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Boring-Pudding t1_iug32q7 wrote

I unashamedly love those movies. I introduced my kids to them, as well as Hocus Pocus, this year. They loved them, too.

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I_want_to_believe_99 t1_iug6wgo wrote

I watch multiple times a year. The second is my favorite. So much nostalgia.

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SaltyPeter3434 t1_iuh1oc6 wrote

Did you know she's engaged to the guy who played Kal in Halloweentown 2?

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putdisinyopipe t1_iuhnzix wrote

Omg yes. Hocus pocus, halloween town, and under wraps were all three movies I loved so dearly as a kid.

(Let’s do a little test to see how known the last one was, under wraps, anyone remember that?”)

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Elsrick t1_iuhqb29 wrote

Thats the one thats like a buddy cop movie but with a teenage boy and a mummy, right?

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putdisinyopipe t1_iuhtp0q wrote

YES and the mummy is just trying to find his wife who was found in a sarcophagus. Some greedy dude finds out that the mummy is walking and living and wants to capture him for himself.

So the boy pulls shenanigans similar at weekend at Bernie’s to walk around with the mummy so people don’t notice him.

The dialogue of the mummy too is pretty funny, he just grunts or moans lol.

So it’s like ET + buddy cop movie + mummies instead of aliens lol

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Aniwaya t1_iuik6dv wrote

The end of that movie when he finds his wife again is heartbreaking.

2

NCC-1701_yeah t1_iuiobsi wrote

This movie is not on Disney+ and that makes me so sad because I loved it as a kid!

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Aleon765 t1_iuhpr6w wrote

Watched all with the kids on Disney plus last night haha

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fdot1234 t1_iuim4h3 wrote

UNDER WRAPS! I’ve been trying to remember the name of that move for ages… I could only remember the opening scene (kid watching a movie where a monster breaks in through the kitchen window) and the song “All By Myself” being used in it

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candlelightandcocoa t1_iuk0z35 wrote

Loved that movie and the songs in it- 'All By Myself' and 'Shake Your Booty' during the 70's dress-up montage!

I have this memory of watching 'Under Wraps' with my daughter, then 2, around Halloween 2000. She kept wanting to watch 'the mummy with bandages' over and over, but in November the cable channel (Disney Channel, maybe?) wasn't playing the movie anymore so she was upset. Eventually I found it on VHS and that VHS is in an old box in the storage room...

1

GalaxticSxum t1_iugt164 wrote

Is the second one really, good ? I’ve never watched it cause from my experience Disney’s second movies always sucked

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whiteflillies t1_iugvy8u wrote

The second film is decent. I usually like to watch both as double feature for Halloween.

The series starts to drop off after that though, with the 4th in the series being the worst for many reasons including a recast of Marnie.

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darkshadow237 t1_iuh1q8y wrote

The fourth film would have been better if they replaced Marnie with Sophie.

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PhiloPhocion t1_iui8k01 wrote

Probably taking too adult view on it but I did always think it would have been interesting contrasting them more. Like the first film implies how much of a natural talent Sophie has. Always thought it’d be neat to juxtapose her and the opportunity to grow up knowing and training in magic versus Marnie who was very late to it all.

Also always thought it’d be interesting to get the backstory on why the mom hated magic so much - unless they did and I missed it. Beyond just the vibes of being a mortal and working for what you get. Internally I always head canon-ed that magic was involved in the dad’s death or that they got shunned for their relationship.

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Aniwaya t1_iuiklx6 wrote

I honestly thought they had done that.

1

avatarkai t1_iugufqq wrote

It really depends. If you have nostalgia for it, it's probably enjoyable. A lot of people found it kinda boring and were bummed that Halloweentown wasn't properly showcased in it because of the plot. The actors are fine, though!

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SaltyPeter3434 t1_iuh1q8u wrote

I can see that. Most of the movie involves Halloweentown falling under a spell that literally turns it boring.

