New Ghoul @ School

New Ghoul @ School is the first Monster High TV special and the only one released in 2010. It is part of Volume 1 and represents an alternative sub-continuity to either the first half of or all of Volume 1. The TV special aired on October 31, 2010, and the DVD was packaged with the four single pack Dawn of the Dance dolls released in July 2011. No surprise, it ties into the Dawn of the Dance doll line.

Description
Being the new girl is totally terrifying. See what really happened during Frankie Stein's first week at Monster High!

Summary
It is Monday and Frankie Stein's first day at Monster High. Everything is new and intimidating to the girl aged 15 days, but entirely unprepared she isn't. She has a collection of magazines with her in which she hopes to find guidance on how to work through teenage monsterhood. Taking the advice from SevenTween, she tries to make "an awesome first impression", but only manages to convey that she's very, very, very new. Makingehr way to the crowds of student, Frankie worries that she'll never have friends and will have to spend all high school as a "loner".

On Tuesday, Frankie makes her way to Trigular Calcometry 101. At the classroom door, Deuce Gorgon passes her by and greets her. As Frankie has a moment of happiness for being noticed, and by such a handsome guy no less, Slow-Moe enters and accidentally knocks her over. While Frankie collects her stuff from the floor, Cleo de Nile and Ghoulia Yelps enter. Cleo doesn't see Frankie and nearly trips over her, which earns Frankie Cleo's dislike. Little more is said when the teacher arrives and the class commences. Lou Zarr turns out to be a very boring man though and Frankie turns to her magazines for advice on how to survive. At that moment, Draculaura lets herself down from the ceiling next to Frankie and starts talking to her. A little weirded out, Frankie lets her, happy to finally have someone notice. When the bell rings, Draculaura is still talking and Frankie follows her into the hallway.

At the chalkboard, Zarr has fallen asleep and Ghoulia finishes the calculation he was working on for him.

As Frankie and Draculaura walk and talk, they suddenly find themselves alone and Draculaura's attention perks when she hears moaning coming their way. The two are too late to escape the zombie flashmob, though they are cornered at the girls' bathroom. It's door is opened by Clawdeen Wolf to let her friend and company inside. Frankie and Clawdeen hit it off well during their time waiting for the zombies to leave. When they are gone, Draculaura and Clawdeen leave, telling Frankie she can text them. Frankie realizes too late she does not have their numbers, but is optimistic about having made two possible friends. She believes she can still do better though and decides to join one of the school's clubs.

After trying Chess club, Swim Team and Community Service, she finds it harder than ever to fit in.

Suddenly, she considers trying for the Fear Squad, but she finds out that Cleo is head of the team. Cleo explains the rules and standards she expects, performing the routine to the Fright Song. Then, Frankie performs well, but her foot flies off, landing in Ghoulia's milkshake drink and covering Cleo in mess. Frankie sobs, going to the swimming pool, where she meets Lagoona Blue, who tells her to be herself and to stop trying so hard.

Frankie then imagines herself at the Dawn of the Dance, performing "Friday I'll Be Over U" and being famous, but then Deuce comes over again, and Frankie gets a crush on him - also meeting Heath Burns, whom Deuce turns to stone. Then Clawdeen and Draculaura reveal that Cleo wants to see Frankie again, and convince her to be the 'dream you', but Lagoona overlooks, disappointed.

The next morning, Frankie wakes up to a magazine. It shows Lagoona telling her to be herself, but a magazine photo about a 'teenage lunchlady' frightens Frankie. She is greeted by Clawdeen and Draculaura, who take her to Cleo. She starts the interview with quick-fire questions, but tension builds up when she asks about a boyfriend. Frankie pretends to have Deuce as a boyfriend, only discovering that he is really Cleo's boyfriend.

Frankie goes back to the swimming pool, about to talk to Lagoona. But this time, Lagoona knows about Frankie's decision, and ignores her. She goes to Clawdeen and Draculaura to apologise and tells them about a plan to make it up to Cleo.

Draculaura and Clawdeen take Cleo to her, only to see Frankie standing with Deuce. She explains that Deuce is not her boyfriend, and shows Cleo a concert featuring Justin Biter that she organized, and (wearing the Dawn of the Dance outfits), they dance the night away, with Cleo giving Frankie another chance but puts her on "Fearleading Probation" and Frankie's school days turn out to be better than expected.

The special ends with the girls in a picture, which goes into the "fearbook" diary. The credits roll with clips of the special, and a backing track of Allison Iraheta's Friday I'll Be Over U.

Press release
From the 2010 Press Release:

Animated Special Featuring Music by "American Idol" Allison Iraheta:

Mattel will develop a 30-minute animated special with music from Allison Iraheta, season eight "American Idol" star, whose pop-goth style is a natural fit for the brand. Iraheta's songs "Scars" and "Friday I'll Be Over U" touch on the challenges of "fitting in", a recurring theme within the Monster High property. The special is set to air this fall on a variety of mediums including online, broadcast and mobile. (Fall 2010)

Cast

 * Frankie Stein - Kate Higgins
 * Cleo de Nile / Clawdeen Wolf - Salli Saffioti
 * Draculaura - Debi Derryberry
 * Lagoona Blue - Laura Bailey
 * Deuce Gorgon/ Gillington "Gil" Webber / Heath Burns - Yuri Lowenthal
 * Ghoulia Yelps - Audu Paden

