EW previously broke the news that OG Hocus Pocus stars Omri Katz, Vinessa Shaw, and Thora Birch would not reprise their roles alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones in Hocus Pocus 2, though the sequel seamlessly resurrects their characters — Max, Allison, and Dani — for a brief, key ...
"Hocus Pocus 2" is out now on Disney+. The sequel is set 29 years after the first movie, with several characters returning. The Sanderson sisters have minor changes to their appearance in the sequel.
Are any of the original characters in Hocus Pocus 2?
Sean Murray understands why many original stars didn't return for Hocus Pocus 2. Released on Disney+ in September 2022, the sequel to 1993's Hocus Pocus features the return of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, who reprise their roles as the Sanderson Sisters.
Though the sequel film bids an emotional adieu to Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy's beloved characters, it establishes a new coven to potentially carry the series forward — this time played by "good" witches Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) — if the ...
What is the difference between Hocus Pocus 1 and 2?
“Hocus Pocus 2” begins with some new backstory on Salem's most famous coven, when the Sanderson sisters were teenagers in 1653. The intention is to establish an origin story, but the prologue does little to lend substance to the sisters' obsession with youth.
It's not quite a mature or raw as the first one, but, she works well to be the character and evolve the head sister. The Visual Effects Are Fun: The original had impressive magic to the moments back in the first Hocus Pocus that were great for the times.
The actor, along with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker, reprised their famous witchy characters in the long awaited “Hocus Pocus” sequel. Twenty-nine years after its initial release, the Sanderson sisters returned to the screen and this time, fans noticed that Mary's crooked smile had switched sides.
This is because Gilbert, the owner of the magic shop that used to be the original Sanderson cottage, tricks the girls into resurrecting the witches by selling them a real one. Back in 1993, Gilbert witnessed the three witches as a child and had wanted to meet them ever since.
Disney boss Sean Bailey confirmed that Hocus Pocus 3 was in the works in June 2023, following the long-awaited sequel being a hit on the streaming service. Hocus Pocus 2's director, Anne Fletcher, is returning for the new movie, according to TheWrap.
CNN reported that the Sanderson sisters are fictional characters. There were not three sisters named Winifred, Sarah and Mary who were executed for practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.
Why were none of the original actors in Hocus Pocus 2?
'Hocus Pocus' stars open up about why they aren't in sequel: 'It just didn't work' The Sanderson sisters were brought back to life in “Hocus Pocus 2,” but the children's franchise couldn't strike the right alchemy for some of its original cast members.
Binx doesn't return for the sequel because it doesn't make sense for his character to return after the first film's events, and it doesn't fit the Hocus Pocus 2 storyline. The nod to Binx with Cobweb is a nice one, but nothing more should be read into it.
Murray did not return to Hocus Pocus 2, nor was there any mention of Thackery or his little sister Emily, aside from some 1993 flashback footage of the Sanderson Sisters attacking Emily, featuring Emily's portrayer Amanda Shepherd.
Billy greatly despises Winifred, but he did have a relationship with her when he was alive because they shared one kiss. He put up with it until he is fed up with her obsession and fell in love with her youngest sister Sarah.
Arriving nearly 30 years after the original, Hocus Pocus 2 has a slightly better (but still Rotten) review score in Rotten Tomatoes. The original film received bad reviews and was a box office flop, but became a cult classic over the years thanks to numerous seasonal replays on the Disney Channel and home media.
To have all four of us back and looking almost exactly the same as we did almost 30 years ago. It looked like seconds had passed in 29 years because I was wearing a prosthetic. I'm exactly the same weight, exactly the same build as I was 29 years ago. So it looked freakishly the same.
It turns out Isabella is the descendant of Elizabeth, the daughter of a fourth, secret Sanderson sister, and she discovers later in the book that she also has magical abilities, similar to Becca in "Hocus Pocus 2."
The film was released in North America on July 16, 1993, by Walt Disney Pictures. Upon its original release, it received mixed reviews from critics and was initially a box-office bomb, possibly losing Disney around $16.5 million during its theatrical run.
Another black flame candle! It took 29 years for Hocus Pocus 2 to come to fruition — but Hocus Pocus 3 won't take nearly as long. In September 2022, Hocus Pocus stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprised their roles as iconic Sanderson sisters Winifred, Sarah and Mary, respectively.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly Kathy Najimy explained she switched the side of the smile to the left as it was getting too difficult to do it on the right side. She said: "It's on the other side mainly because it's so hard for me to do it on the side I did it on 30 years ago.
Because she is a witch, Becca gets her powers on the night of her sixteenth birthday. Examples of powers she was shown to possess were: Spell Casting: Being a witch herself, Becca can cast spells to produce specific magical effects, as shown when her hands glow blue.
It is a sequel to the 1993 film Hocus Pocus and the second installment in the Hocus Pocus franchise. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones reprising their roles, with Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, and Hannah Waddingham joining the cast in new roles.
Still, Najimy says they explain it in the film, anyway: "We can justify it because there's a scene at the beginning where Winnie slaps me, and my mouth goes to the other side, and then she slaps me again and it goes to the other side, and sticks."
Doug Jones in Hocus Pocus 2 (2022). Almost three decades after first portraying Billy in 1993's Hocus Pocus, Jones is proud to don the zombie makeup and (same!)
Hocus Pocus 2 is basically a boiling cauldron of nostalgia, but that's just enough for this belated sequel to cast a reasonably effective spell. Hocus Pocus 2 has its moments, but for fans who've waited years for a sequel to the original, this is mostly a disappointment.