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inFAMOUS_Hero t1_iuh0j8g wrote

True. Another enjoyable sequel from DCOM would be Jumping Ship from Horse Sense

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satansheat t1_iugc2xo wrote

Yeah and apparently in the hype of hocus pocus 2 they also released a unwrapped 2. Which was a fanatic at home movie Disney did back in the day.

But for some reason the original isn’t on Disney plus.

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Boring-Pudding t1_iugfzco wrote

I assume you meant the DCOM Under Wraps, not Food Network Unwrapped. Both were huge in my childhood, though.

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satansheat t1_iugigmd wrote

Yes lol. Mark summers can never leave my mind so I mistakenly said unwrapped.

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Dr_who_fan94 t1_iugqgob wrote

For real though, it and How It's Made are incredibly fascinating. I just wish I could find all seasons of both on a service

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madchad90 t1_iuhg2sm wrote

Just to clarify. A few years ago Disney remade Under wraps. Under wraps 2 is the sequel to the remake, not to the original movie.

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thebeattakesme t1_iugf6j6 wrote

Yeah I got excited and clicked on the sequel thinking it was the original. What a bummer….

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RyanTranquil t1_iugf1fc wrote

The original is on Disney+ At least here in the US.. just watched it today with my family. Haven’t seen it since I was a kid

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Boring-Pudding t1_iugfmhp wrote

The remake of Under Wraps from 2021 is on there, but the original from 1997 isn't. I just checked.

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RyanTranquil t1_iuhlq17 wrote

If you don’t have access to it, it’s on YouTube, SlingTV and Google Play.

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Ghost-tea-pumpkin t1_iug8w9d wrote

I literally taped over some home videos of my first few months of life just so I could record Halloweentown lmao 😬

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we_should_be_nice t1_iuhwtbp wrote

I used to have a job with the crew who filmed most of the made for TV Disney movies in Utah and I got to work on Halloweentown 4: Witch University. I have a lot of behind the scenes pictures of people in makeup as well as a pic with Debbie Reynolds. I had no idea how famous she was or who she was at the time.

here's one from the courtyard with a bunch of monsters. you can also see some crew in there: https://i.imgur.com/1c3hE3L.jpg

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acgreen1 t1_iuie9dw wrote

Broooo this is so cool! I loved this movie has a kid despite it being the worst of the bunch. You should post anymore behind the scene pics if you got em 🥺

1

jdino t1_iui0pru wrote

Are You Afraid of the Dark has held up insanely well and most of it is on Paramount+ if you have that.

Like, it’s legit good. The reboots are surprisingly good as well. If you like that kinda stuff, I think you’ll love these too.

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Darth-Poseidon t1_iugfi3d wrote

I don’t understand why you’re saying this like your kids wouldn’t love them when they’re literal kids movies lol

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herewego199209 t1_iugjxsy wrote

They kind've jumped the shark after the first couple, but still iconic movies from my childhood. Maybe it's nostalgia kicking in, but those Disney channel movies were so well made compared to what gets made for kids today.

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PhiloPhocion t1_iui8qes wrote

Especially given they were churning out literally one a month.

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Maxcharged t1_iugdcuc wrote

Well that’s too bad, the devil has them now. /s

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Boring-Pudding t1_iugfd0n wrote

Nah, my mother-in-law is still in Georgia looking for Johnny and his fiddle.

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Bioshock_Jock t1_iuhlaeo wrote

I'm a 45 year old male, this is my go to. My kids love it and it makes my girlfriend cringe. Big ups for the sequel too!

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redwinesprizter t1_iugx7kd wrote

Currently watching the first one, I love them! Perfect Halloween kitsch

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throwaway957280 t1_iugy1id wrote

These movies have genuinely awesome world-building. The creativity was off the charts.

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GeneRichardSimmons t1_iui3ezt wrote

I loved all those movies as a child, can't wait to show Hallowtown to my daughter

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kynthrus t1_iuiessv wrote

halloween town was the disney channel movie by which all others were judged.