Crew

 * Written by Anne D. Bernstein, Audu Paden, Lauren Rose and Ira Singerman
 * Voice Direction - Audu Paden
 * Talent Coordinator - Marsha Goodman Einstein
 * Art Director - Eric Radomski
 * Animatic Editor - Mike Mangan
 * Executive Producers - Margaret M. Dean, Barry Waldo
 * Supervising Producer - Audu Paden
 * Produced by - Vincent Edwards, Ira Singerman, Shannon Nettleton
 * Associate Producer - Haven Alexander
 * Production Manager - Robert Romero
 * Production Coordinators - Melissa Moore, Lauren Rose
 * Storyboards by Tim Eldred
 * Animation Character Design - Myke Chilian, Layron DeJarnette, Jenny Goldberg, Michael Huang, Lois Min Lee, Hal Newman
 * BG Design - Brad Gake, Jeff Logue, Richard Lee, Robert Romero, Deanna Rooney
 * Flash Clean-up Supervisor - Jason Flowers
 * Flash Clean-up - Big Star Animation
 * Additional Flash Clean-up - Sara Anderson, Jenny Goldberg, Robert Romero, Casey Mitchum
 * Animation Supervisor - Shawn Toshikian
 * Lead Animator - Stephen Sawran
 * Animators - Joe Apel, Nick Butera, Daisy Church, David Haines, Cesar Henriquez, Anna Hollingsworth, Michael Huang, JoJo Ramos, Bob Rutan, Toni Tysen, Anne Walker
 * Technical Director - Chris Staples
 * Compositors - Andrew Hodges, Rich Ramazinski, Anthony Sipsas, Steve Wilson
 * Post Production Supervisor - Don Devine
 * Music - Steven Argila
 * Editor - Michael Mangan
 * Finishing Supervisor - Jim Cerrotta
 * Finishing Coordinator - Rodney Mann
 * Recording Studio - Salami Studios, North Hollywood, CA
 * Post Production Audio - Salami Studios, North Hollywood, CA
 * "Scars" By Toby Gad and Elyssa James
 * "Friday I'll Be Over U" By Tiffany Amer, Savan Harish Kotecha, Max Martin, Johan Schuster
 * Mattel Creative Consultants - Samantha Negley, Virginia Reneau, Kirsti van Rinsum, Garrett Sander, Julee Shapiro, Joel Smith, Erin Bloodgood, Elaine Gant, Jean Gomez, Eric Hardie, Cindy Ledermann, Kathleen Muray, Wendy Trilling
 * Special Thanks - Catherine Demas, Bob Eckert, Neil Friedman, Tim Kilpin, Susie Lecker, Dr. Michael Shore

Continuity

 * "New Ghoul @ School"'s relation to the Volume 1 webisodes is either that it provides an alternative sub-continuity to the whole lot or only to the first half. Regardless, the following webisodes all feature events equal but different to those in "New Ghoul @ School"
 * "Jaundice Brothers" - Frankie is 15 days old.
 * "Fear Squad" - Frankie becomes a member of the Fear Squad.
 * "Substitute Creature" - Lou Zarr teaches Trigular Calcometry 101.
 * Heath Burns was new at school in the webisode "The Hot Boy" and this was after Frankie had been in school for a while, but he's been a student for longer than Frankie in "New Ghoul @ School".
 * "New Ghoul @ School" establishes Frankie's reliance on magazines to get her through teenage monster life. The webisodes pick up on this starting "A Scare of a Dare".
 * In "Fur Will Fly", Draculaura also explains how she used to like the Jaundice Brothers but is a fan of Justin Biter these days.
 * In "Cyrano De Ghoulia", Draculaura too voices her need to be 1700 before she is allowed to have a boyfriend. Of course, this condition is ignored or no longer in effect during Volume 2, when she starts dating Clawd Wolf at age 1599.
 * Heath hits on Frankie one other time, in the webisode "Date of the Dead". It could be a continuation of his flirt in "New Ghoul @ School" or an alternative take on the same event.
 * While it is not clear where to place the Volume 3 webisode "Fashion Emergency" continuity-wise, it too represents a scenario that cannot take place in the same sub-continuity as "New ghoul @ School" on account of the story of how Draculaura and Clawdeen acquire their Dawn of the Dance outfits.

Errors

 * During the intro shot of the Tuesday segment, Frankie's eye colors are switched.
 * Draculaura notes that her "parents say" she can't date until she is 1700. As later established, Draculaura only has one parent, her adoptive father.
 * In the diaries and webisodes zombies only speak Zombie, but in the zombie flashmob-scene, the mob of zombies is moaning in English.
 * SevenTween is mentioned when Draculaura actually is looking through a magazine called Monster Beat - in fact, Monster Beat is the only magazine the girls look at in the entire movie minus the spreads Frankie has pinned-up on her bedroom wall.

Other

 * Several scenes, art, and animation parts are taken directly from the webisodes:
 * The zombie flashmob animation is also featured in "Fear Squad".
 * Lou Zarr's animation and class scenes are also featured in "Substitute Creature"
 * The scene of Frankie magnetizing the lockers and electrifying a row of students was also used in "Bad Scare Day".
 * The moment in the creepateria before Frankie approaches Cleo for her interview has the same background layout as the intro shot of "Photo Finish".
 * Cleo's art and animation when she gets electrified when Frankie asks her to sign the petition is also used in "Freakout Friday" when she gets electrified by bad luck.
 * "New Ghoul @ School"'s intro music is a different piece from the Fright Song than the Volume 1 webisodes use as their intro music, but it's the same piece as the Volume 2 and Volume 3 webisodes use.
 * In addition to the above, "New Ghoul @ School" commences with the opening of a fearbook. This setup would be copied by the webisodes starting Volume 2.
 * "New Ghoul @ School" contains one of the very rare appearances of Heath Burns's "backgrounder"-style model~animation. The one other time it shows up is in "Bad Scare Day".
 * This is currently the only TV special that can be seen on the official site, since "Fright On!" and "Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love?" have been removed.