Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
... and welcome to 'Day Ten' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" where I aim to bring you another creepy cartoon classic from the plethora of spooky animated short films that have been released throughout the course of animation history - any of which can be streamed on TV via the magic of Roku media players - so let's dim down the lights, for some more fun & frights! :-O
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published ten days ago, you will know that I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my post from 'Day Three' of this month-long blogathon, you may recall that it featured a slightly longer animated film than the usual spooky shorts (of around 5-10 minutes) which I've been sharing on most days in this series of posts. The reason for this is that I decided to dedicate each Wednesday to what I'm calling my "MIDWEEK MEGATOON" and these films will typically be in the region of 20-30 minutes duration. Last week it was an episode of 'The Real Ghostbusters' from 1989, called "The Halloween Door", but this week I'm going all the way back to the seventies for an even more obscure gem from Canada... which celebrates it's 40th anniversary later this month! :-D
"Witch's Night Out" tells the story of 'Small' and 'Tender' who are looking forward to Halloween and the prospect of terrifying the neighbourhood in their scary masks. As they discuss their love for the spooky celebration we see a woman pass by who, upon hearing the topic of their conversation, stops to inform the two youngsters about her own feelings on the matter... proclaiming: "I hate Hallowe'en! Bleuurghhh!" - a sentiment which is soon supported by the next adult to arrive on the scene who says it's "Rotten... Rotten, Rotten, Rotten!" and, by some strange coincidence, that character's name is also 'Rotten' - something he lives up to at every opportunity - while the Halloween 'killjoy' of a woman to whom he spoke went by the equally appropriate name of 'Malicious', which suited her down to the ground as well. The astonishment of 'Small' and 'Tender' at what they had just heard was clear for all to see... but, fortunately, the next person to happen along - a goodly gentleman by the name of, you guessed it, 'Goodly' - was quick to reassure everyone present that Hallowe'en is for children and that you wouldn't expect to see adults running around in silly costumes. Then along comes a nice lady by the name of (surprise, surprise) 'Nicely' who adds that, although "dressing-up" may be considered a sign of immaturity, surely Hallowe'en could be "nice" for everybody. No prizes for guessing what the odd couple of 'Rotten' and 'Malicious' thought about what 'Nicely' had to say about Hallowe'en! ;-) :-)
After a brief discussion among the adults, it is decided that they should do something for Hallowe'en and they settle on the prospect of throwing a party in an old abandoned house on the edge of town. It is not long before 'Goodly' has persuaded 'Rotten' to go with him and check the place out... despite it being well-known that the house in question is supposedly "haunted", and neither of them is exactly keen to pay it a visit. Nevertheless, they do... and we soon learn that there is a witch living there who is upset about being "unemployed" on account of there being no demand for magic anymore. Those feelings about being a "washed-up witch" are soon set aside when she overhears their conversation about hosting a party in her house... and she begins to feel quite excited at the thought of it all! :-D
Meanwhile, Small and Tender are out "trick-or-treating" with the rest of the neighbourhood kids but, despite their best efforts at trying to look scary, they can't help but feel a little disappointed at how the town folk all seem to recognise them for who they are and, as a result, are not frightened of them. In the end they decide to head for home, and cut their losses, but they wished they'd had a better time of it while they were out. As they lay in bed talking it over... their babysitter, 'Bazooey', arrives to look after them and, when he reads them a book about a 'Fairy Godmother', they soon forget their woes and start to fantasise about having someone like that to grant their wishes which, for 'Small', means becoming a "real" wolfman and, for 'Tender', the opportunity to become a "real" ghost for the night!
