Halloween Town

Halloween Town is a world found in all the Kingdom Hearts games save for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts coded. It is based on Tim Burton's classic stop-motion film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. According to the BradyGame's Kingdom Hearts II official strategy guide, The Nightmare Before Christmas world was added again simply because of the overwhelming fanbase.

Jack Skellington is known as the Pumpkin King, and despite the presence of The Mayor, seems to be the de facto ruler of the world.

The Keyhole in this world is hidden underneath Oogie Boogie's manor.

Setting and Areas
Based on the holiday of Halloween, Halloween Town is in a constant state of night. The main light comes from the bright full moon overhead. The theme for the area is a twisted, Gothic, and creepy appearance.

Guillotine Plaza (called Town Square in Kingdom Hearts II) is named after the deadly guillotine in the middle of the area. There is also a fountain full of green water and various ledges to climb on. In Kingdom Hearts II, the area takes on a slightly different appearance, the fountain now squirts water that deals damage if hit, the guillotine can come down on characters for damage if they pass beneath it, one of the gates (with presents behind it) deals damage if Sora and company come near it, and nearby grates spew poisonous gas.

In both games, the Square links directly to Dr. Finkelstein's Lab, where much of the exposition for both games is initially given. In Kingdom Hearts, it also links to Guillotine Gate (called Halloween Town Entrance in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days), which serves as the entrance to Halloween Town.

Nearby there is a Graveyard that serves as a connection to the other places in both games. In Kingdom Hearts II, the gravestones can be knocked over for Drive Orbs and damage. In both games, the Graveyard leads to Moonlight Hill (called Curly Hill in Kingdom Hearts II); with a sundae swirl hill that can uncurl in Kingdom Hearts to take the party to the next area.

In Kingdom Hearts II, the left fork in the Graveyard also takes the party to the Hinterlands, a quiet wood that leads to the trees carved with various symbols of other holidays. They in fact lead to towns of varying holidays—Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Independence Day and Valentine's Day—however, none of them can be entered.

In Kingdom Hearts, traveling over Moonlight Hill takes the party to the Bridge leading to Oogie's Manor and the Evil Playroom within that serves as the hideout of Lock, Shock, and Barrel, as well as Oogie Boogie's own Torture Chamber.

In Kingdom Hearts II, the Hinterlands will take characters to Yuletide Hill, which they can travel down the Candy Cane Lane to reach Christmas Town. In Christmas Town, characters can visit with Santa Claus himself in Santa's House and explore the Shipping & Receiving and Wrapping Rooms of the Toy Factory. Late in the game, characters can also go by Christmas Tree Plaza to fight a boss battle.

When entering the Christmas Town portal there are five other holiday doors that can be seen outside of the portal: the door marked with a four-leaved clover represents St. Patrick's Day, the Easter egg represents Easter, the heart symbol represents Valentine's Day, the turkey represents Thanksgiving, and the firework represents Independence Day.

Kingdom Hearts
In Kingdom Hearts, the story is not like the movie.

Sora, Donald and Goofy arrive (in Halloween forms) to see the roof of a buidling blow off and smoke come out of it; surprisingly, Search Ghosts appear in the square, but don't attack. Much to their shock, they find the Mayor and Jack Skellington working with them in a rehersal for a Halloween festival. However, Jack finds that the Heartless' dancing is poor and goes to consult Doctor Finkelstein about it.

Sora, Donald and Goofy follow him to the Lab, where they find a Search Ghost out-cold on an operating table and Jack consulting a giant book. With the doctor agreeing, Jack decides they should add a heart to the guidance system their using to control the Heartless; the object they wish to use for a "heart" is locked and won't open. Sora thinks it'd be better not to fight the Heartless and opens the "heart". Jack thanks Sora, offering him a place in the festival. Sora asks Jack about the Heartless and learns they arrived awhile ago; Jack has been trying to perfect the device to get them to dance better. Using objects representing pulse, terror, fear, hope and despair in conjection with the "heart", they try waking up the Heartless, but are unsuccessful. Dr. Finkelstein believes they should try adding "memory" and asks Jack, Sora, Donald and Goofy to track down Sally so they can get the object.

However, once they go outside, the Mayor tells them that the Heartless are out of control (back to normal). Jack deduces that their attempt to add a heart caused this, but assures the Mayor he has nothing to worry about. They fight their way into the Graveyard, where Sora, Donald and Goofy meet Zero and Sally. Jack obtains a Forget-Me-Not from Sally, who tries to get him to change his mind about using the Heartless as the festival's theme. However, Jack is not swayed by the idea and everyone leaves back to the lab.

