Box Office Fuels Frenzy for Costumes : Holiday: Movie characters inspire Halloween dress for many. But if you’re in a pinch for something to wear, anything goes.

Expect few surprises when you open the door Sunday night; when it comes to choosing a Halloween costume, most kids want what they see on the screen. Which means if you like purple dinosaurs, balloon pants and shoes with curling, pointed toes, you’ll have a great time.

Princess Jasmine of Walt Disney’s “Aladdin” fame is a big favorite this year for girls, costumers say. Four- and 5-year-olds want to make Barney the Dinosaur more ubiquitous than he already is--if that’s possible.

“(Princess) Jasmine is still very hot (with children) and Aladdin is reasonably strong,” said Lenny Goldman, vice president of Halloween Adventure Shops. The Glendale Galleria shop sells costumes for adults and children.

Aladdin might be faring better with the boys if it weren’t for the other charming characters that attract them--such as Jason, from “Friday the 13th.”

“He’s my favorite actor,” said Ian Soovajian, 10.

Chisup Youn isn’t as concerned about being Jason, just as long as it’s a “thrasher, a guy that cuts people’s heads off,” the 8-year-old said, giggling. His only problem is that his brother may get to wear the costume, which features a mask with glowing eyes.

“The costumes are basically determined by the movies,” Goldman said.

Indeed, sewing teacher June McNamara, who will be judging the children’s costume contest at the Glendale Cloth World, said, “I’m sure there are going to be a thousand Princess Jasmines out there and a thousand Aladdins.”

Even among adults interviewed, the movies have a pull. “My girlfriend and I are going to be Thelma and Louise after the fall,” said Melissa Morelli, 38.

In the adult world, just about anything goes this year.

“It’s amazing. It’s been pretty generalized this year,” said Tim Dietlein, owner and manager of Glendale Costumes, a rental company that specializes in costumes for adults. Cleopatra seems to be Dietlein’s most popular at the moment, but people have been renting “a lot of pirates, flappers, Renaissance outfits. I’ve seen a lot of Captain Hooks and Peter Pans.”

Goldman’s company also sells a lot of cow costumes, which feature rubber udders. “They love the cows, both adults and kids,” he said.