Marnie Piper is the eldest daughter of Gwen Piper and William Piper, granddaughter of Aggie Cromwell, and older sister of Dylan Piper and Sophie Piper. She is the main protagonist of the series, a young witch who has always loved the holiday of Halloween.
Marnie is 13 years old in the first movie, about 15 years old in the second, around 17 in the third movie, and is 18 years old in the final movie. She is a headstrong individual, especially when it comes to learning magic. Like her grandmother and her sister, she has a "sixth sense", also known as precognition, as well as being naturally talented at flying on a broomstick.
Story
Halloweentown (1998)
On Halloween night, 13-year-old Marnie and her younger siblings are once again banned from going out to parties or trick-or-treating. Though she argues with her mother, Gwen, about this injustice, she states that she is only protecting them. However, Marnie's bad mood is eased by the arrival of her grandmother, Aggie, who bears gifts of Halloween costumes, decorations, and candy, to the children's delight and their mother's disapproval. Knowing that Gwen and Aggie often get into fights when they get together, Marnie begs her mom not to start one, as she hasn't seen her grandmother in more than a year.
During dinner, Marnie and her siblings ask their grandma Aggie to read them all a bedtime story. Though slightly reluctant to allow it, their mother gives in. Taking Aggie into the kitchen, Gwen tells her mother that she does want her to get to know her grandchildren, but requests Aggie to not tell them anything about her home. Eager to reconnect with the kids, Aggie agrees.
Aggie shows her grandchildren a storybook of a magical place called Halloweentown, filled with pictures of ghosts, werewolves, goblins, and a witch that bears a strong resemblance to Marnie. Marnie enjoys thinking of herself as a witch, but tells her grandmother that she's "nothing special", but Aggie disagrees, declaring that Marnie is a Cromwell. Before Aggie can say any more, Gwen interrupts, saying that their grandmother will have to leave soon if she is to catch her bus home. Before she leaves, however, Gwen asks to have a word with her. As they put away leftovers, Aggie complains that this is Marnie's thirteenth Halloween, an important date that should signal the end of a witch's training. Instead, the half-human Marnie is at risk for losing her powers permanently because her training hasn't begun. Gwen argues that Halloweentown is not her nor her children's world; they belong in the human one. Marnie, who has snuck downstairs, is happily shocked when she witnesses her grandmother turn the chicken leftovers into a live chicken in order to make a point to Gwen. Marnie immediately wakes her brother, Dylan, and tells him what she has seen, but he merely thinks she's crazy. Spotting her grandmother outside walking towards the bus stop, Marnie impulsively throws on the costume Aggie brought her and slips outside to follow her, little brother in tow.
The two siblings manage to sneak onto the bus just before it takes off, looking in awe at the creatures around them. When the bus lands, they find themselves in Halloweentown, the fantastic place their grandmother told them about. They also find their little sister Sophie, who had snuck on to the bus even more stealthily than they had. Noticing that they lost their grandmother in their amazement, the trio is relieved when the mayor walks up to them. As he charms Sophie by pulling a giant lollipop out of his ear, they tell him that they are Aggie Cromwell's grandchildren and ask if he knows where she lives. Delighted to hear that their mother is Gwen, an old childhood friend of his, Mayor Kalabar calls them a taxi to take them to Aggie's home. When they arrive, Aggie is very surprised but overjoyed that they found their way into her world. Marnie is eager to begin her training, but Aggie is preoccupied with they mysterious behavior of her neighbors; one day they are as nice as they ever were, but the next they are wild and hostile, disappearing altogether soon after. Aggie believes that if she can reignite an ancient family heirloom, Merlin's Talisman, she can fight "the bad thing", as Sophie calls it. The potion that can empower the Talisman calls for the hair of a werewolf, a vampire's fang, and the sweat of a ghost, ingredients that shouldn't be too hard to find in town. As the shopping trip will also allow her to show them her world, she happily takes along her grandkids.
