For years, fans of the Halloweentown franchise have wondered why protagonist Marnie was recast in Return to Halloweentown. A 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie, the first installment in the Halloweentown series stars frequent DCOM collaborator Kimberly J. Brown as Marnie, a preteen with a penchant for the supernatural. After learning that she comes from a family of witches, Marnie is eager to tap into her powers, so she disobeys her mother’s (Judith Hoag) wishes and follows her grandma, Aggie Cromwell (Debbie Reynolds), to the titular magical realm.
Soon enough, Marnie and her siblings, the skeptic Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) and the optimistic Sophie (Emily Roeske), are tasked with saving their mom, Aggie, and all of Halloweentown from a malevolent force. Even 25 years later, Halloweentown airs annually, as does every Halloweentown movie sequel, including 2001’s Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, 2004’s Halloweentown High, and 2006’s oft-maligned Return to Halloweentown. Not only does the fourth entry in the series fail to recapture the magic of the original trilogy, but it recasts Marnie — an ill-fitting decision that’s impossible to overlook.
Kimberly J. Brown Was Replaced By Sara Paxton As Marnie In Return To Halloweentown
Now synonymous with Halloweentown, Brown only had to read twice for the part of Marnie. “One of the scenes I had to do was… where [Marnie] overhears she’s a witch,” Brown recalled in an interview (via Baltimore Media Blog), while recounting other wild details behind the making of Halloweentown. In the sequel, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, Brown returns as a slightly older, more magically accomplished Marnie. And in the series’ third outing, Brown’s character works with Reynolds’ Aggie to set up a high school student exchange program that allows Halloweentown residents to spend time in the mortal world.
One of the things that makes no sense about the Halloweentown franchise is the fourth film, which, ironically, did not ask Brown to return. Even though Brown was available for shooting, the team behind Halloweentown 4 replaced Brown with Sara Paxton (Aquamarine). In the wake of the recast, Brown shared that she felt “disappointed,” noting that, “Nothing makes me happier than playing Marnie” (via Oct31st.org). In 2017, producer Sheri Singer claimed, “We could not come to terms that we felt were fair,” hence the recast (via E!). The most poorly reviewed series’ entry, Return to Halloweentown suffered considerably for cutting Brown from the cast.
What Happened To Kimberly J. Brown
After starring in the Halloweentown trilogy and having a few minor roles in other early-aughts feature films, Brown took a bit of a break from on-screen acting to pursue a college degree. In 2013, she appeared in several episodes of AMC’s Low Winter Sun, and in 2021, she officially joined the cast of the long-running daytime soap General Hospital. Most recently, Brown lent her voice to The Ghost and Molly McGee.
With impressive YouTube and TikTok followings, Brown continues to make appearances at fan events and conventions — often alongside her husband and Halloweentown II co-star Daniel Kountz. While Disney hasn’t officially announced a fifth film about a grown-up Marnie, Brown has expressed enthusiasm for reprising the role in a future chapter (via Seventeen). Undoubtedly, Halloweentown is one of the few Disney properties that actually needs a streaming revival, so here’s hoping Brown gets the chance to return to the franchise.
