I like Halloween, so I tend to check out Halloween movies, even ones made for kids, and something a lot of people have a lot of nostalgia for is Halloweentown. Conceptually, Halloweentown is a breath of fresh air amidst most kid-focused Halloween movies, all of which usually fall in to a few narrow categories (Halloween is ending forever, kids accidentally raised the undead, monsters come out for one night and befriend the children, etc.).
The story has a lot of potential, revolving around a secret world, an ancient lineage of witches, and more. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't even run for a full 90 minutes and most of it is spent on table setting, by introducing our characters, their relationships, and showing off Halloweentown itself. It's not until the last 20 minutes that the movie's villain finally gets introduced, giving the lacking plot some much-needed forward momentum.
Most of the cast is colorful and fun, and the makeup effects for the monsters are great. Most of them are just rubber masks, but for a place called "Halloweentown" it's fitting that the place would look like a costume shop exploded. Not all characters are welcome, though, such as the little brother, Dylan. He's a total skeptic and a huge know-it-all, basically the worst kind of person you'd find on the internet, and he spends all of Halloweentown trying to come up with excuses as to why magic and monsters aren't real. Not a single person in the movie seems to like him, not even his own family, and it's a sentiment I also echo. Halloweentown would be better without that nerd trying to "um, actually" away all the fun.
It'd also be a better movie with a better soundtrack. The music used throughout Halloweentown is what gives it most of its corny, "90's Saturday Morning" flair. It's bouncy and cartoony, but in a way that just makes the movie feel cheap. The idea of "music for a kids movie" doesn't mean it has to sound so dopey.
But still, for its target audience, it's probably good enough. It's definitely more about looking at funny costumes and a silly world where Halloween is forever. Though there is a potential for a deeper story here, the narrative feels more like something that was added out of bare necessity than anything else. And for younger viewers, that's fine. There just isn't tons here for anyone older than, say, 14.