 4 kids,(3 boys and 1 girl) are preparing for Halloween night and find that their buddy Pippin is being taken away in an ambulance. No one seems to know whats wrong with him, and the kids seem lost without him as he is the one they all look up to. A mysterious character shows up by the name of Moundshroud, who tells them that his spirit has been taken by ghosts of Halloween past and they must come with him to capture Pippins spirit and return it to its body. But can they trust him, as it seems he has his own secret motive for capturing Pippin. Each of the kids is dressed as a classic Haloween character Moundshroud takes them across the world and through time itself to discover the origin of that classic Halloween costume character. For example the hunt for the mummys origin leads them to ancient Egypt and its dark secrets. The skeleton takes them to old Mexico for "Day of the Dead" celebrations. The Witch takes them back to the bards of England. They also learn what real friendship truly means, and must freely give a huge personal sacrifice if they want to save the soul of their friend.

This movie is bigger in story than it seems, and my wife has watched this tape about 6 times. The animation is good, very fluid, good character design. The movie will keep you guessing until the end. Suspenseful, imaginative, and educational without looking like it is trying to be.

UPDATE: I wrote this review in 2003, and I cannot believe this movie is still not on DVD. It is for rare gems like this that so many of us have kept our VCR players. We still watch this at least once a year.

A fantastical view of Halloweens past
This animated made-for-television Halloween special has captivated me since the first time I saw it back in 1994. Based on Ray Bradbury's novella of the same name, the plot weaves together the Halloween traditions of cultures gone by with four modern-day children's quest to save the life of their friend, whose soul is also being sought by the mysterious and sinister Moundshroud (voice-acted superbly by Leonard Nemoy).

The only confusing section in this cartoon comes from the updated Celtic Samhain tradition. In his original novella, Bradbury included the wildly incorrect belief that the Celtic Druids worshipped Sam Hain, the god of death (of which there was actually no such thing). For the special, that horribly inaccurate section was re-written to discuss pagan witch traditions. While the end result of this content switch is much more satisfying, the story line does feel a little bumpy in this part.

This is spooky fare, but only mildly so. Little kids can watch it without having nightmares, and should come away from it both entertained and enlightened. A wonderful addition for your Halloween traditions.

GREAT HOLIDAY MOVIE FOR OLDER CHILDREN !
I highly recommend this witty and award winning cartoon for any older children, alittle too scary for under 7 or 8 but great fun for the older ones! I just wish it would come out on DVD !