Marnie is delighted by the discovery of broomsticks and begs her grandmother to buy one for her, who not only complies but also takes Marnie on a ride. But before Aggie can take Sophie on a flight, Gwen appears, furious at her mother for taking away her children without her knowledge. She orders her children to say goodbye and then to come home with her, telling Marnie that she lives in the human world and human is what she will be. Angry and hurt, Marnie sadly thanks her grandma for the ride and storms away towards the bus stop. As Gwen tries to find out the departure time of the next bus, Marnie rants about how unfair her mother is. Finding out that the bus has been delayed, Marnie smugly declares that they'll just have to stay. Gwen disagrees and decides to ask the mayor for help instead, much to Marnie's irritation. Mayor Kalabar, overjoyed at seeing Gwen again, flirts with her, causing Marnie to realize with teenage disgust that the mayor is her mother's ex-boyfriend. Catching sight of her grandmother walking somewhere with the town punk, Luke, Marnie runs after her in case she needs help, causing her mother and siblings to chase after her.
Luke takes Aggie to the abandoned movie theatre, where she discovers all of the people who have disappeared frozen like statues. Noticing a dark, swirling vortex where the movie screen should be, she soon comes face-to-face with the mastermind behind the disappearances, a creature swathed in shadow. He commands that she give him the Talisman, but she naturally refuses, instead demanding to know why he has kidnapped all these people. At that moment, her family bursts in. Marnie starts forward to help, but her mother orders her to keep her younger siblings back, rushing to help Aggie herself. As the shadow being throws magical fire at Aggie, Gwen shoves her out of the way, getting hit herself in the process. The spell paralyzes Gwen in time, and Aggie, struck with horror, is unable to dodge a second fireball. Struggling against the freezing curse, she tells her grandchildren to escape before she succumbs to the spell. An upset, terrified Marnie wants to stay and do something, but her siblings drag her away so that they may come up with a plan. Sophie is near tears after witnessing what just happened, but Marnie convinces her that they are going to rescue their mom and grandmother by gathering the potion ingredients and reigniting Merlin's Talisman.
First on the list is the hair of a werewolf, which they find at a hair salon. Marnie tries to distract the werewolf beautician by first asking about part-time jobs, then by turning on a hair dryer that shoots out flames. While the werewolf is attempting to instruct Marnie how to turn the device off, Dylan creeps up behind him and shaves off some hair from the back of his head. The next ingredient, sweat of a ghost, is harder to find. Can ghosts sweat without bodies? Nevertheless, the siblings check out the recreation center, figuring that sweat of all kinds could be found there. As they explore, they happen to discover a sweat box and a large ghost who is nestled inside. Marnie, after telling Dylan to distract the ghost, wanders over to the temperature control and increases the heat. Dylan awkwardly tries to engage the ghost in trivia, but it is Sophie who succeeds in seizing the ghost's attention by pretending to be a ghost herself. Marnie is able to swipe a drop of sweat off the ghost's nose and the children run off to find the final ingredient, a vampire fang, at the dentist's. Luckily for them, a vampire is getting her tooth pulled. Marnie, disguised as an assistant, takes the fang and hurries to join her siblings, who are waiting outside.
With the potion complete, the Talisman is nearly ready. Unfortunately, Marnie has completely forgotten the spell that activates it. After attempting two spells of her own creation that fail to work, Sophie comes to their rescue because she made a song out of the spell's words. Joining forces with her sister, Marnie chants the spell and is proud of herself and Sophie when it illuminates at last. Believing that the Talisman can cure their mother and grandmother, the siblings rush to the abandoned theater and wave the Talisman in vain over their family members, becoming distraught when it fails to do anything. Discouraged, Marnie remembers her grandmother telling her that the Halloween traditions in the human world are merely echoes of Halloweentown's traditions. Gazing at the shining Talisman, Marnie realizes that it's similar to the candles that humans place into their Jack-O-Lanterns. Recalling that there is an enormous, empty Jack-O-Lantern in the center of town, Marnie decides to install the Talisman within its orange depths.
