Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
Encyclopedia
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble is a 1993 Halloween
children's
TV movie. It stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
as two adventurous little girls who discover that their Great Aunt Sophia has been trapped and cursed by her evil twin sister Agatha. On the 7th year of her imprisonment, Sophia will be doomed to the netherworld unless the spell is broken by the magical spell of twins. The film's title is part of the famous line spoken by the three witches
in Shakespeare's
Macbeth
(Act IV, Scene I): "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble."
and Ashley Olsen
respectively) who feel it is in their power and therefore their responsibility to help their parents get out of their bad situation. The Farmers decided to ask Christine’s Aunt Agatha, a cruel and cold woman for a loan, which is refused. Agatha too, has a twin sister; her name is Sophia (both characters played by Cloris Leachman
).
Upon the visit to Agatha’s home, Mr. Grave Digger, a man employed for Agatha reveals a story about Agatha and her sister. He explains to the girls that Agatha’s home once belonged to a powerful witch who, before being burned at the stake 200 years before, had hidden her moonstone, the gem which gave her power in the home. As children Agatha and Sophia, tired of being twins heard the tale and began looking for the stone, in hopes of using its power to no longer be twins. Agatha found a moonstone and upon finding it hides it from her sister and begins using the magic it possesses to make her sister’s life miserable.
Years later Sophia and her fiancé George prepare to leave, to move away and begin their life together. Agatha, out of jealously and rage casts a spell that casts her sister into a netherworld. Afterwards, Sophia’s only form of communication or link to the outside world was through a mirror that Agatha kept hidden in an old attic. She had been missing with no clue of her whereabouts for years. Upon the 7th year, on Halloween, spell would be permanent and there would be no way of return for Sophia, she would be lost in the netherworld for eternity.
As the Farmer twins learn of their parents financial problems they begin a rescue mission. The spell can only be broken by the magical words recited by twins who have possession of the moonstone and Kelly and Lynn’s ultimate goal is to apprehend it. During their journey they meet a clown named Oscar, the cowardly gravedigger, a poor man named Mr. N, and a toy magic wand that has unexplained genuine magical powers. After tricking Agatha the twins become in possession of the moonstone.
The cruel Aunt Agatha does everything in her power to get rid of the twins. She fears they may find the mirror and undo her previous evil deeds. She is threatened by their presence because she knows that the power of twins combined is superior to her own. When Agatha realizes she cannot rid herself of the twins, she attempts to poison them with jealously and resentment toward one another. The younger twins had in fact been having problems much like the ones their aunts had shared, wanting to be looked upon as individuals. Agatha attempts to persuade Lynn into betraying her sister, however, in the end, Lynn decides her sister is the most important person in her young life.
The power of twins, for one, is superior to that of evil Aunt Agatha, however, the power of love and loyalty transcends it all. The twins are finally able to free Sophia but in Aunt Agatha’s rage she attempts to push her sister back into the mirror to be trapped. The twins, protecting their aunt, fight against Agatha who soon falls into the mirror herself. The time runs out, the mirror is shattered and Aunt Agatha is ultimately doomed to spend the rest of her life in solitude in the netherworld. In the twin’s attempt to free Aunt Sophia, they are rid of their quarrelsome nature and are successful in reaching their goals.
Some unknown time later, Lynn and Kelly living with their parents, Aunt Sophia and George in Aunt Agatha's old house. Lynn and Kelly are cleaning up the broken mirror in the attic and they see Aunt Agatha in one of the broken pieces. She asks for help but the twins say, "No chance." and walk out of the attic holding hands. The movie ends with Aunt Agatha shouting, "I hate Halloween!"
, British Columbia
, Canada
. Its release debuted in the USA October 30, 1993, Poland
on October 7, 2001 and in the UK
September 20, 2004.
The movie was also released in other countries in which it was renamed:
nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) for composer Richard Bellis
. In the same year, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
ware also nominated and won the Young Artist Award
for Best Youth Actress in a TV Mini-Series, M.O.W. or Special.
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
children's
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
TV movie. It stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen are American actresses and entrepreneurs.Both have appeared in television and films since infancy. Since then, they have continued their celebrity through numerous television programs, films, interviews, as well as commercial endorsements...
as two adventurous little girls who discover that their Great Aunt Sophia has been trapped and cursed by her evil twin sister Agatha. On the 7th year of her imprisonment, Sophia will be doomed to the netherworld unless the spell is broken by the magical spell of twins. The film's title is part of the famous line spoken by the three witches
Three Witches
The Three Witches or Weird Sisters are characters in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth . Their origin lies in Holinshed's Chronicles , a history of England, Scotland and Ireland...
in Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
(Act IV, Scene I): "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble."
