Monster High live-action film, which is set to premiere just in time for the Halloween season later this year. The movie comes after the discontinuation of the Monster High dolls in 2018 and the widely successful YouTube series that carried on after the animated films were no longer produced.
Even though the franchise hasn't produced a full-length film since 2017, the fan base continued to grow and enjoy the content. Fans continued to hope that the ghoul friends would make their way back to their television screens, and now with the news that they are, there is naturally a lot of anticipation.
Frankie Isn't The Focus
Unlike the original Monster High movies and series, the main focus isn't on 15-day-old Frankie Stein. Instead, it's on Clawdeen Wolf, who was originally a side character who befriended Frankie on her first day at school, but this movie reverses the relationship. Clawdeen, generally seen as the confident fashionista for the friend group, is now shown as an awkward teen and unsure of herself.
Based on the film's trailer, fashion doesn't seem to be a focus for Clawdeen. The shift in Clawdeen's character is a risk, given how invested fans already are in her original character.
It Has Original Music
Like every other Monster High installment, this movie has original music throughout. The film is marketed as a movie musical, whereas the other films have been movies that feature a song or two. Even though Nickelodeon produces the new film, the movie has more of a Disney Channel Original Movie feel to it.
The new songs are for younger kids, even though the original fan base is in their late teens and early twenties, which gives off the feeling that any new Monster High live-action content will not appeal to parents and older fans but to new kids who aren't familiar with the series.
Lagoona Has A New Look
Lagoona Blu's character has gotten the most significant makeover of all the characters. While most of the main characters mirror their doll and cartoon selves, Lagoona resembles the original Abbey Bominable without her furs.
Earlier character presentations include blue skin and scales, while the new look is more human than a monster and includes pointy ears. Lagoona's new tagline, "the bestie with bite," alludes to a new power or ability not explored by the original series, which could make up for the criticism the new look has received from die-hard fans.
LGBTQ+ Representation
If handled well, Monster High could potentially the ranks of the best kids' shows with LGBTQ+ representation. Fans have speculated that certain characters in the animated series were part of the LGBTQ+ community, but the trailer confirms that Frankie Stein is non-binary.
The movie attempts to normalize asking for people's pronouns upon meeting them, which hasn't been explored by many kids' shows. The film takes a risk by including Frankie's pronouns in the trailer as unfortunately, it could face similar undeserved scrutiny that Lightyear got for having a same-sex kiss.
This is the Second Reboot
There was a decline in sales in 2016, according to Reuters, so Mattel tried to reboot the Monster High movies and dolls to save both the toy line and the films. However, the new movie tries to rewrite the original story of Frankie and her friend, leaving fans confused about the original storylines, and it was unsuccessful as a result.
The dolls also looked more childlike versus their previous teen appearances, which appealed to child and adult collectors. Knowing how fans reacted to the 2016 reboot, the 2022 version may be in trouble as so many of the aesthetics between the characters and the school have been changed.
New Romances
There were lots of relationships in the original cartoons, including Draculaura dating Clawdeen's brother, who isn't in the new movie, Frankie and Jackson Jekyll, and Gil and Lagoona. However, none of these couples are featured in the new film. From the trailer, Deuce, paired initially with Cleo, is now interested in Clawdeen.
This is a significant change to the story since Clawdeen was the only character in the original series not to have a love interest or express any interest in a relationship beyond friendship with her. With her character changing as well as gaining another character's love interest, this could cause divided opinions among fans.
The Characters Have Powers
A significant difference between the old and the new versions of the characters is their new abilities. In previous renditions, the monsters all stuck to traditional monster lore and had all special skills learned at the school. But VidCon goody bags came with cards that revealed the characters all have powers making them more like monster superheroes than paranormal and supernatural creatures.
The creators kept a few secrets from fans by keeping Cleo's powers a secret, which could be a nod to a significant plot point in the film. Also, Draculaura now practices witchcraft, which is new to the character and an unlikely choice of powers for a vampire character, especially in a franchise that has magic- characters.
Fan Reactions Are Not Good...So Far
Despite the hype surrounding the film, fans of Monster High are not happy about the reboot. Many social media s have shared that the costumes look low-budget and too much like The Descendants. Fans expected the characters to look more like the original dolls, which were just re-released with the original story and outfits from the original series.
With the limited knowledge of what the movie will really be, fans are worried this movie reboot will ruin the franchise. Some of the real-life references are not sitting well with fans, and it is making the lore more confusing than breathing new life into the series.
Release Date
With the spooky nature of the movie, it is likely the film could Nickelodeon's best Halloween episodes and movies. The release is set for October 6th, giving fans enough time to pick a favorite character and get their costumes for Halloween.
The release also comes before many other Halloween episodes and television movies from other networks, giving Nickelodeon the jump on holiday marketing. This almost ensures that Monster High characters will be some of the most seen on the trick-or-treat trails this year.
Where It's Streaming
Even though Monster High originally streamed on Netflix, the new movie will only be streaming on Paramount+ and will play on Nickelodeon. According to PR Newswire, Nickelodeon and Paramount have been sister companies for many years, and with Nickelodeon working with Mattel for the rights to the movie, it's no wonder the film changed platforms.
Nickelodeon has committed to Paramount+ with some of their biggest franchises like Paw Patrol streaming exclusive movies and episodes on the platform. This decision could drive traffic to the growing platform since the film will only play three times on cable before being a streaming exclusive.
