One of the great things that I associate with the fall and the Halloween season is a collection of animation that I have enjoyed over the years. As children in the not too distant past, viewers had to wait for the whims of the major networks to air these programs, but now with DVDs, the Internet, and YouTube it is possible to add these materials to a video collection, and to enjoy them any time the viewer likes. With this post I will share several animated programs that I have enjoyed over the years.

I begin with two classics that became part of annual television viewing in October for many years. I refer to It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966). I literally grew up with this program and looked forward to it each year. It still airs from time to time, but for whatever reason it appears to be more difficult to find as an annual program.

Another cartoon is less known, but it too became a cartoon that I needed to see each Halloween season. Garfield’s Halloween Adventure debuted in 1985, and each year we had the opportunity to watch that loveable feline dress as a pirate for his Halloween adventure with his sidekick Odie.

Looney Tunes provided several contributions to my Halloween cartoon habits. These include Scaredy Cat (1948)

Bewitched Bunny (1954),

Hyde and Hare (1955),

Broom-Stick Bunny (1956),

and the especially enjoyable Transylvania 6-5000 (1963).

Walt Disney Studios must also be acknowledged as incorporating a wide body of material that is horror and Halloween related. Several observers have credited Disney cartoons with making a significant impact upon popular culture related to the celebration of Halloween (as exemplified in these sample clips). Some of these cartoons include Lonesome Ghosts (1937),

Fantasia‘s (1940) “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”

and “Night on Bald Mountain”,

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949),

Trick or Treat (1954), which was made part of a very successful Halloween album for children that was part of A Spooky Night in Disney’s Haunted Mansion dramatization feature the voice talents of a young Ron Howard,

For many seasons now The Simpsons have produced a “must see” collection of “Treehouse of Horror” episodes. The only drawback is that these episodes do not air until the Sunday after Halloween, but at least this helps draw out the enjoyment of the season for another week.

Finally, my Halloween animation collection would not be complete without the addition of two stop-motion animation gems, both from Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

and Corpse Bride (2005).

I hope you find these animated Halloween treats as enjoyable as I do, and I’d like to hear what else you might include on your list.