Meanwhile, from way across town, the witch has heard the childrens' wishes and flies through the night sky to go and grant them. Despite crashing through the window, she arrives in one piece and proceeds to offer them her services. Needless to say, 'Bazooey' is not keen on the idea... because he is the one responsible for the safety of the children. However, having seen a demonstration of how they can be easily changed back and forth from monster to child (and vice versa) he even entertains the notion of becoming Frankenstein's monster himself. Soon the three of them are transformed! :-O
After that, they all go to the party... and, once they make their entrance, the other guests are terrified and run for the exit. The witch gets trampled underfoot in the crush and, when things calm down, it also becomes clear that her magic wand has gone missing during the commotion. Unfortunately, the loss / theft of the wand means that she cannot return 'Small', 'Tender', and 'Bazooey' to their human form. So, from there onwards, the story follows their attempts to find and recover the wand for the witch but, rather than reveal the rest of the plot, let's just say that some valuable lessons were learned about Hallowe'en by all of the people involved in this story... both adults and children alike! ;-) :-)
While in fact made in 1977 (according to the 'MCMLXXVII' credit) this animated television special was only originally first broadcast by 'NBC' on 27th October 1978. Based on a story & script written by John Leach (who also produced and directed this Halloween-themed cartoon) along with co-writer Jean Rankin (who doubled as Background Illustrator), this Canadian-made TV Special was animated by Terry Godfrey, Keith Ingham, John Leach and Yanina Volski-Cohen. This spooky classic featured the voices of Gilda Radner (as "The Godmother") and Bob Church (as Rotten), alongside John Leach (as Goodly), Naomi Leach (as Tender), Tony Molesworth (as Small), plus the amazing vocal talent of Catherine O'Hara (as Malicious) and Fiona Reid (as Nicely), with Gerry Salsberg (as Bazooey). If some of the character names sound familiar, that might be because they were also used for an earlier animated production from Leach & Rankin, called "The Gift of Winter", which was another special - but, this time, for the Xmas holiday period - released some four years prior to this Halloween special.
Produced in a Toronto Studio, the music credit for "Witch's Night Out" - that included the stand-out cut "Halloween Witch Magic" in the (unreleased) soundtrack - went to Peter Rochon, who had also provided the music for "The Gift of Winter" some four years prior, with all titles being composed and produced by Peter Rochon. Taking it as a whole, the unique character designs and overall techniques used to produce this animation - coupled with the fun theme tune and Hallowe'en-based storyline - make it a worthy contender for any Halloween-themed cartoon playlist. So if, like me, you've been unable to track-down a copy of "Witch’s Night Out" on DVD, then this 'YouTube' video uploaded by "Deco Star Prints" - saved from a VHS copy of the 1978 classic - is one of very few means through which you are likely to get to watch it... especially if you happen to reside in the United Kingdom!
PLEASE BE AWARE: That, since this digital copy originates from an old VHS tape, there are signs of the typical wear and tear which are to be expected with a forty year old video. For the most part, these are confined to the intro / opening title sequence and are the sort of thing you would normally have corrected by adjusting the tracking on your VCR back in the day but, since that's not an option with 'YouTube' videos, you'll just have to live with it. On a more positive note, as I mentioned before, this type of distraction (i.e. lines of white noise in the video) is thankfully infrequent and limited to the upper portion of the viewing area (in the main) plus, unlike other copies which were recorded at the time of broadcast, this video has no commercial interruptions so (hopefully) what (very few) defects there are won't be enough to spoil your overall enjoyment of this Halloween cartoon! ;-) :-)
Of course, in addition to watching this embedded version of the cartoon right here on this blog, you can also choose to stream it on your big screen television by using the "cast" function built-in to the 'YouTube' app(s) for mobile devices on both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms. For those who may have missed my special hallowe'en blogathon preview posted ten days ago, to "cast" the video to your Roku player and/or NowTV device(s), you will first need to have the Roku channel (app) for 'YouTube' installed to act as a receiver for the stream you are casting. If you're not sure how to go about casting from your mobile device to your Roku there's a help article from 'Roku Support', which can be found on the official Roku website, that can walk you through the process step-by-step! ;-) :-D
