"There were some versions where she was popping in briefly as a cameo. We really tried so hard to make it work, and it was scheduling and the natural chaos of making a movie [that] just didn't work out.

Why didn't Max and Dani come back for 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.

Are any original characters in Hocus Pocus 2?

Additionally, three stand-in extras portrayed Max Dennison, Dani Dennison and Allison Watts, the three protagonists of the first film, originally portrayed by Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw, in a flashback sequence narrated by Gilbert to The Sanderson Sisters.

Did anyone make a cameo in Hocus Pocus 2?

Doug Jones also returns for the sequel as Billy Butcherson, a zombie resurrected by the witches who turns against them in the first movie. However, none of the child actors who played the protagonists Max (Omri Katz), Dani (Birch), and Allison (Vinessa Shaw), make an appearance in the sequel.

Why wasn't Thora Birch in Hocus Pocus 2?

And for whatever reason, it just didn't work," she continued. "Some of us were going to be on, some of us weren't. And then it just was such a roller coaster ride. Birch added: "What we like to say in the business: we had scheduling conflicts."

Hocus Pocus 2: Thora Birch Disappointed She Couldn’t Return for Sequel

Why was Hocus Pocus 2 so bad?

Hocus Pocus 2 is a lot of underdeveloped characters, teenage nonsense that is made famous in Zombies and Descendants. The emotional moments and real if character connections of the first one are sort of washed out and drowned by the overdramatized moments that do little for viewers like me.

Why Dani Dennison is not in Hocus Pocus 2?

Sadly, Thora Birch, who gave us some iconic lines like: "You're the ugliest thing that ever lived and you know it!", didn't reprise her role as Dani Dennison. Although the actress was asked to come back, she had to decline the offer due to scheduling conflicts.

Did Leonardo DiCaprio turn down Hocus Pocus?

Leonardo DiCaprio had the chance to play the lead role of Max Dennison in 1993 cult classic fantasy comedy movie Hocus Pocus, but ultimately turned it down.

Is Dani the witch in Hocus Pocus 2?

Dani Dressed As Mother Witch

Thora Birch may not have returned for the sequel, but a piece of the beloved Dani Dennison lived on in Hocus Pocus 2. On Halloween night in 1993, Dani dressed as a witch, a red and black costume with some fiery fur and covered in golden moons.

Which actors returned for Hocus Pocus 2?

Hocus Pocus 2 welcomes back Billy Butcherson, the book, Cobweb the cat, and of course Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy — though Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw won't return.

Will there be a hocus pocus 3?

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.

Is Emily Binx in Hocus Pocus 2?

Didn't Return: Thackery Binx (Sean Murray)

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.

How is binx in Hocus Pocus 2?

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.

Was Hocus Pocus 2 a flop?

'Hocus Pocus 2' proves this Hollywood flop is officially a Halloween cult classic. The original movie was terrible. However, the sequel is brilliant, and a reminder of why Disney has become the biggest success story in entertainment.

Where is Allison from Hocus Pocus now?

Vinessa Shaw (Allison)

She is married to Kristopher Gifford and the pair have one son. Shaw spoke with Entertainment Tonight in October 2021 about where she thought her Hocus Pocus character, Allison, and love interest Max would be now, hinting at their possible returns.

Was Allison in Hocus Pocus 2?

And while Allison didn't appear in the long-awaited 2022 sequel Hocus Pocus 2 alongside Midler, 77, Parker, 58, and Najimy, 66, she has voiced her desire to return as her character. "I haven't heard anything," Shaw, 47, told Entertainment Tonight in October 2021. "I know, it's so disappointing.

Is Billie in Hocus Pocus 2?

Billy returns in Hocus Pocus 2. After the Sanderson Sisters return, Gilbert is cursed with the task to collect the ingredients needed for a spell known as "Magicae Maxima", with one of them being the head of a lover.

How old was Thora Birch's Hocus Pocus?

At age 11, Birch appeared in the Halloween-set fantasy film Hocus Pocus (1993), playing Dani Dennison, the younger sister of a teenage boy who inadvertently resurrects a trio of witches.

Who is the pretty witch in Hocus Pocus?

Sarah Sanderson is one of the secondary antagonists of Disney's 1993 film Hocus Pocus and its 2022 sequel, alongside her sister Mary. She is the youngest and most beautiful but air-headed witch who lived during the time of the Salem Witch Trials, along with her two sisters: Winifred and Mary.

Why is Mary smiling backwards in Hocus Pocus 2?

Najimy said there's a simple explanation for the change. “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,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly.

What famous actor was originally offered the role of Max on Hocus Pocus?

Leonardo DiCaprio had the chance to play the lead role of Max Dennison in 1993 cult classic fantasy comedy movie Hocus Pocus, but ultimately turned it down.

Is Hilary Swank in Hocus Pocus?

By the way, it took me until the credits started rolling to realize that Allison was NOT being played by a young Hilary Swank. As it turns out, her not being played by Hilary Swank is the most interesting thing about Alison. Sorry, she doesn't get that much to do.

Do Max and Allison appear in Hocus Pocus 2?

While the Sanderson Sisters are at the heart of Hocus Pocus, the first movie also relied on central characters Max, Dani, and Allison. Unfortunately, the trio did not return in Hocus Pocus 2 after the sequel went in a different direction.

Which actress didn't come back for Hocus Pocus 2?

Though original Hocus Pocus actress Thora Birch didn't reprise her beloved role as Dani in Hocus Pocus 2, the sequel stars who took the reins from the 1993 film's OG roster of teens tell EW what might've happened if a grown-up version of her character appeared in director Anne Fletcher's film as first planned.

What happened to Max on Hocus Pocus?

During the final battle in the graveyard with the sisters, in order to free Dani from Winifred's clutches, he consumes the life potion, making himself liable to life absorption.