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deercreekth t1_iuij0oq wrote

My 20 year old brought up that she still needed to watch High and Returns before the season is over, so she watched them last night.

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JohnnyZepp t1_iuj0rgw wrote

Almost as if creative campy Halloween movies are fun or something.

0

Requiem45 t1_iugaw3w wrote

I will forever hate Disney for randomly recasting her for the 4th movie when she has stated she was available and willing to do it. (Which is even more evident now considering she is STILL actively involved in celebrating the movies every year and even sells her own Halloweentown merch on her Etsy)

If they can bring back Hocus Pocus she deserves another chance to play Marnie again in a new Halloweentown

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doesaxlhaveajack t1_iugoaqr wrote

What kind of marketing stupidity convinced Disney to go with a conventionally pretty blond newbie over the actress we already loved, especially in a property with a cult following?

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blackrose4242 t1_iugovf4 wrote

I’m not sure if your being sarcastic or not, but I’m pretty that’s exactly why they dropped Kim. They wanted a “conventionally pretty blond”. Sara Paxton wasn’t a newbie, either, doing pretty well as the lead in Aquamarine. Disney did a dumb thing to sell a final movie and in their eyes, “it paid off”.

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doesaxlhaveajack t1_iugpdff wrote

I wasn’t being sarcastic. Kim was an appealing normal looking kid and I was surprised to see how naturally pretty she is as an adult, simply because I hadn’t seen her in anything since she was in the awkward phase we all go through. But even if she were a hag…she’s Marnie.

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PEPESILVIAisNIGHTMAN t1_iuh20dr wrote

That is not the reason why Kimberly was dropped. Disney agreed to give her a producer credit and it went to her head. She was fired after demanding the script be rewritten. (This is information I learned from one of the Halloweentown producers that I know)

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locelot t1_iuh9mv4 wrote

The creator of HalloweenTowen Sheri Singer and KJB sat down and did an interview together and reading through the lines it seems like they always wanted a blonde actress and jumped at the chance of a recast:

Singer: She came in and she wasn't who we had visually pictured, but she was the role. She blew everyone else away. She was great.

Brown: It was so exciting when I found out I got it because I remember loving the script and loving the idea of playing a teenage witch. And then hearing Debbie Reynolds was signed onto it, it was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to play Debbie Reynolds' granddaughter!

Singer: Debbie was coming in with the blonde look and Judith [Hoag] was reddish blonde, so I thought it would maybe be a lighter girl. Of course, this is so politically incorrect today, but they were all related…I had just envisioned a Blondie. But she came in and she was it.

—

About the recast:

Singer: It was not something we wanted to do. We could not come to terms that we felt were fair. We just weren't able to. We couldn't make the deal work. That was why and we didn't want to not do it. I know people didn't like it, but it's not like people haven't been recast before. I always was sorry. That's how it went.

—

enews interview source

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PEPESILVIAisNIGHTMAN t1_iuhcknf wrote

I hadn’t read that interview before, but it’s bizarre to think the producer I know would lie in such a slanderous way about what happened. They were my mentor for a few years and always wonderful about answering my questions about their days at Disney.

−21

Bobby_Marks2 t1_iugpasw wrote

Disney doesn't cast adults in shows to target an adult audience. They cast kids, and recast constantly because their target market isn't old enough to love an IP for the casting history. It's the same reason they crank out massively successful Disney Channel shows like Wizards of Waverly Place or Hanna Montana, and yet they still end shows after 3-4 seasons instead of running them 10-12 seasons like general audience sitcoms.

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Prudent-Pay-8389 t1_iugxvm6 wrote

Sorry that's just stupid.

IMDB lists Brown as born in November 1984, Halloweentown High released in October 2004. She was already around 19 while filming. The next film was set in college and released two years later. Hardly a difference makeup wouldn't overcome if at all necessary.

And the target demographic was clearly the young adults that grew up with the movies. Hence the logical continuation from high school to college. I doubt the casting cared for the actual age of the actress so far she could pass as student.