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
On whichever platform you decide to stream this video, listen-out for the really nice voice-work by Gilda Radner and pay close attention to the very cool (if somewhat strange) animation as well as the gorgeous backgrounds which were illustrated by Jean Rankin. Also worthy of a mention are the fab sound effects (like when the witch is in flight) all of which (as well as the sound editing) were done by a chap called Bob Grieve. Meanwhile, here's a few more images (VHS/DVD Covers, Posters, etc.) to further illustrate the visual aspects of this hard to come by Halloween cartoon classic! ;-) :-D
Finally, to round-off our look at today's "MIDWEEK MEGATOON" of creepy classic animation, I've decided to throw-in a few more still frame images from "Witch's Night Out" (1978)... because the odd combination of using monochromic animated images over highly detailed backgrounds really makes the characters "pop", to instantly draw the attention of the viewer, while the stunning backdrops yield even more rewards for the inquisitive eye to discover in this seventies classic. The additional twist of using traditional techniques while animating this cartoon straight to cels, i.e. with no key frames or pre-drawings... just free straight-ahead animation drawn directly onto the acetate with ink pens, also helps to set it apart and make it the magical animated Hallowe'en adventure that it is! :-D
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published ten days ago, you will know that I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my post from 'Day Three' of this month-long blogathon, you may recall that it featured a slightly longer animated film than the usual spooky shorts (of around 5-10 minutes) which I've been sharing on most days in this series of posts. The reason for this is that I decided to dedicate each Wednesday to what I'm calling my "MIDWEEK MEGATOON" and these films will typically be in the region of 20-30 minutes duration. Last week it was an episode of 'The Real Ghostbusters' from 1989, called "The Halloween Door", but this week I'm going all the way back to the seventies for an even more obscure gem from Canada... which celebrates it's 40th anniversary later this month! :-D
"Witch's Night Out" tells the story of 'Small' and 'Tender' who are looking forward to Halloween and the prospect of terrifying the neighbourhood in their scary masks. As they discuss their love for the spooky celebration we see a woman pass by who, upon hearing the topic of their conversation, stops to inform the two youngsters about her own feelings on the matter... proclaiming: "I hate Hallowe'en! Bleuurghhh!" - a sentiment which is soon supported by the next adult to arrive on the scene who says it's "Rotten... Rotten, Rotten, Rotten!" and, by some strange coincidence, that character's name is also 'Rotten' - something he lives up to at every opportunity - while the Halloween 'killjoy' of a woman to whom he spoke went by the equally appropriate name of 'Malicious', which suited her down to the ground as well. The astonishment of 'Small' and 'Tender' at what they had just heard was clear for all to see... but, fortunately, the next person to happen along - a goodly gentleman by the name of, you guessed it, 'Goodly' - was quick to reassure everyone present that Hallowe'en is for children and that you wouldn't expect to see adults running around in silly costumes. Then along comes a nice lady by the name of (surprise, surprise) 'Nicely' who adds that, although "dressing-up" may be considered a sign of immaturity, surely Hallowe'en could be "nice" for everybody. No prizes for guessing what the odd couple of 'Rotten' and 'Malicious' thought about what 'Nicely' had to say about Hallowe'en! ;-) :-)
Left to Right: Malicious, Rotten, Goodly, Small, Tender and Nicely
After a brief discussion among the adults, it is decided that they should do something for Hallowe'en and they settle on the prospect of throwing a party in an old abandoned house on the edge of town. It is not long before 'Goodly' has persuaded 'Rotten' to go with him and check the place out... despite it being well-known that the house in question is supposedly "haunted", and neither of them is exactly keen to pay it a visit. Nevertheless, they do... and we soon learn that there is a witch living there who is upset about being "unemployed" on account of there being no demand for magic anymore. Those feelings about being a "washed-up witch" are soon set aside when she overhears their conversation about hosting a party in her house... and she begins to feel quite excited at the thought of it all! :-D
In The Old "Haunted" House On The Edge Of Town - Looking Like Some "Psycho" Lives There...
