They are shrill, they seek the lives of innocent children and they sing: the Sanderson sisters, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, are nothing short of iconic. Because countless film fans consider the horror comedy ‘Hocus Pocus’, which revolves around the trio of witches, among their personal Halloween favorites – whether it is because they grew up with it, discovered the film through their children or because they were inspired by the cult . film.The hype was contagious.
In 2022, the ’90s Halloween cult got a sequel that started exclusively on Disney+. But now, just a year later, this exclusivity is being thrown into the ether. Because today, October 26, 2023, “Hocus pocus 2from 8:15 PM on Disney Channel. If you want to avoid commercial breaks, the musical witch comedy is still included in your Disney+ subscription.
If you would rather catch up on the original, refresh it or simply celebrate it again, that is of course also possible Disney+*.
“Hocus Pocus 2”: Enchanted again!
In Salem, the spooky legend surrounding the witch sisters Winnie (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah Sanderson (Sarah Jessica Parker) has evolved into a relaxed and fluffy family celebration. As a result, the dusty, eerie Sanderson Museum became a thriving magic shop. One of his regular customers is student Becca (Whitney Peak), who buys all kinds of accessories every year at Halloween to perform a witch ritual with her best friend Izzy (Belissa Escobedo).
Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) used to be part of this clique, but since experiencing a surge in popularity at school, she has distanced herself from Becca and Izzy. In return, the two young witch fangirls will have extremely dangerous company during their visit to the forest: Izzy and Becca have summoned the Sanderson sisters and they will use any means necessary to continue their supernatural activities…
The three well-known and popular witch actresses from the predecessor returned for ‘Hocus Pocus 2’. Behind the scenes, however, there is little continuity between the cult classic and its sequel. The most important personnel change probably concerns the director’s chair: The first “Hocus Pocus” was over Kenny Ortega staged, a specialist for unexpected Disney cult.
Ortega was also responsible for, among other things, the ‘High School Musical’ trilogy, which also developed into a long-lasting phenomenon whose fascination extended far beyond the age limits of the core target group. In addition to his work as a director, Ortega is also famous as a choreographer – including the iconic parade scene in ‘Ferris Makes You Blue’, the oft-copied dance moves in ‘Dirty Dancing’ and the famous routines in Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’. Responsible for music video.
Also Ortega’s ‘successor’ Anne Fletcher gained experience as a choreographerincluding James Cameron’s mega-hit ‘Titanic’. However, she combines her musical sensibilities in ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ in a much simpler way than Ortega did in the original.: While Ortega had his cast transform a creepy-funny story through rhythm into an ironic, teasing affair, the ‘Step Up’ director creates a family comedy without a false bottom, but with sometimes more, sometimes not at all motivated musical interludes.
According to Disney, curiosity about it was enormous, making ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ the most viewed film in the history of Disney+ in October 2022.. In the FILMSTARTS review, the film had to settle for a meager 1.5 stars, partly due to the loss of the twisted playfulness of the original, a dreary appearance and the much too tame humor.
If you’ve skipped the sequel so far, you can find out today without any financial outlay on the Disney Channel if you also consider the sequel part of Disney’s trend around “calculating copies of unpredictable originals.” Or that the Sanderson sisters will successfully fascinate you (again).