‘Halloweentown’ Cast Reunites to Honor Debbie Reynolds

For many, Hocus Pocus might be the defining family-friendly Halloween movie of the ’90s, but for the slightly younger crowd, 1998’s Halloweentown might be a more impacting experience.

In the film, a group of siblings are never allowed to celebrate Halloween, while their mom never quite makes clear why they can’t partake in the festivities. One year, grandmother Aggie, played by Debbie Reynolds, whisks the children away to Halloweentown, a magical place where Halloween exists all year long. The film became so successful, it even spawned three sequels.

The series of Disney movies was filmed in St. Helens, OR, which has taken to celebrating the holiday all month long with a variety of events.

In honor of last year’s passing of Reynolds, who appeared in all four films, the series’ original cast, Emily Roeske, J. Paul Zimmerman, Judith Hoag and Kimberly J. Brown, all returned to St. Helens to partake in festivities to honor the on-screen grandmother.

“Hello, I’m Princess Leia’s mother.”

The cast not only appeared together at the filming location, they all shared their personal experiences with Reynolds when speaking to the crowd at a massive celebration.

“This is such a special year… to be able to get together and remember how special Debbie Reynolds was,” Kimberly Brown expressed. “It’s hard trying to narrow down one story or one little tidbit because she was truly so full of wisdom and had so many funny stories and most of the jokes were at her expense.”

Brown continued: “She was so willing to share that wisdom with the rest of us and wanted everybody to shine in their own light. It was so refreshing, as a young actress, to work with somebody who was not only such a huge legend, but who was also willing to share the spotlight with everybody around her, which I think is so true in the business and just so true in life. Everybody has their own special light and everybody can shine brightly in their own way and it doesn’t mean that because one person is shining brightly that anybody else is shining any less brightly. Everybody’s own special shine is what we need in this world for it to be a more loving, happy place. That’s what she really taught me. I think one of our favorite joint stories is… there were fans that gather around the set and in her kindness, she would always come up and introduce herself as, ‘Hello, I’m Princess Leia’s mother.’”

“We were so blessed to have her.”

“This movie would not be the lasting Halloween tradition that it is without all of you,” revealed Judith Hoag, who played Reynolds’ daughter. “It was an honor to do these movies and it was a huge honor to work with the absolutely incredible, iconic, unbelievable, creative, talented Debbie Reynolds.”

“No matter how busy she was… no matter what was going on, if they were calling her to the set and she was late… If a fan stepped up and wanted to say hello or take a picture or get an autograph, Debbie always stopped and she always made time for her fans,” Hoag confessed. “I loved to tease her because she was the funniest person on the planet and she loved to play and to joke… she was the sauciest and funniest lady… I used to say, ‘Debbie… my god, you would pose with a coat hanger.’ She looked at me, absolutely serious, and said, ‘Judith… those are my fans. I would not have a career without those fans.’

The actress took many of Reynolds’ lessons to heart, proving how much of an inspiration she was on screen and off.

“And I have never forgotten that,” Hoag admitted. “It was an honor to work with her and finding that she had passed was a very sad moment. But we were so lucky because we had her talent and her performances and her music and her collection… she had single-handedly kept so many legendary Hollywood props. We were so blessed to have her. Being here tonight to commemorate her life and her work and her fans is an honor.”

“This is J. Paul Zimmerman from Halloweentown.”

Zimmerman, who also appeared in each installment in the franchise, shared with the crowd one of his favorite memories of Reynolds.

“I’ve always wanted to be a director and there was a movie I wanted to make during Halloweentown High.” he detailed. “Somehow, I got the guts to walk up to Debbie Reynolds, this legend, and say, ‘Hey Debbie, I want to make a movie. Would you be in my movie if I directed it?’ And she said that she reads every script that she’s given, she considers everything… and she gave me her home number. I sent her the script and then I called Debbie Reynolds at home… and I don’t remember how the conversation went because she picked up the phone… after two or three rings, Debbie Reynolds picks up the phone at her house… and I said, ‘Debbie, this is J. Paul Zimmerman from Halloweentown.’”

“And there’s a pause and I’m thinking maybe she doesn’t remember me…,” Zimmerman noted. “And she said, ‘Well… now that’s an interesting phone call to get… Not J. Paul Zimmerman from Boston, not J. Paul Zimmerman from Philadelphia, but J. Paul Zimmerman from Halloweentown.’”

“She was beautiful, inside and out.”

Roeske, who appeared in the first three films but not the fourth, made a rare appearance at the gathering.

“I was six years old and I got to work with Debbie Reynolds,” Roeske recalled. “It’s something that’s so incredible that I’ll never forget. She was so talented. Not only that, she was beautiful, inside and out. She had the best sense of humor and that’s one of the things I remember about her the most. Making jokes with everyone on the set… inviting me into her trailer to tell me stories and help me practice my lines… It was just so incredible to have someone like that as a role model for me as a young girl.

“Losing her this year was really hard to hear but I just thought about all the memories I have of her and what an impact she had on me,” she revealed. “I’m so happy to be here to commemorate her life.”

[H/T Dread Central]