PUMPKIN MOON [2005}

I SAW SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE SAY THIS WAS THE EQUIVALENT OF THE CHRISTMAS PERENNIAL "THE SNOWMAN" (1982) BUT FOR HALLOWEEN. 

I can certainly see that analogy.  This is a gentle animated film featuring a black cat who plants its own pumpkin for Halloween.  All the pumpkins get to become carved Jack O'Lanterns; even the cat's pumpkin which gets kinda overripe and soppy.  At the end of Halloween night, all the Jack O'Lanterns all fly off to the Land of Halloween or wherever Halloween Jack O'Lanterns go.  However, the Halloween witches are trying to stop them.  The black cat teams up with the pumpkins as well as other Halloween icons like skeletons, ghosts and scarecrows in order to prevent the evil witches from succeeding.  A lovely, lyrical animated film just coming in under a half hour, PUMPKIN MOON brings to life the children's book by Tim Preston and Simon Bartram and is perfect for little goblins in October. 

I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the fact that the colour scheme is a little too light and pastel-y for Halloween; while I would've liked it to be a little darker, it didn't bother me overmuch.  Also I was kinda disappointed that the Halloween witches were the villains of the piece; surely witches should be on the same side as all the other Halloween creatures of the night.  Of course, somebody had to be the villain, I guess.  But I know some witches and they're probably a little miffed at having to play the bad guys!  PUMPKIN MOON is the perfect first feature to play before screening a Halloween horror movie marathon especially before the little creatures go to sleep for the night.