Unbeknownst to them, the mischevious trio Lock, Shock, and Barrel were hiding near by and overheard them. They return to their boss, Oogie Boogie, informing him of Jack making a heart. As he lacks one to control the Heartless on his own, Oogie orders his minions to go steal it so he can help Maleficent look for the Keyhole to this world.

Back at the lab, the doctor sends Sora and co. to retrieve a Jack-in-the-Box from the Mayor for surprise. With the new ingredients in the 'heart", Dr. Finkelstein tries to put the heart in place for another attempt, but is tripped by Barrel, allowing the trio to take the heart and run off.

Sora and co. chase them to Oogie's Manor, where they fight their way up past hordes of Heartless to the Evil Playroom, where a battle with the trio takes place. After putting the trouble-makers in their place, Sora, Jack, Donald and Goofy learn that the heart has been sent down to Oogie in his Torture Chamber. Soon arriving in Oogie's lair, Jack demands the heart back, but Oogie swallows it whole and attempts to summon Heartless. However, only two Gargoyles responded due to the faulty artificial nature of the heart. Oogie then engaged the heroes in a battle that ultimately led to his defeat by his bad body springing a leak, spilling his bugs out.

When everyone leaves the manor, much to their shock, it becomes covered in darkness. When the darkness fades, it is revealed Oogie used the power of darkness to merge with his manor, becoming a giant monster. However, seven Shadow Globs providing Oogie with his power were obvious weaknesses; Sora and co destroyed each one, causing the manor to crumble into dust and Oogie to fade into darkness. With the manor gone, moonlight shines on the spot it once stood, revealing Halloween Town's Keyhole; Sora seals it by reflecting a beam of light off the moon.

Back in the lab, Jack apologizes to Sally for not listening; she forgives him, encouraging Jack that they'll think of a new theme for Halloween together. Jack announces that since the Heartless can't be controlled, he'll have to postpone the festival, thanking Sora, Donald and Goofy for their help.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
The plot in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories oddly stays the same with some key differences.
 * Oogie Boogie isn't working with Maleficent.
 * Oogie doesn't fuse with his manor.
 * Zero, Lock, Shock, and Barrel are absent.
 * Instead of an artificial heart, Doctor Finkelstein creates a potion that awakens the "true memories" that are hidden in people's hearts, which Oogie steals instead.
 * Oogie steals the object in question himself and flees rather than having a minion get it for him.
 * Oogie's torture chamber is a square room (despite which version you play).
 * Halloween Town is being plagued with Heartless instead of trying to use them as the theme of their next festival.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, when Roxas first arrives in Halloween Town, he finds Jack Skellington pondering on how to make Halloween scarier and more shocking than ever before. Roxas leaves him there to think, and continues on his mission of collecting hearts. On Roxas's next few missions to Halloween Town he finds there are fewer and fewer Heartless, making heart collecting more difficult.

Roxas uses Zero, who is able to locate hidden Heartless, to help him finish his mission. After a few more visits to Halloween Town, Roxas grows tired of Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who had been playing tricks on him, and attempts to stop them. They attack him, but Roxas defeats them, and they promise not to play tricks on him anymore.

Barrel almost divulges information on what they've been doing, but Lock quiets him and they escape. Disregarding their promise, the three play the same trick on Roxas immediately on his next arrival. After completing his mission, Roxas tries to leave, but is attacked by a Tentaclaw. He defeats it and returns.

The Organization reports that the Heartless population in Halloween Town is unusually low, so Roxas is sent to investigate. When he arrives at Guillotine Plaza, a Heartless appears, fleeing from something. Another Tentaclaw sprouts from the ground and swallows the Heartless, a Creepworm. Roxas searches for the source outside of town and sees Lock, Shock, and Barrel escaping over the wall to Boogie's home.

He defeats the Tentaclaws at Curly Hill, before taking on the source of the cannibalistic appendages, the Leechgrave. However, Jack—watching from outside the zone of battle—likes the idea of a Halloween with "a black cloak and black tentacles". As he leaves Halloween Town, he stumbles upon Jack's great idea: a scarecrow that looks just like Roxas. As he leaves, Roxas mutters, "I'm really not seeing it".

On his last mission to Halloween Town, Roxas is shown to be worrying about Xion. He resolves to finish his mission as quickly as possible and return to the castle to speak with her. As he searches through Halloween Town, Roxas is unable to find any Heartless. He decides to check outside of town, and encounters what he believes is an Orcus. The Heartless proves hard to handle, but Axel arrives and intervenes between the two. Axel reveals the Orcus as Xion, explaining that the battle was a trap to get the two to fight to the death, disposing of the weakest one. They leave for Twilight Town, disturbed by the Organization's intentions.