...The "Faded Flower" Of A "Washed-Up" Witch Is Feeling Down In The Dumps
...Until She Hears Plans For A Halloween Party, At Which She'll Be "The Gracious Hostess"
Meanwhile, Small and Tender are out "trick-or-treating" with the rest of the neighbourhood kids but, despite their best efforts at trying to look scary, they can't help but feel a little disappointed at how the town folk all seem to recognise them for who they are and, as a result, are not frightened of them. In the end they decide to head for home, and cut their losses, but they wished they'd had a better time of it while they were out. As they lay in bed talking it over... their babysitter, 'Bazooey', arrives to look after them and, when he reads them a book about a 'Fairy Godmother', they soon forget their woes and start to fantasise about having someone like that to grant their wishes which, for 'Small', means becoming a "real" wolfman and, for 'Tender', the opportunity to become a "real" ghost for the night!
The Neighbourhood Kids Are All Out "Trick-Or-Treating" On Halloween Night...
...Including 'Small' And 'Tender', Who Try Their Best To Scare 'Malicious'
...But Politely Decline Her "Sardine Meringues", Which Are "An Acquired Taste!"
On Returning Home, 'Bazooey' Shows-Up To Babysit 'Small' And 'Tender'...
...And Reads Them A Bedtime Story, About A Fairy Godmother Who Can Grant Wishes
Meanwhile, from way across town, the witch has heard the childrens' wishes and flies through the night sky to go and grant them. Despite crashing through the window, she arrives in one piece and proceeds to offer them her services. Needless to say, 'Bazooey' is not keen on the idea... because he is the one responsible for the safety of the children. However, having seen a demonstration of how they can be easily changed back and forth from monster to child (and vice versa) he even entertains the notion of becoming Frankenstein's monster himself. Soon the three of them are transformed! :-O
The Witch Arrives From Across Town, Crashing Through The Window, To Grant Their Wishes...
At First 'Bazooey' Seems Reluctant To Allow The Witch To Do This, Until He Gives-In And...
...'Bazooey' Becomes "Frankenstein's Monster", 'Tender' A "Ghost", And 'Small' A "Wolfman"!
After that, they all go to the party... and, once they make their entrance, the other guests are terrified and run for the exit. The witch gets trampled underfoot in the crush and, when things calm down, it also becomes clear that her magic wand has gone missing during the commotion. Unfortunately, the loss / theft of the wand means that she cannot return 'Small', 'Tender', and 'Bazooey' to their human form. So, from there onwards, the story follows their attempts to find and recover the wand for the witch but, rather than reveal the rest of the plot, let's just say that some valuable lessons were learned about Hallowe'en by all of the people involved in this story... both adults and children alike! ;-) :-)
While in fact made in 1977 (according to the 'MCMLXXVII' credit) this animated television special was only originally first broadcast by 'NBC' on 27th October 1978. Based on a story & script written by John Leach (who also produced and directed this Halloween-themed cartoon) along with co-writer Jean Rankin (who doubled as Background Illustrator), this Canadian-made TV Special was animated by Terry Godfrey, Keith Ingham, John Leach and Yanina Volski-Cohen. This spooky classic featured the voices of Gilda Radner (as "The Godmother") and Bob Church (as Rotten), alongside John Leach (as Goodly), Naomi Leach (as Tender), Tony Molesworth (as Small), plus the amazing vocal talent of Catherine O'Hara (as Malicious) and Fiona Reid (as Nicely), with Gerry Salsberg (as Bazooey). If some of the character names sound familiar, that might be because they were also used for an earlier animated production from Leach & Rankin, called "The Gift of Winter", which was another special - but, this time, for the Xmas holiday period - released some four years prior to this Halloween special.