Before she makes it to the huge carved pumpkin, she is stopped by Luke. She snaps at him to get out of her way, but he insists that he didn't know that the shadow being would harm her family and desperately wants to make up for his part in luring Aggie to the theatre. He warns her that the pumpkin is a trap and that the shadow being is waiting for her. Marnie, unwilling to forgive him, tries to shove Luke out of the way again but stops when she sees dark clouds swirling above City Hall. Spinning out of the cloud vortex is none other than the shadow being. As he makes a speech urging the citizens of Halloweentown to invade and take back the human world, he reveals himself as Mayor Kalabar. During his speech he spots Marnie, hidden under her cloak, and commands her to give him the Talisman. Without breaking stride, she ignores him and keeps moving towards the great Jack-O-Lantern, infuriating Kalabar. He leaps in front of her, but she merely turns in another direction and keeps moving. This enrages the mayor so much that he throws the freezing fire at her, striking her twice and causing her to crumple to the ground. He turns aside her hood and is horribly shocked to see he has not cursed Marnie, but Luke, who had taken her cloak in order to trick Kalabar and hopefully give the real Marnie enough time to get to the gigantic pumpkin. Unfortunately, he sees her climbing on top of the pumpkin and hurls the cursed fire at her back, managing to hit her thrice. A weakened Marnie remembers moments spent with her family and finds the strength to drop the Talisman into the center of the pumpkin before she loses consciousness. Instantly, the Jack-O-Lantern blazes with a light that forces Kalabar to cower back and pierces the dark movie theater vortex, restoring everyone who was frozen inside. Aggie and Gwen, each relieved that the other is alright, hasten to rejoin the children, who are equally relieved and happy to see them, including a revived Marnie. Kalabar, however, overcomes the pain that the Jack-O-Lantern's light has caused him and laughingly faces the Cromwells. He magically forces the Talisman to fly into his hand and dares the Cromwells to try their best to stop him. Seeing that Gwen and Aggie alone aren't strong enough to overpower the twisted mayor, Marnie, Sophie, and even Dylan join hands with the two older witches and combine all their powers. Kalabar is no match for five Cromwells and his shroud of shadow ignites, causing him to dissolve into bright, magical light.
As the Cromwell family celebrates with the citizens of Halloweentown, Gwen tells Marnie that she is impressed with Marnie's strength and courage and agrees to train Marnie as a witch. Reconciled at last, an elated Marnie embraces her mother. Spying a despondent Luke, Marnie walks over to him. His previously human-looking face has returned to its natural bulbous-nosed, big-eared goblin physique. Kalabar had made him handsome, and in return Luke obeyed him blindly, a fact he is deeply ashamed of. He laments that even when he was good-looking, he didn't even get to go on a date with Marnie. Flattered, she kisses his cheek and tells him that he became a shining prince when he decided to help her fight Kalabar, and that she couldn't have defeated the mayor without him. Aggie, seeing that he is genuinely a good guy, gets him a job as the bus driver. Her grandchildren want to stay with her longer, but the bus between worlds only travels once a year on Halloween. Knowing this, Gwen asks Aggie to live with them in the human world. Stunned that her daughter would ever make such an offer, but delighted at the prospect of spending more time with her family and training her grandchildren, Aggie happily agrees. All five Cromwells embark on the bus Luke is driving and wave goodbye to Halloweentown as they take off for the human world.
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001)
15-year-old Marnie and her family combine their magic and create a portal that could be opened at anytime around the year
Marnie and Ethan.
to stop a warlock from taking over the worlds.
Halloweentown High (2004)
17-year-old Marnie bets on her family magic to persuade the Halloweentown Council to reunite the worlds of Halloweentown and the Mortal World.
Return to Halloweentown (2006)
18-year-old Marnie attends Witch University in Halloweentown and discovers a great secret about her family. She becomes Queen of Halloweentown for one night but uses the chance to apparently destroy The Gift with the help of Gwen, Dylan and her genie friend Anessa, but only passes it on to Dylan, the one person she trusts not to abuse its power.
Portrayal
Although Kimberly J. Brown potrayed Marnie Piper for the first three movies and was available for the fourth, Disney chose to recast the role with Sara Paxton in the final movie, even though they didn't recast any other role. For more info go to https://www.oct31st.org/2010/09/an-interview-with-kimberely-j-brown/
Relationships
Friends & Family
Splendora Agatha "Aggie" Cromwell
Splendora Agatha Cromwell is Marnie's maternal grandmother. They seem to very close and as a result, Marnie greatly respects and admires Aggie and looks forward to her visits very much. Marnie comments in the first movie that her grandmother is the only one who understands her fascination with strange things. Aggie wanted to train Marnie as a witch ever since she was born, but Gwen refused, delaying Marnie's training for thirteen years. After the first movie, Aggie does not just train Marnie, she moves right into the Piper home.