Sometime later, Roxas is transported here by Xion at the Manor Ruins. Xion uses the Organization's device to summon a sword to attack Roxas. However, Roxas manages to destroy the sword. Xion then transports herself and Roxas to Agrabah to continue the fight.

First Visit
In Kingdom Hearts II, Jack wants to take Santa's place. While at the same time, Maleficent has revived Oogie Boogie (although suffering from amnesia), and has him remake Santa's present-making machine into a Heartless-making machine. Maleficent has Lock, Shock, and Barrel assist Oogie, even letting them use a fearsome Heartless. Sora, Donald, and Goofy try to stop Jack's scheme, while trying to shut down the Heartless operation.

Second Visit
Sora, Donald, and Goofy learn from Jack that Christmas presents are being stolen, and resolve to find out who and to what end, the quartet visit Santa to request making Dummy Presents to draw out the thief, they end up hiding in a huge box (accompanied by some humorous dialogue) and surprise the thief, only to find, as Jack's realization so clearly states, "Doctor Finkelstein's Experiment did it!".

A battle goes on with the raging machine, but Sora and friends come out on top, learning from Finkelstein later that the Experiment wished only to know the happiness that Christmas brings. Jack, all the while, thinks the box makes the magic, but learns from Sora that it's not about the box, paper, ribbons, or what's inside, what matters is the principle of giving. After this, Jack and Sally share a romantic moment in the snow, with Donald and Goofy comforting Sora about giving Kairi a real Christmas present, one that comes from his heart.

Character Design
Sora wears a black outfit quite similar to that of a vampire. His hands also have white gloves that are typical to Disney characters. He has skeletal bat wings on his back and wears a pumpkin mask on the right side of his face. His face is blackened so as to blend into the gothic atmosphere.
 * Sora

Donald wears mummy-like bandages that cover almost all of his body. A gap in the bandages shows that there is nothing under them. His features are darkened almost everywhere.
 * Donald

Goofy has the look of Frankenstein's monster, with a giant screw mirroring his hat coming out of the top of his head. His nose is recolored as a tiny jack-o-lantern, similar to Jack Skellington's faithful ghost-dog, Zero.
 * Goofy

In Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, when Riku visits this world in Reverse/Rebirth, he takes on a slightly darker look, such as darker skin and menacing eyes, his outfit is also slightly torn around the edges of the sleeves.
 * Riku

In Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, when Riku visits this world in Reverse/Rebirth, the King takes on a slightly darker look, such as darker skin. The picture on his Friend Card also lacks a smile.
 * King Mickey

Puppies

 * 40, 41, & 42 - On the steep bank in the Bridge area.
 * 64, 65, & 66 - Return to Moonlight Hill after locking the Keyhole and go in the door to the right. The chest will be right in front of you.
 * 67, 68, & 69 - Under Jack's house in Guillotine Plaza.
 * 70, 71, & 72 - In Guillotine Plaza, on the high ledge with the two jack o'lanterns to the left of Guillotine Gate. Glide is required.

Trinity Marks
Note: in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix the Red Trinity has been moved to the gate near to Oogie's Manor. This way, it can be activated at any time in the game after gaining the access to this area.

Trivia

 * Halloween Town is one of the only Disney worlds that didn't follow the plot of its original movie (with some alterations to suit the game's story) in its debut. In Kingdom Hearts, it only bore similarities to the beginning of The Nightmare Before Christmas (plot wise) and didn't actually get to the movie's main plot until Kingdom Hearts II which even then, it is implied by certain pieces of dialogue that the events of Halloween Town in the game take place after the movie, such as Santa's "What trouble did you bring about this time, Jack?" retort (which Jack, when questioned by Sora, stated that it's a "long story"), as well as Jack's line about how he wasn't even the one who told Lock, Shock, and Barrel to come to Christmas Town this time.
 * The save point at Oogie's Manor, i.e. Evil Playroom, does appear at the landing menu of the Gummi sequence as long as the manor is up. After defeating Oogie Boogie and sealing the Keyhole in Halloween Town, the save point at Guillotine Gate is the sole save point in Halloween Town.
 * Halloween Town has more detailed textures because it is based on stop-motion rather than animation. The Heartless in this world change skin texture to match this. Strangely, this does not happen in Port Royal, despite that world's even more realistic graphics.
 * In Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Halloween Town is the only world in which Sora changes clothes.
 * Halloween Town is connected by portal to Christmas Town and possibly other worlds; it is unclear whether Christmas Town is a separate world or part of a large "Holiday World" encompassing Halloween Town, Christmas Town, and other towns.

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Halloween Town