Produced in a Toronto Studio, the music credit for "Witch's Night Out" - that included the stand-out cut "Halloween Witch Magic" in the (unreleased) soundtrack - went to Peter Rochon, who had also provided the music for "The Gift of Winter" some four years prior, with all titles being composed and produced by Peter Rochon. Taking it as a whole, the unique character designs and overall techniques used to produce this animation - coupled with the fun theme tune and Hallowe'en-based storyline - make it a worthy contender for any Halloween-themed cartoon playlist. So if, like me, you've been unable to track-down a copy of "Witch’s Night Out" on DVD, then this 'YouTube' video uploaded by "Deco Star Prints" - saved from a VHS copy of the 1978 classic - is one of very few means through which you are likely to get to watch it... especially if you happen to reside in the United Kingdom!
PLEASE BE AWARE: That, since this digital copy originates from an old VHS tape, there are signs of the typical wear and tear which are to be expected with a forty year old video. For the most part, these are confined to the intro / opening title sequence and are the sort of thing you would normally have corrected by adjusting the tracking on your VCR back in the day but, since that's not an option with 'YouTube' videos, you'll just have to live with it. On a more positive note, as I mentioned before, this type of distraction (i.e. lines of white noise in the video) is thankfully infrequent and limited to the upper portion of the viewing area (in the main) plus, unlike other copies which were recorded at the time of broadcast, this video has no commercial interruptions so (hopefully) what (very few) defects there are won't be enough to spoil your overall enjoyment of this Halloween cartoon! ;-) :-)
Of course, in addition to watching this embedded version of the cartoon right here on this blog, you can also choose to stream it on your big screen television by using the "cast" function built-in to the 'YouTube' app(s) for mobile devices on both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms. For those who may have missed my special hallowe'en blogathon preview posted ten days ago, to "cast" the video to your Roku player and/or NowTV device(s), you will first need to have the Roku channel (app) for 'YouTube' installed to act as a receiver for the stream you are casting. If you're not sure how to go about casting from your mobile device to your Roku there's a help article from 'Roku Support', which can be found on the official Roku website, that can walk you through the process step-by-step! ;-) :-D
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
On whichever platform you decide to stream this video, listen-out for the really nice voice-work by Gilda Radner and pay close attention to the very cool (if somewhat strange) animation as well as the gorgeous backgrounds which were illustrated by Jean Rankin. Also worthy of a mention are the fab sound effects (like when the witch is in flight) all of which (as well as the sound editing) were done by a chap called Bob Grieve. Meanwhile, here's a few more images (VHS/DVD Covers, Posters, etc.) to further illustrate the visual aspects of this hard to come by Halloween cartoon classic! ;-) :-D
An Example For Just One Of The Gorgeous Backgrounds, Illustrated By Jean Rankin
Witch's Night Out (1978) - Family Home Entertainment (FHE) VHS Cover
Witch's Night Out (1978) [Contemporary Fan Poster]
Witch's Night Out (1978) [DVD Cover]
Finally, to round-off our look at today's "MIDWEEK MEGATOON" of creepy classic animation, I've decided to throw-in a few more still frame images from "Witch's Night Out" (1978)... because the odd combination of using monochromic animated images over highly detailed backgrounds really makes the characters "pop", to instantly draw the attention of the viewer, while the stunning backdrops yield even more rewards for the inquisitive eye to discover in this seventies classic. The additional twist of using traditional techniques while animating this cartoon straight to cels, i.e. with no key frames or pre-drawings... just free straight-ahead animation drawn directly onto the acetate with ink pens, also helps to set it apart and make it the magical animated Hallowe'en adventure that it is! :-D
Left To Right: 'Tender' (Ghost), 'Bazooey' (Frankenstein's Monster), and 'Small' (The Wolfman)
'Nicely', With That "All Over" Pink Late-Seventies Perm, Holds Onto 'Goodly' In The Dark
Finally Re-United With Her "Missing" Wand, The Witch Uses It To Spread Some Halloween Cheer!
...Then Finishes By Saying: "Come To My Humble Mansion... And I'll Turn Everybody On!"
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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next creepy cartoon recommendation from the archives of animated film history, when I will suggest another spooky short for 'Day Eleven' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" you can stream right here on this blog - as well as through the equivalent channel on your Roku player(s). Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" website & show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
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