Gwen Piper
Gwen Piper is Marnie's mother. She is very protective of her children, much to Marnie's annoyance. Afraid that something about Halloween would trigger their powers or make them discover the world of Halloweentown, she did not allow them to go out during the holiday. As Marnie is fascinated by everything connected to Halloween, the two don't get along very well in the first movie. Marnie is quick to argue and complain about her mother being unfair, but when her mother is attacked by the shadow being she is clearly upset. By the end, Gwen is impressed with Marnie's courage and ability to face a powerful warlock and agrees to train her as a witch.
William Piper
William Piper is Marnie's father. He is human, making Marnie and her siblings half human, half witch/warlock. He died some time before the first movie. Little is known about their relationship, but she seems to love him very much.
Dylan Piper
Dylan Piper is Marnie's younger brother. In the first movie, scientifically-minded Dylan takes pride on being the only "normal" person in their family and for the majority of the movie tries to convince himself that Halloweentown is just a very strange dream. This mindset is the polar opposite of his older sister's, causing them to bicker often, as any brother and sister do. Despite the occasional friction, they do truly love one another. When Dylan shows signs of being a warlock, Marnie is proud of him. They attend high school and college together in the later movies.
Sophie Piper
Sophie Piper is Marnie's younger sister. She seems to look up to her big sister a lot, even though she appears to be a better witch than Marnie, at least in the first movie. They are very close and help each other often. When Sophie is about to cry in the first movie, Marnie comforts her.
Luke
Luke is Marnie's love interest in the first two movies. In the first movie, he agreed to work for the shadow being in exchange for being made handsome. At first, she thinks of him as a no-good punk who lured her grandmother into a trap, but he explains that he didn't think that the shadow being, would harm Aggie and genuinely wishes to make up for his part in luring her to it, coming up with a plan that helps Marnie defeat the shadow being for good. Realizing that Luke is truly a good guy, Marnie warms up to him. He isn't seen after the second movie and it's unknown what happened to their friendship.
Aneesa
A genie who is Marnie's roommate and quickly becomes Marnie's best friend in college, Aneesa helps Marnie to defeat the evil plaguing the school.
Cindy
Cindy is a friend of Marnie's in Halloweentown II. Not much is known about their friendship, but they do seem to joke with each other and be close friends.
Cassie
Cassie is a witch from Halloweentown and is good friends with Marnie. She is a part of the exchange student program between Marnie's high school and Halloweentown. It is unknown whether she went to the college with Marnie, Dylan, and Ethan.
Two Unknown Friends
At the beginning of the first movie, Marnie is trying to convince her mother to let her go to a Halloween party. These two girls appear to be Marnie's best friends, and they also try to convince Gwen to let her go, remarking that Marnie is very interested in all things Halloween. One is dressed as a clown and the other is dressed as a witch. Ultimately failing to convince Gwen to let her daughter go, they offer to bring back Marnie candy. Neither is ever seen again after the first movie.
Romances
Kal
In the second movie, Marnie has a big crush on a guy named Kal. He seems to return her affections, but it turns out that he was merely using her to get to Aggie's spellbook. It's unknown if they ever saw each other again.
Cody
A human boy who likes Marnie right from the start, he becomes Marnie's boyfriend over the course of Halloweentown High. Apparently the relationship didn't last long because he is never seen again after the third movie.
Ethan Dalloway
Ethan, Edgar Dalloway's son, is a warlock who possibly has an interest in Marnie in the third movie. He manages to become Marnie's boyfriend in Return to Halloweentown. The movie ends with the two of them dating.
Trivia
- When her grandmother was young, she looked remarkably like Marnie.
- Aggie gave Marnie Egyptian hieroglyph stones as a Halloween present.
- Marnie is not very good at making up spells, as Dylan points out more than once.
- According to Dylan, she spends the whole math class drawing ghosts in her notebook.
- Marnie was a level 1 witch at he beggining of Halloweentown High, and was a level 2 witch at the end of halloweentown High .