Rankin Bass' Jack O' Lantern

We finish the Halloween Trilogy with the fifth episode of Festival of Family Classic with Jack O’ Lantern.

A grandpa tells the story him and his sister live in a dry farm. They found a living pumpkin named Jack O’ Lantern as it’s a leprechaun in disguise of a seed to grow into a pumpkin. Jack is protecting their farm from the ghost and goblins from a witch named Zelda (no relation to Hilda and Sabrina.) and warlock named Archibald, who’s destroying their crops.

Wait, a leprechaun in a Halloween film? Quick, hide Warrick Davis from a film with Jennifer Gardner. Yes I know Halloween descent from Ireland, despite majority would connect leprechaun closer to St. Patrick’s Day than any other holidays. I hope there isn’t another leprechaun film to be set outside of St. Patrick’s Day.

(Rankin Bass’ Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold.)

Soon I shall review it close to the end of December.

Jack O’ Lantern is a likable Pumpkin Scarecrow, as I haven’t seen the likes of him for Pumpkin Characters. He has a close parallel to Samhain in design and Halloween folklore.

“I AM HALLOWEEN!”

-Samhain from the Real Ghostbuster.

The animals were very distracting. They do something, but mostly at the end. Yet the kids don’t question their grandpa that the animals can speak this whole time. The kids (more on Michael than Colleen) could be taken out of the story, except Grandpa is telling the story and witness Jack O’ Lantern. Then again, it’ll be a short TV episode if it’s just Jack O’ Lantern protecting an empty farm.  

Zelda the Witch is simply the Wicked Witch of the West, specifically the MGM version, not the Tale of the Wizard of Oz. Archibald the Warlock is a decent wimp, more than I can say for Felix the George Bailey in terms of usefulness. If the witch was successful with her spells, then the kids in the story would be burnt or frozen to death, while their grandkids would question how they survive.

“Grandpa, if you got frozen to death, how did you and Grandma survives to today?”

-Grandson, voiced by an impression of Billie Mae Richard.

“Well that’s simple, I wait awhi…..”

-Grandpa, as he fades away whiles he’s about to explain. The grandkids are confused as they fade away too.

 

Now if I had to choose out of the Rankin Bass Trilogy on which is the best and worst, Mad Mad Mad Monsters would be the best, as Mad Monster Party would be the worst. Jack O Lantern would be in-between. It’s not padded with mostly forgettable music, but it’s not mostly funny either. It’s just a simple story to fill in mostly 21 minutes for TV. I give it credit it’s the unique of the three since it’s not a remake of the first version, or relying on popular movie monsters aside from the Witch. I doubt this is one of those stories to be remade a feature length film, as Pumpkin characters are either side character for Oz, an evil icon of a ghost or Yugioh card, or jump into a pool of assuming acid to become Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King.

I’m glad to see this Pot of Gold of a Halloween film, but I’m unlucky to see it as OK, and hard to find it on DVD. Jack O Lantern is up on Youtube for you all to judge for ye self. Happy Halloween and stay tune as I hope to finish the rest of the Festival of Family Classics starting with Puss In Boots, the rest of the non-Holiday specials with the Hobbits, and The Mouse of Mayflower.