Halloween looms just ahead, and as the most diehard Disney fans know, the House of Mouseis no strangerto the haunted holiday. As the official launch date ofDisney+was in November of 2019, 2020 will mark the first time that Disney+ has had the opportunity to deliver on the frights and delights of the season.
With the sheer amount of content available between everything Disney+ has to offer it can be somewhat daunting to navigate through yet another set of app menus. The trick is to enjoy the following treat from Game Rant. Below is a list of some of the best Halloweenspecials currently available to streamon Disney+. While there are also plenty of great movies available as well (hello, 6000th watch ofHocus Pocus)these picks focus solely on television specials.
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Trick or treating isn’t in the cards for a lot of Halloween-loving kids this year, but this collection of shows can be the backbone of your at-home Halloween festivities. Quick suggestion for parents with younger ghosts and goblins: let them go “house to house” at each of the rooms in your home. Not as fun as the real thing, but much safer. Just don’t be that house giving out the boxes of raisins. Nobody likes those people.
Even Stevens- A Very Scary Story (S2 E12)
While recent forays into cinema likeHoney Boydelved into the difficulties of Shia LaBeouf’s childhood,Even Stevensstill stands as a testamentto his raw comedic talent. The Halloween episode of the series (heck, most of the episodes in general) will have you laughing at its clever references and gleeful silliness.
What starts as a pretty typical Halloween day at school for Louis and friends turns sinister. As Ren and Principal Wexler conduct eye exams for the students (“I happen to be a mail-order-certified Optometrist”), Louis plans to pull a prank by unleashing a box of fake eyeballs. His plans are cut short when students begin walking around school with large sunglasses on, drinking milk and repeating the phrase, “Milk is an excellent source of calcium for overall skeletal health.”
The whole thing turns the dial up to 11 for a mad scientist meets Maleficent’s evil castle ending. Viewers are then treated with a light-hearted conclusion that ties up all loose ends nicely while also accounting for the absurdity of the plot.
Hannah Montana- Torn Between Two Hannahs (S1 E17)
Hannah Montanawas a huge hit for Disney, so it stands to reason that many fans remember the show’s Halloween with fondness. Unfortunately, today’s audiences looking for a strong episode that pays tribute to Halloween are less likely to get the best of both worlds with this one. The episode seems more focused on making cheap shots at people from the South than telling a coherent Halloween story, leaving the whole thing feeling a bit disjointed.
The main story follows Miley as she readies for an A-List Halloween party where she’ll be making anappearance and performing asHannah Montana. She’s disappointed when her father reveals her twin cousin from the South, Luanne (also played by Miley Cyrus speaking in an over-the-top Southern drawl), is coming to visit. It’s later revealed that Luanne does have a darker side and she threatens to reveal Miley’s secret identity, though by the end of the episode she’s swept aside with no conclusion to her and Miley’s story.
There’s somethingoutrageous and yet utterly impressivehow much mileage this show gets out of the premise of “Miley and Hannah look identical but the wig foolseveryone!”. It’s probably due in part to the pop and sparkle of the show’s general vibe that it doesn’t quite nail the Halloween side of things. However, there is some fun to be had with Billy Cyrus' B-plot feud against their neighbor whose costume makes him looks like a Pumpkin-themed version of John Wayne Gacy. Creepy undertones indeed.
There’s a lot to love about theLizzie McGuireHalloween special. First, there’s theexcellent costumes and decorations, some genuine laughs, and a mostly-successful attempt to include influences from Dia De Los Muertos. There are a few convenient plot holes as well, but they don’t detract from the fun of the episode.
It all starts when Lizzie’s parents inform her that this year her brother Matt will be attending her school’s Halloween Carnival instead of going Trick-Or-Treating. Matt’s best friend Lanny is present for the discussion of these plans, but is not seen for the rest of the episode (it’s also never touched on why Matt is the only kid his age at this carnival later and Lanny doesn’t join him butshhhhhhjustenjoy the ride).
