The Halloween Tree

In a small American town, four friends gear up for Halloween: Jenny the witch, Ralph the mummy, Wally the monster, and Tom Skelton the skeleton. They eagerly plan to meet their best friend Pip, but he doesn't show up. They rush to Pip's house and find him being loaded into an ambulance for an emergency appendectomy, with his parents along and a note asking them to celebrate without him.

The friends follow the ambulance toward the hospital, unsure what to do without Pip. Tom suggests a shortcut through the spooky ravine, hoping to catch up on foot. They chase a figure that looks like Pip along the ravine trail, but the figure disappears near a towering, dark mansion.

Inside a looming mansion, Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud greets the children and explains he is after Pip's ghost. Pip seizes a pumpkin carved with his face from Moundshroud's Halloween Tree and vanishes. The kids beg to join the hunt and learn they must keep up with Moundshroud before dawn if they hope to retrieve Pip.

Moundshroud agrees to lead them on a time-bending chase if they can stay with him until dawn. They rip down old circus posters from a nearby barn and fashion a giant October Kite, with the children riding as a weighted tail. He then whisks them to four eras tied to their costumes.

In Ancient Egypt, Pip's spirit is drawn to a tomb in a pyramid during the Feast of the Ghosts. The group learns about mummification as priests begin embalming Pip, and Ralph pretends to be a mummy to frighten them away. Pip uses pumpkin magic to escape once more, and the group resumes the chase.

They arrive at Stonehenge during the Dark Ages and witness Celtic rites. A field of straw is harvested into brooms, and a coven of witches dances to celebrate the New Year. Moundshroud helps them escape a mob by making some brooms fly, but Pip is knocked off a broom, caught by Jenny, and then darts away as he encourages her to hold on.

The quartet travels to Paris to Notre Dame Cathedral, learning about gargoyles and demons as the cathedral's towers loom. Using Moundshroud's magic, they help complete the unfinished building, and Wally climbs toward a Pip-shaped gargoyle holding Pip's pumpkin. Pip flees again, and the chase continues across the city.

In Mexico, they study skeletons during Día de los Muertos and descend into catacombs to find Pip. Tom confesses he once wished something bad would happen to Pip so he could lead the group, and Pip forgives him, promising to let Tom lead whenever he wants.

Pip's spirit grows weaker and finally crumbles to dust as the group realizes they did not reach him in time. Moundshroud declares Pip his property, and the children offer a bargain: a year from the end of each of their lives for Pip's return. Moundshroud accepts, giving each child a piece of a sugar candy skull bearing Pip's name to eat.

Pip's spirit is revived, and he snatches back his pumpkin from Moundshroud, then flies away. The group is immediately transported home to present-day America, their adventure seemingly over but real. They go to Pip's house to find him safely back from the hospital.

Back in the present, the Halloween Tree is assaulted by strong winds that blow away all the pumpkins except Pip's, which the children saved. Moundshroud blows out his pumpkin's candle, turns into smoke, and disappears as the mansion fades from view.

With Pip restored, the children reflect on the journey that taught them about history, fear, courage, and the true meaning behind their costumes. They realize their bond and shared sacrifice were the real prizes of the night, and they carry those lessons into future Halloweens.