Difference between revisions of "Arthur and the Haunted Tree House"

"Arthur and the Haunted Tree House"
Original Airdate:	October 23, 2017 ;
	Credits
Written by:	Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by:	Al Jeffery; Cilbur Rocha; Dev Ramsaran; Daniel Miodini; Michel Carbonneau
	Episodes
Previous; "Special: D.W. and the Beastly Birthday"	Next; "Special: The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur"
	Read transcript

Revision as of 23:46, 15 September 2022

"Arthur and the Haunted Tree House" is a one-hour TV special that premiered on October 23, 2017 on PBS.^[2]

Synopsis

"This Halloween is sure to be the spookiest ever for Arthur and his friends. While trick-or-treating, Francine meets an elderly woman with a very mysterious past, while Binky finds himself at Mr. Ratburn’s amazing haunted house (that’s scarier than math class!). And as for Arthur, Buster and Ladonna? Their tree house sleepover seems to be haunted...but by what?"

Plot

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Characters

Major

Minor

Cameo

Mentioned

Trivia

Bailey's full name is revealed to be Bailey Carson Belvedere III in this episode.
The list of apartments Francine can trick-or-treat at in her building are as follows: 3, 15, 17, 28, 118, 121, 136, 142, 144, 221 (Mr. Bellamy), 224 (Mrs. Parizeau), 227, 229 (Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster), 237 (Mr. and Mrs. Saperstein)
Like the title card for “D.W. and the Beastly Birthday”, the title card combines different scenes from the special: the treehouse and the cat's eyes and owl from the cemetery.
Francine and Muffy's taking a shortcut through the cemetery is a reference to the original Halloween-themed Arthur book, Arthur's Halloween.
The online game Arthur's Trick and Treats shows many costumes from this special.
4th Wall Break:' The end credits for the Curse of the Moomies film are all people who worked on this special.
Moral: Dont try to ruin other people's party just because you weren't invited.
Karma: D.W. scared Arthur, so she got scared back.
Timeline:
- D.W. mentions her blankie she lost from D.W.'s Blankie.
- She also mentions her fear of octopuses.

Cultural references

Room 237 is a reference to the movie The Shining.
The Krueger family is a reference to the horror franchise A Nightmare on Elm Street, as their address is 1428 Elm Street.
Mr. Ratburn's haunted house references Edgar Allan Poe's stories.
The doll, Zelda, resembles Annabelle from The Conjuring franchise.

Episode connections

Halloween also takes place in the episode "Hic or Treat". As such, Arthur, Buster, Francine, and Mr. and Mrs. Read all have the same costumes.
- However, Arthur's costume is white instead of green.
The Brain is seen wearing the bear mascot costume from the Ice Cream Shop in "Brain Freeze".
Mr. Haney wears a Louisianan face mask, which is seen again in "Muffy Misses Out".
When Arthur goes up to the attic near the beginning of the episode, a copy of "The Mysterious Hand" can be found in the foreground. This was the primary book featured in "Arthur's Lost Library Book".
When Muffy recollects walking through the cemetery with Francine, a gravestone can be seen with the writing "YOMAMA". This is a reference to DW's humorously incorrect pronunciation of Yo-Yo Ma in the episode "My Music Rules".

Errors

During U.S. airings on PBS, the opening title card is narrated by Ladonna, and she narrates, "Arthur and the Haunted Tree House, Part 1", but there is no Part 2 title card later on.
When Ladonna is getting ready to leave Arthur's house, the pink sweatshirt from Mrs. Read that she is wearing briefly turns green.
The kids talk about "the other walkie-talkie", suggesting that there are only two. Yet, in the end there is one in Ladonna's backpack, one in D.W.’s bed, and one used by Buster respectively Arthur to do the voices.

Production notes

It is one of two hour-long specials produced as part of the Oasis Animation production deal (alongside Seasons 20 and 21); the first being D.W. and the Beastly Birthday.
Of the nine Arthur specials, this is the first special to not feature musical segments with original songs.
- The second was An Arthur Thanksgiving.
- The third was Arthur's First Day.

Costumes

Most costumes have appeared in previous or season 21 episodes, sometimes in fantasies or dreams. In order of appearance:

Mary: cheerleader
Otis: ghost
aardvark girl: cowgirl
blonde girl: valkyrie, seen in Camp Elysium video in “The Last Day”
Beulah McInnerny: Hula dress, seen in “Little Miss Meanie”
Maria Pappas: mime, seen in flashback in “Maria Speaks”
Timmy and Tommy Tibble: mimes, seen in “The Pageant Pickle”
Thora Read: wolf in grandmother's dress from Little Red Riding Hood
Ladonna Compson: spider
Arthur Read: Frankentist, seen in “Hic or Treat”
Buster Baxter: Candyboy, seen in “Hic or Treat”
Francine Frensky: prom queen, seen in “Hic or Treat”
James MacDonald: prince, seen in "The Princess Problem"
Mrs. Lancaster: angel or fairy
Mr. Lancaster: prisoner
Emily Leduc: tree, seen in “All About D.W.”
Muffy Crosswire: Alice from Alice in Wonderland
Bailey Belvedere: Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland
Francine (flashback): clown, seen in dream in “Flippity Francine”
Muffy (flashback): princess, seen in “Fountain Abbey”
Binky Barnes: Puffy McPuffmeister, a wrestler
Kate Read: Little Red Riding Hood
D.W. Read: nurse, seen in “D.W.s Baby” and “One Ornery Critter”
Bud Compson: prince, seen in “The Princess Problem”
Mrs. Krueger: medieval lady
Mr. Krueger: pirate, seen on TV in “Binky’s ‘A’ Game”
Cat lady: Catwoman, seen in fantasy in “The Case of the Girl with the Long Face”
Mrs. Read: witch, seen in “Hic or Treat”
Mr. Read: sandwich, seen in “Hic or Treat”
Mrs. Saperstein: Alice from Alice in Wonderland
Mr. Saperstein: golem
Mr. Haney: carnival mask, seen in "Muffy Misses Out"
Unknown: Puk-Puk, seen in “Brain Freeze”
Unknown: polar bear, used by Brain in “Brain Freeze”
Unknown: spacesuit, used by D.W., Emily and Bud in fantasy in “Some Assembly Required”

Gallery

Promotional images

The Spectrum TV Promotional Poster for the Special
PBS Promotional Poster

Screenshots

Street in Mindelplatz, design P.Belec
The Golem Lab, design P. Belec

Videos

References

[1] ttps://schedule.wttw.com/episodes/415695/Arthur-and-the-Haunted-Tree-House/

[2] WTTW Schedule https://schedule.wttw.com/episodes/415695/Arthur-and-the-Haunted-Tree-House/

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 *Francine and Muffy's taking a shortcut through the cemetery is a reference to the original Halloween-themed ''Arthur'' book, ''[[Arthur's Halloween]]''.
 *The online game ''[[Arthur's Tricks and Treats|Arthur's Trick and Treats]]'' shows many costumes from this special.
+*''4th Wall Break:''' The end credits for the ''Curse of the Moomies'' film are all people who worked on this special.
 *'''Moral:''' Dont try to ruin other people's party just because you weren't invited.
 *'''Karma:''' D.W. scared Arthur, so she got scared back.

"Arthur and the Haunted Tree House"

Original Airdate:	October 23, 2017 ^[1]
Credits
Written by:	Peter K. Hirsch
Storyboard by:	Al Jeffery Cilbur Rocha Dev Ramsaran Daniel Miodini Michel Carbonneau
Episodes
Previous "Special: D.W. and the Beastly Birthday"	Next "Special: The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur"
Read transcript