By the end of the episode you realize that the scariest thing of all is Lizzie’s sense of entitlement, as she uses Dia De Los Muertos and her friends as tools in her revenge plotagainst resident Mean GirlKate. In terms of exploring another culture’s holiday, this is certainly nowhere near the level of something like Pixar’sCoco.Cocois also available on Disney+ though, so maybe watch that after this episode as well to balance it out.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody- The Ghost of Suite 613 (S1 E19)
The Suite Life of Zack and Codyis one of the few Disney Channel series that led almost all of its young stars onto further success in their careers. Ashley Tisdale went on toHigh School Musicalstardom. Brenda Songwas inThe Social Network. The Sprouse twins got a second Disney series on a cruise ship, and Cole Sprouse is Jughead onRiverdalefor crying out loud. With such a talented cast, it makes sense thatThe Suite Lifehas a sweet Halloween special.
Taking influence fromstories likeThe Shiningand the humor ofScooby Doo, Zack and Cody set out to learn if the rumors of a haunted suite within the Tipton hotel are true. Popping in at various points to help them along is Mr. Moseby, who reveals he had a run-in with the ghost some years ago and accidentally ran straight into a door, recalling that, “Fortunately, my voluminous fro saved me from a concussion.”
There’s even an unofficialLuigi’s Mansionreferencethanks to the hotel maintenance man, Arwin, who brings out his self-madeghost tracking vacuum devicehalfway through. The bellhop Esteban leads the group in a séance and gives a great performance channeling the ghost of the suite (though he puts up with a lot of crap from these kids and, quite frankly, deserves better). This hotel Halloween special is one worth checking out late for.
Trick or Treat- Donald Duck Short (1952)
Want that good good, OG Disney? Looking for that pure, unfiltered magic this Halloween season? There’s a 9 minute short from 1952 that can be located under the Halloween section of Disney+ that ticks every box anyone could hope for (andno vault can stop fansfrom accessing it!).Trick or Treatstars Huey, Dewey, and Louie as well as Donald Duck and is a non-stop delight in the way that nascent Disney films likeSnow Whiteor series likeLooney Toonsare.
The entire proceeding has that classic element of danger that’s best known in shows likeTom and Jerrywhere the actions depicted are surprisingly violent for cute characters. To start, Huey, Dewey, and Louie arrive to trick or treat at their Uncle Donald’s house. Donald takes this opportunity to placelit firecrackersin their candy bags. Upon their candy exploding out of existence, Donald then throws water on his nephews. Seeing how sad the boys are the Witch Hazel decides to step in and attempt to speak to Donald. He throws water in her face as well (that motherducker).
The remaining 6 minutes or so is dedicated to Donald receiving his comeuppance. The Witch Hazel unleashes a bevy of spells (there’s a cactus involved) and what follows for Donald would be classified as a beating were it not for the delightful animations and musical hits replacing the sound effects of each hit. This is a blast from the past in the best way possible, definitely give it a watch this Halloween.
Boy Meets World- And Then There Was Shawn (S5 E17)
Not only is this particular Halloween special ofBoy Meets Worlda hilarious riff onmovies likeScreamandI Know What You Did Last Summer, it’s also quite possibly the greatest episode of the series ever made. The laugh-a-minute pace never lets up until the very end when it pivots into a moment of actual character growth for Shawn.
What starts as a typical day of school turns to an argument over seating arrangements around the newly broken up Cory and Topanga (don’t worry, they don’t stay broken up forever). Mr. Feeny sentences his students to after school detention, and that’s where things start to get creepy. Feeny leaves the classroom and the students begin to think he abandoned them there (“He can’t do that. That’s against the Geneva Detention Convention!"). There’s a Janitor named Giggles (yes, really) that keeps walking by with a squeaky cart, and after the lights turn out fellow classmate Kenny is found murdered with a school pencil through his forehead, drawing a line as his body slides to the floor (“We’ll always remember he was this tall…” and “They killed Kenny!” are standout lines).
There’s even a guest spot from Jennifer Love Hewitt, renamed Jennifer Love Fefferman (her friends call her Feffy) who tries to survive with the series regulars as they evade a masked killer while locked inside John Adams High. Still not convinced to check this out? If nothing else, people need to hear the outrageous murder song, “There’s a knife, here’s a gun, they’ll be fun for everyone! Death is on the menu toniiiiiight!”. This is a type of family friendly horror that only the 90’s could get away with.
