The Halloween Tree

A film was made from a superior book. Those who enjoy the Hallowe'en holiday often not have much of an idea of its roots, and Ray Bradbury turns a sympathetic eye towards various Hallowe'en traditions.

That the film is an animated one suggests rather strongly that it was aimed squarely at the younger set, but the cartoon medium allows a certain chaotic underpinning that facilitates transitions in time and space.

Children going out to Trick Or Treat, less one member of the gang, known as Pipkin. A house they visit looks very spooky, and has in its yard a tree festooned with Jack O'Lanterns. The person whom they meet is the mysterious Mr. Moundshroud. The strange grownup introduces them to various Hallowe'en traditions, taking them on trips through time and space. This is magical, but not spooky in the scary sense.

The fate of Pipkin is bound up in this, as the children learn. They also get a thorough grounding on many aspects of Hallowe'en, as do the viewers.

A good film for the season.