Plot
Don Farmer and his wife Christine are deeply in debt. They have utilized all of their sources but are still in danger of losing their home. They have twin daughters, Kelly and Lynn (played by Mary-KateMary-Kate Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen is an American actress, producer, author and fashion designer. She made her career debut in 1987 alongside her twin sister Ashley Olsen in the television series Full House...
and Ashley Olsen
Ashley Olsen
Ashley Fuller Olsen is an American actress, fashion designer, producer, and author. She co-founded luxury fashion brand The Row and the more affordable line Olsenboye with her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen and started her own fashion company called Elizabeth and James...
respectively) who feel it is in their power and therefore their responsibility to help their parents get out of their bad situation. The Farmers decided to ask Christine’s Aunt Agatha, a cruel and cold woman for a loan, which is refused. Agatha too, has a twin sister; her name is Sophia (both characters played by Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award...
).
Upon the visit to Agatha’s home, Mr. Grave Digger, a man employed for Agatha reveals a story about Agatha and her sister. He explains to the girls that Agatha’s home once belonged to a powerful witch who, before being burned at the stake 200 years before, had hidden her moonstone, the gem which gave her power in the home. As children Agatha and Sophia, tired of being twins heard the tale and began looking for the stone, in hopes of using its power to no longer be twins. Agatha found a moonstone and upon finding it hides it from her sister and begins using the magic it possesses to make her sister’s life miserable.
Years later Sophia and her fiancé George prepare to leave, to move away and begin their life together. Agatha, out of jealously and rage casts a spell that casts her sister into a netherworld. Afterwards, Sophia’s only form of communication or link to the outside world was through a mirror that Agatha kept hidden in an old attic. She had been missing with no clue of her whereabouts for years. Upon the 7th year, on Halloween, spell would be permanent and there would be no way of return for Sophia, she would be lost in the netherworld for eternity.
As the Farmer twins learn of their parents financial problems they begin a rescue mission. The spell can only be broken by the magical words recited by twins who have possession of the moonstone and Kelly and Lynn’s ultimate goal is to apprehend it. During their journey they meet a clown named Oscar, the cowardly gravedigger, a poor man named Mr. N, and a toy magic wand that has unexplained genuine magical powers. After tricking Agatha the twins become in possession of the moonstone.
The cruel Aunt Agatha does everything in her power to get rid of the twins. She fears they may find the mirror and undo her previous evil deeds. She is threatened by their presence because she knows that the power of twins combined is superior to her own. When Agatha realizes she cannot rid herself of the twins, she attempts to poison them with jealously and resentment toward one another. The younger twins had in fact been having problems much like the ones their aunts had shared, wanting to be looked upon as individuals. Agatha attempts to persuade Lynn into betraying her sister, however, in the end, Lynn decides her sister is the most important person in her young life.
The power of twins, for one, is superior to that of evil Aunt Agatha, however, the power of love and loyalty transcends it all. The twins are finally able to free Sophia but in Aunt Agatha’s rage she attempts to push her sister back into the mirror to be trapped. The twins, protecting their aunt, fight against Agatha who soon falls into the mirror herself. The time runs out, the mirror is shattered and Aunt Agatha is ultimately doomed to spend the rest of her life in solitude in the netherworld. In the twin’s attempt to free Aunt Sophia, they are rid of their quarrelsome nature and are successful in reaching their goals.
Some unknown time later, Lynn and Kelly living with their parents, Aunt Sophia and George in Aunt Agatha's old house. Lynn and Kelly are cleaning up the broken mirror in the attic and they see Aunt Agatha in one of the broken pieces. She asks for help but the twins say, "No chance." and walk out of the attic holding hands. The movie ends with Aunt Agatha shouting, "I hate Halloween!"
Cast
- Mary-Kate OlsenMary-Kate OlsenMary-Kate Olsen is an American actress, producer, author and fashion designer. She made her career debut in 1987 alongside her twin sister Ashley Olsen in the television series Full House...
... Kelly Farmer (one of the main protagonists)/Young Aunt Sophia - Ashley OlsenAshley OlsenAshley Fuller Olsen is an American actress, fashion designer, producer, and author. She co-founded luxury fashion brand The Row and the more affordable line Olsenboye with her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen and started her own fashion company called Elizabeth and James...
