The Halloween Tree (1993)

Ray Bradbury is one of the best known authors of the 20th Century. He is also an author who worked in motion pictures and television, and whose works have been adapted several times over for both the big and small screen. Among his best known works is his 1972 novel The Halloween Tree. What is not as well is known is the 1993 television movie adaptation of the novel that first aired on October 2 1993 on the cable channel ABC.

It was perhaps only fitting that The Halloween Tree would be adapted to the small screen, as it had originated as a television project. As hard as it might be to be believed, The Halloween Tree grew out of the disappointment Ray Bradbury and his daughters experienced upon watching the debut of the now classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in 1966. In a 1967 interview, Ray Bradbury addressed his disappointment with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, saying, "I thought the Great Pumpkin was just dreadful. So mean. It was dreadfully mean, to anticipate the ‘Great Pumpkin’ arriving for a half hour and when it was over my kids sat there, and they were depressed. And so was I. I thought it was dreadful of Mr. Schulz not to know that you can’t build up this kind of need in people to see the Great Pumpkin, and not have him show up one way or another. It’s a shame. I thought he knew better."

Ray Bradbury later discussed his disappointment in It's the Great Pumpkin,, Charlie Brown with his friend, legendary animator Chuck Jones, at lunch. He would later give Mr. Jones a painting of an tree with pumpkins hanging from its branches that he had made a few years before. The two men then conceived a half-hour Halloween television special that would address the history of the holiday. Unfortunately, MGM closed down its animation division and fired everyone, including Chuck Jones. Ray Bradbury and Chuck Jones's Halloween television special would never be made.

Mr. Bradbury then took his teleplay and expanded it into the novel The Halloween Tree. The novel followed eight children, ready to go trick or treating, who discover a friend's life is on the line. Ultimately, with the help of the mysterious Mr. Moundshroud, the children find themselves pursuing their friend through a history of Halloween and similar holidays, from ancient Egypt to Mexico during the Day of the Dead.

Over the next several years various studios would have options on The Halloween Tree. Eventually Hanna-Barbera, not long after Ted Turner had taken over the animation studio optioned the novel. Ray Bradbury wrote the teleplay for the special, which simplified the plot of the novel by reducing the number of children from eight to four. Ray Bradbury also narrated the telefilm. Leonard Nimoy provided the voice of Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud. The composer on The Halloween Tree was John Debney, who had also provided the music for another Halloween movie released the same year, Hocus Pocus (1993). He would later be nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Score for The Passion of the Christ (2004).

The Halloween Tree won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in An Animated Program and was nominated for the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Children's Program. It also received largely positive notices from critics.

While The Halloween Tree was produced by Hanna-Barbera, it is a far cry from their Saturday morning cartoons. The animation on the special is superior for a made-for-TV animated film, with often lavish backgrounds and imagery. The Halloween Tree itself is very impressive. The voice talent also does a remarkable job of bringing the characters to life, particularly Leonard Nimoy. He is virtually unrecognizable as Mr. Moundshroud.

What really places The Halloween Tree above other television specials is Ray Bradbury's script. For the most part the teleplay is fairly faithful to the novel, and, as might be expected of a teleplay by the great Mr. Bradbury himself, captures the magic of his writing perfectly. The only caveat I have is a flaw shared by the novel as well. In including Día de Muertos, I fear that it might reinforce the misconception that many have that the holiday is merely "Mexican Halloween." While both Halloween and Día de Muertos have roots in Allhallowtide, and Halloween originated as a "day of the dead," the two holidays evolved separately and differ in some significant ways.

After its debut on ABC, The Halloween Tree would air regularly at Halloween on both TBS and the Cartoon Network. Turner Home Entertainment released the TV movie on VHS in the Nineties. In 2012 the Warner Archive released it on DVD. It is currently available to watch for free with commercials on the streaming service Tubi and for rent on several other streaming services.

The Halloween Tree may not be as famous as other Halloween specials, but there is every reason it should be. It is a finely produced television movie that numbers among the best of Halloween fare that has aired on American television. And it is among the few adaptations of a Ray Bradbury work that actually captures the magic of his writing.