This is Halloween

"This is Halloween" is a musical composition by Yoko Shimomura that appears in the. The piece is an instrumental arrangement of "", originally written by for the film . It is the field theme of Halloween Town.

Appearances
"This is Halloween" is the field theme of Halloween Town in , Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Kingdom Hearts

 * Halloween Town: "Halloween Town", "Jack Skellington", "The Heartless Need a Heart!", "Memory", "Lock, Shock & Barrel", "A Working Heart", ""We Lost Them!", "Crossing in The Bathtub", "Pathway Unfolds", "Oogie's Manor", "Together"

Sora's Story

 * Halloween Town: Opening, Key of Guidance

Kingdom Hearts II

 * Halloween Town: "Happy Christmas", "The Professor's Experiment", "Lending a Hand"

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

 * Halloween Town: "Day 174 - Action, Reaction"

Composition
"This is Halloween" is approximately two minutes and twenty-two seconds in  and the HD remake of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. In Kingdom Hearts II, the piece is shortened to one minute and twenty-six seconds. However, for the HD remake of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, the piece is extended to two minutes and twenty-eight seconds. Regardless of the game, the piece has a time signature of 4/4, and a tempo of 84 beats per measure.

For instrumentation, each version uses the same instruments, though for games not in the HD remakes, some voices are covered through electronic means- such as synthesizer. In general, the instrumentation includes: a complete string section- violin, viola, cello, and stringed bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, trumpet, French horn, tuba, snare drum, bass drum, crash cymbal, marimba, sleigh bells, orchestral bells, timpani, synthesizer, and harp.

At its core, this rendition is an instrumental version of "This is Halloween" from the original movie. Although the tonality suggests an eerie atmosphere, a light-hearted tone is also present due to the "playful" interplay amongst the flute, clarinet, and trumpet. However, due to the constant chords played throughout by the lower voiced instruments, the eerie and twilight feel to the piece is always felt.

Alternate version
The introductory cutscene of Halloween Town in Kingdom Hearts features a unique alternate arrangement of the track. While the supporting voices are the same as the regular track, this version does not directly quote the melody of Danny Elfman's "This is Halloween". The instrumentation is nearly identical to the ordinary version of the song. This arrangement has not been released on an official album.