... Lynn Farmer (one of the main protagonists)/Young Aunt Agatha - Cloris LeachmanCloris LeachmanCloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award...
... Aunt Agatha (the main antagonist)/Aunt Sophia - Phil FondacaroPhil FondacaroPhil Fondacaro is an American actor. A dwarf actor at , Fondacaro began acting in 1981, with the film Under the Rainbow....
... Oscar (the tritagonist) - Eric McCormackEric McCormackEric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School...
... Don Farmer - Kelli Fox ... Christine Farmer
- Wayne RobsonWayne RobsonWayne Robson was a Canadian television, film and stage actor best known for playing the part of Mike Hamar, an ex-convict and sometime thief, on the Canadian sitcom The Red Green Show from 1993 to 2006, as well as in the 2002 film Duct Tape Forever.Robson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia...
... Gravedigger - Matthew WalkerMatthew Walker (Canadian actor)Matthew Walker is a film and television actor. He appeared in many Canadian television productions in the 1990s and 2000s. He played Father Mac in 22 episodes of the television series Hope Island, and Max Asher in 11 episodes of MythQuest...
... George - Meshach TaylorMeshach TaylorMeshach Taylor is an American actor.He is perhaps best known for his role as Anthony Bouvier on the sitcom Designing Women. He also had a major role on the sitcom Dave's World, playing Sheldon Baylor, and appeared in Buffalo Bill.-Personal life:Taylor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of...
... Mr. N (the deuteragonist) - Denalda Williams ... Hostess
- Gary Jones ... Bernard Brewster
- Babs Chula ... Madame Lulu
- Bill Meilen ... Chairperson
- Nora McLellan ... Female cop
- Alex GreenAlex GreenAlexander Denell Green is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He played college football at The University of Hawaii. He was considered one of the better running back prospects for the 2011 NFL Draft...
... Pumpkin driver - Alex Diakun ... Doorman
- Claire Kaplan, Karin KonovalKarin KonovalKarin Konoval is a professional American film and television actress. She has been in several major films, and has appeared as major roles and guest stars for many television shows, including The X-Files episode Home and Tin Man. She recently appeared in an episode on season 4 of Supernatural...
, Glynis Leyshon ... Witches - Mitch Kosterman ... Cop
- Gary McAteer ... Fred
- Eliza Centenera ... Girl
- Christopher AndersonChristopher AndersonChristopher Anderson was a Scottish theological writer and preacher.-Biography:He was born at Edinburgh, 19 February 1782, and was the son of William Anderson, a respectable merchant...
... Boy - Lynda BoydLynda BoydLynda Boyd is a Canadian actress, singer, dancer, musician, and writer. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the Hollywood films Final Destination 2 , An Unfinished Life , She's the Man , and On Thin Ice, with Diane Keaton...
... Singer - Ian Bagg ... Fat man
- Freda Perry ... Girl's mother
- Shawn MichaelsShawn MichaelsMichael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
... Fred Hilton
Release
The movie was filmed in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Its release debuted in the USA October 30, 1993, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on October 7, 2001 and in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
September 20, 2004.
The movie was also released in other countries in which it was renamed:
-
- Abracadabra SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- Bruxinhas ao Ataque PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
- Czary-mary PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- Dia das Bruxinhas - Feitiço das Gêmeas BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- Doubles jumelles, doubles problèmes FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Feitiço das Gêmeas BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- Halloween Twins - Jetzt hexen sie doppelt GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Két tojás száz bajt csinál HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
- Uma Confusão das Bruxas BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(cable TV title) - Doble Doble Hechizo MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- Abracadabra Spain
Awards
The movie had positive reviews with its 1993 debut. It was nominated for two awards. In 1994, there was an Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) for composer Richard Bellis
Richard Bellis
Richard Bellis is notable as an Emmy Award winning composer for the mini-series "Stephen King's It." Bellis is a former President of the Society of Composers & Lyricists, former governor of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences a USC lecturer and the composer of music for numerous TV...
. In the same year, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen are American actresses and entrepreneurs.Both have appeared in television and films since infancy. Since then, they have continued their celebrity through numerous television programs, films, interviews, as well as commercial endorsements...
ware also nominated and won the Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
for Best Youth Actress in a TV Mini-Series, M.O.W. or Special.