Way more likely is that the now grown up child stars are more self assured and learned from their older support cast that wages go up with subsequent entries.

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Bobby_Marks2 t1_iuj12r4 wrote

I'm not saying it makes sense in every case. It's probably a hard policy Disney has to keep their productions from stagnating.

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avatarkai t1_iugv2b9 wrote

This always gets me, too! I always feel betrayed on her behalf lol

It's not that I don't like Sara Paxton - she's been in some enjoyable flicks but it was not a believable switch. Even if you were a tiny child with limited cognition at the time. Marnie was the heart of the franchise.

They'd probably use Kimberly if they ever rebooted, though. There are several theories as to why they did it but the cynical answer usually boils down to rising popularity and superficial stuff. Even though everyone kind of hates the last one because of the recasting where she technically replaces not only Kimberly, but a younger Debbie Reynolds.

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PhiloPhocion t1_iui95iw wrote

I rewatched this with my little sister last night and I really don’t get why they did it.

I know they were desperately trying to launch Sara Paxton then. But it would’ve honestly worked fine to just cast her as young Debbie Reynolds. In that re-watch, if anything, I felt like it was more confusing for little kids that she played both Marnie and Agatha.

I always think about how it must have been being Debbie Reynolds or one of the other actors too - all showing up and reuniting on set and the main actor is just not there and replaced by someone else.

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madchad90 t1_iuhg9u1 wrote

According to a producer quote on the Wikipedia page for the movie a "deal couldn't be reached".

Odds are she wanted more money, and they didn't want to give it to her based on the shoestring budget they had.

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PEPESILVIAisNIGHTMAN t1_iuh1fff wrote

I know one of the producers of the Halloweentown movies and Kimberly has nobody to blame but herself for the recast. Disney agreed to give her a producer credit and it all went to her head. She became an absolute nightmare to deal with and was warned a few times to knock it off, and was ultimately let go after demanding massive script rewrites. I was utterly shocked when I learned all of this, and I’m so bummed she couldn’t reel it in to complete the series.

−20

nan666nan t1_iuirmxz wrote

Of course a producer would say it was her fault

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Solarwinds-123 t1_iuk85ai wrote

The script ended up being kinda crap, so maybe she was right.

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NoRelationToZorn t1_iugds6y wrote

From the article:

“Initially, the original ending of the first ‘Halloweentown’ movie was not Marnie putting the talisman in the middle of the jack-o'-lantern. It was Marnie putting the talisman in the middle of a deep, dark forest,” the 37-year-old explained.

In the original ending, Brown revealed, the protagonist of the story grew "exponentially older" as she traveled deeper into the forest.

"So, they made a plaster of Paris mold of my face so they could then make the older mask for me," she said. "But we never got to making the mask because the ending was rewritten."

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grjjr91 t1_iug6yvb wrote

Wow. She didnt age much at all.

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ImNotExistingHere t1_iug9apz wrote

Also fun fact her partner is the actor who played Kal from Halloweentown 2 Edit: Daniel Kountz

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mackinoncougars t1_iugjxxd wrote

That makes me happy actually. I can only assume they met on set and hit it off.

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Rustash t1_iugkgiu wrote

They actually didn’t start dating until a few years ago when they met up during a reunion event!

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Pkmnkat t1_iugeuw3 wrote

I think its cute shes engaged to a former cast member

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Kusakaru t1_iugg0c9 wrote

Really? Who?

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Bioshock_Jock t1_iuhlgo5 wrote

Omfg, I love everything about this, they are sooo cute together!

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blkkang410ho t1_iug9mdi wrote

My 19 year old son used to watch this shit everyday when he was younger

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Head-Ad2048 t1_iughwxj wrote

33 year old fully grown man here, I would still watch this shit everyday if I could.

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PM_me_yer_kittens t1_iugmcv1 wrote

29 year old grown male. Watch the 1st and 2nd one every year! My wife and I love them!

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BabyYodaLegend t1_iuhtyyl wrote

Im 29 and I just watched them lastnight in Disney+, bo shame.

