Halloween Episodes & SpecialsNo. 6999 · The 2026 edition
The Halloween Tree
Embark on a spooky adventure where a mysterious tree reveals the secrets of Halloween night.
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at en.wikipedia.org.
In this entertaining tale, a group of friends discovers a magical tree that transports them through the history and traditions of Halloween. Each branch holds a different story, teaching them about the holiday's origins and the importance of friendship and bravery. Perfect for family fun and festive scares.
About this
A Wikipedia article on Ray Bradbury's 1972 fantasy novel The Halloween Tree, a book that traces the history of Samhain and Halloween. It covers the plot, the novel's background and origins, its illustrators, film and other adaptations, and the annual Halloween Tree displayed at Disneyland. The page also records the novel's publication details and its dedication.
The list
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01
The Halloween Tree 1993
Feature-length animated television film from Hanna-Barbera, based on the novel; Bradbury wrote and narrated it and its script won the 1994 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program.
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02
The Halloween Tree (Warner Bros. film adaptation)
A film adaptation in development at Warner Bros., with Will Dunn screenwriting and Charlie Morrison overseeing the project.
Facts from the original
- The Halloween Tree is a 1972 fantasy novel by American author Ray Bradbury.
- The novel traces the history of Samhain and Halloween.
- The novel was adapted as a 1993 film.
- An annual Halloween Tree has been exhibited at Disneyland in California since 2007.
- The novel is illustrated by Joseph Mugnaini, one of Bradbury's many collaborators over the years.
- In 2015, an alternative edition featuring the illustrations of Gris Grimly was produced.
- The novel was published by Alfred A. Knopf in the United States in 1972.
- The book runs 160 pages and its ISBN is 0-375-80301-7 (OCLC 42303883).
- The novel originated in 1967 as the screenplay for an unproduced collaboration with animator Chuck Jones.
- Bradbury later wrote and narrated Hanna-Barbera's 1993 feature-length animated television version of the novel, for which he won an Emmy Award.
- A longer 2005 limited-edition author's preferred text was compiled and edited by Donn Albright, and it included both the 1967 and 1993 screenplays.
- Bradbury dedicated The Halloween Tree to Man'ha Garreau-Dombasle (1898–1999), a French writer and translator who was the maternal grandmother of actress and singer Arielle Dombasle and the wife of Maurice Garreau-Dombasle, a French ambassador to Mexico.
- Bradbury wrote the script for the 1993 film The Halloween Tree based upon the book, and the script won the 1994 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program.
- A film adaptation of the book is in development at Warner Bros., with Will Dunn screenwriting and Charlie Morrison overseeing the project.
- On October 31, 2007, Bradbury attended the presentation of a Halloween Tree at Disneyland in California, to be included as part of its annual park-wide Halloween decorations every year.
- Halloween trees have also become a fixture of the Disney Cruise Line's Halloween celebrations.
From the original
The Halloween Tree is a 1972 fantasy novel by American author Ray Bradbury that traces the history of Samhain and Halloween. In the story, a group of eight boys set out trick-or-treating on Halloween and discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin, has been taken away on a journey that could decide whether he lives or dies. With the help of a mysterious figure named Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, the boys chase their friend across time and space, passing through ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek, and ancient Roman cultures, Celtic druidism, Notre-Dame Cathedral in medieval Paris, and the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Along the way they learn where the holiday they celebrate came from and how the fear of death, ghosts, and haunts has shaped civilization. The Halloween Tree itself, its branches heavy with jack-o'-lanterns, stands as a metaphor for the historical blending of these traditions.
