Here's modification of 8x8 led matrix eyes for a halloween pumpkin.
I removed support for i2c and the HT16k33 LED matrix in the process of making the code clearer for myself using the MAX7219. I used these (Amazon UK) for the eyes: https://amzn.eu/d/e5Kw5vX
I fixed the issue mentioned in the video that the left and right eyes needed to be swapped to display scrolling messages.
I couldn't get the LED matrices to work from the tutorial, so I used the PIN connections shown in: https://microcontrollerslab.com/max7219-led-dot-matrix-display-raspberry-pi-pico/
I also added a (common anode) RGB LED to light up the mouth, which you could comment out if you don't need.
For the RGB LED, I used one of these: https://amzn.eu/d/9fQ5G3V
Known issues: I think some of the animations don't work e.g. winkLeft, winkRight.