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nysraved t1_iugodhz wrote

Kalabar’s Revenge was my shit

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Kevbot1000 t1_iugop7l wrote

The first one especially is a damn classic. I enjoyed 2 as well.

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fakeknees t1_iuh089l wrote

I got to visit St. Helen’s, OR this year, which is where Halloweentown was filmed. They put on a Spirit of Halloween event all month long.

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JrWhopper09 t1_iuiofht wrote

I grew up near St.Helens and watched the Holloweentown movies on Disney as a kid, when they first aired. I didn’t learn until years ago when they started the Holloweentown festivals that they had been filmed practically in my backyard.

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fakeknees t1_iujpv26 wrote

That’s so cool! Did you know that a lot of the Twilight films were shot there too? I’m not a fan of the movies, but I took some friends around to a few filming locations.

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JrWhopper09 t1_iujrd4u wrote

Yes! In Kalama, WA. Just 10 minutes down i5 from me

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bubbleyum92 t1_iujitex wrote

I literally just went there yesterday!

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fakeknees t1_iujpwx6 wrote

Awesome! I bet it was packed haha. We went in early October on a Saturday and it was really crowded.

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Brash401K t1_iuh6v13 wrote

Would recommend the episode of Mom Can’t Cook podcast that covered this movie. Fun belly laugh.

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SeaLionClit t1_iujenrm wrote

Andy and Luke are hilarious. They play off each other well

1

Luke5119 t1_iui5t44 wrote

The wife I just watched the first Halloweentown last night. It's become a sort of yearly tradition to watch it every October. Watching it, I often wonder if Disney attempted to get Carrie Fisher to play the mom before they cast Judith Hoag.

2

UKnowDaTruth t1_iuhbj7e wrote

Always gonna love these movies

She’s still cute as heck too

1

DoubleTFan t1_iuhe6dm wrote

If I missed it when it originally aired, does this have any entertainment value, or is this a nostalgia piece?

1

ProtomanBn t1_iuhybj2 wrote

I saw it a few years back and it's entertaining, I think 2 was nostalgic but 1 holds well on its own I feel.

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Mentoman72 t1_iujy7lr wrote

Watched it yesterday. It's fun but definitely a nostalgia watch.

1

LucisPerficio t1_iuhlxbo wrote

Wonder why she never came back for the most recent movie

1

Gonzo600 t1_iui8ijm wrote

Still have a huge crush on Kimberly J Brown after all these years.

1

Kwilburn525 t1_iuix3x6 wrote

That’s sad I wish they made that ending

1

Scethrow t1_iuj0uou wrote

I love that movie

1

DaanFag t1_iuk89ii wrote

Man I absolutely loved these movies.

I’ll never forget her nerdy ass brother shouting out Arbor Day.

1

johnb111111 t1_iui0c2l wrote

Damn she’s fine asf

−2

lemur1985 t1_iugg0kg wrote

Eyes

−15

Dream_A_LittleBigger t1_iuh0a3u wrote

I clicked the link and watched the video she made that was screencapped. She looked normal but she’s looking straight into the camera which is creepy af. That screengrab just caught her eyes weird. She isn’t all Forest Whitaker and shit.

0

bigkjvkv t1_iugcwru wrote

This woman is the queen of trying to coast off one role in her career m

−91

whatsajawsh t1_iught5s wrote

You wouldn’t?

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yoguckfourself t1_iuh6f8m wrote

Nope. I would find it tacky and embarrassing to be hawking merchandise for a movie that I was in 25 years ago. I imagine that I would have either advanced my acting career or moved on from it entirely

−20

whitegirlsbadposture t1_iuhf8s3 wrote

Key word imagine

6

yoguckfourself t1_iujkqgd wrote

That's right, it's not hard to imagine being a former child actor riding past success. Often it ends in some kind of pathetic behavior in adulthood, case in point.

What's disappointing is that she's not interested in actually acting anymore since she has significant talent

1