Review: "Hocus Pocus 2"

1993 was the year that Disney produced two beloved Halloween-themed movies. The first was Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas—a hit and the second was Hocus Pocus—a box-office disaster! Receiving mixed-to-negative reviews and barely making money (only $8.1 million to be specific), the film was one of the Disney’s biggest catastrophes. Despite all that, the film gained cult status when released on VHS in 1994 and DVD in 2002. Blu-Ray in 2018, and Disney+ in 2019 have continued the trend. Its continuing popularity motivated Disney to create a sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, which premiered on Disney+ on September 30th, 2022. Here are my thoughts: 

The movie brings back the Sanderson sisters, explains their backstory and how it led them to be evil witches. In the process, this “second story” gives them a way to perhaps overcome the scars of living in an oppressive male-dominated society centuries before, while simultaneously passing the torch to a new generation.

This movie does a great job of showing how teenage girls can resist any paths chosen for them and to feel they have the power and self-esteem to make their own choices (spoiler alert: especially when it comes to marriage a la Winifred Sanderson). As the chorus from the Aretha Franklin/Eurythmics song says “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” they should always value their own standards and never loose track of the bond they share with their sisters and/or best friends. Hocus Pocus also introduces us to a potential new generation.

“Hocus Pocus 2,” reunites original cast members Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones; then pairs them with Emmy Winners Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”). The film also stars Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo and Lila Buckingham as the new generation of Salem teenagers. This new crew of actors is well-intentioned, but perhaps didn’t have quite the crowd-pleasing draw of the originals-maybe it will grow over time like the original.

The movie was directed by Anne Fletcher (dir. of 27 Dresses (2008) and The Proposal (2009)) and was co-written by Jen D’Angelo and original “Hocus Pocus” writer David Kirschner. The film was also executive produced by Adam Shankman who directed Hairspray (2007) of which Fletcher was associate choreographer. (Shankman is currently directing Disney’s sequel to Enchanted (2007), Disenchanted (2022) which will be released on Disney+ on November 24th).

Overall, “Hocus Pocus 2,” is an entertaining movie, though it might not necessarily be quite as good as the original. Personally, I’ve always found the first film to be entertaining but creepy, as the Sanderson sisters like to steal children’s souls and Mary Sanderson (Kathy Najimy) is known for saying the iconic line “I smell children,” but the sequel can be distinguished in the sense it makes each of the Sanderson Sisters seem more human. It acknowledges The Sandersons’ evil streak, but lets us feel compassion for them as well. They are more heroic than they are villain.