Grab the candy, turn down the lights and settle into your favorite spot on the couch. Halloween is creeping closer, and Disney+ is making sure families have plenty of spooky-good reasons to stay inside this October.
From brand-new Halloween specials with some familiar Disney favorites to vampires, ghosts and plenty of animated adventures, October’s Disney+ and Hulu lineup is packed with family viewing. Whether you want something a little spooky, something funny or simply need an entire movie marathon to fill a chilly fall afternoon, there is quite a bit headed our way.
Things start getting appropriately supernatural right on October 1. Hulu is adding the original 1984 “Ghostbusters,” “Ghostbusters II” and 2016’s “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call,” making it easy to spend the beginning of October answering that very familiar question: who you gonna call?
If ghosts aren’t quite your family’s thing, there are monsters checking in too. “Hotel Transylvania” and “Hotel Transylvania 2” arrive on Hulu the same day, alongside all three “Night at the Museum” movies. Disney+ and Hulu are also getting into the nostalgic spirit with a “Halloweentown” episode of the “Disney+ Hulu Throwbacks Podcast.”
Yet the real Halloween fun for younger Disney fans arrives a few days later.
October 7 is shaping up to be something of a Halloween party all by itself. “Big City Greens” Season 5 gets a new Halloween special, while “Kiff” is also celebrating the spooky season with a special episode. “Phineas and Ferb” will premiere its own Halloween special that day as well, and knowing Phineas and Ferb, simply carving a few pumpkins probably isn’t going to cut it.
After all, there are 31 days of October and a lot of ways to make Halloween considerably more complicated than it needs to be.
October 7 also brings the complete second season of “Vampirina: Teenage Vampire” to Disney+. The musical series already feels particularly at home during the Halloween season, making October an appropriately spooky month for Vee to step back into the spotlight.
Families looking for something outside the Halloween festivities have plenty more arriving throughout the month. “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+” returns with its second season October 1, followed by the Season 3 premiere of “Pupstruction” on October 2. The same day also brings all episodes of “Adventure Time: Side Quests” Season 2 to Disney+ and Hulu.
“Chibi Tiny Tales” keeps the animation going throughout October, with Season 7 shorts arriving October 3 before Season 8 premieres October 17 and adds new episodes on October 24 and Halloween itself. “Cartoonified! with Kiff” returns for Season 2 on October 10, while “SuperKitties: Su-Purr Adventures” adds new shorts October 16.
The month isn’t slowing down as Halloween gets closer either. “Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends” brings new episodes October 28 alongside new “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Chibi” shorts. Then, on October 30, “Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends” Season 5 adds new episodes just in time for one final pre-Halloween watch.
With Halloween itself falling on Saturday this year, there is plenty of opportunity to turn the entire weekend into a family celebration. A few episodes of “Big City Greens” or “Phineas and Ferb” can lead into costumes and trick-or-treating, while “Hotel Transylvania” and “Ghostbusters” are waiting when everyone comes home with bags overflowing with candy.
And really, isn’t that one of the best things about October? Halloween doesn’t have to be confined to one night. For an entire month, favorite shows can get a little stranger, monsters become the heroes and even the familiar faces get to put on costumes of their own.
Disney+ and Hulu seem more than ready to join the fun this year.
Now we just need the popcorn.
And maybe a proton pack.