The Sanderson sisters have returned! Approximately 30 years after the initial Hocus Pocus came out, Disney+ returns to Salem with a sequel. Originally, the first movie was deemed a box office failure, costing Disney around $16.5 million. Over the years, however, Hocus Pocus has become an adored cult classic with sales and streaming figures skyrocketing every October.
The concept of Hocus Pocus 2 is nearly identical to that of the first. Three adolescent girls unwittingly bring the Sanderson sisters back to Salem — three witches from the 17th century with a vendetta against the community that sentenced them to death. As the sisters galavant around modern-day Salem, cursing and beguiling its citizens in their single-minded aim for retribution, the girls must find a way to stop them.
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Hocus Pocus 2 is true to its predecessor’s theme
To be honest, the plot of Hocus Pocus 2 is unimportant to its quality. The arcs that the protagonists go through are basic family-friendly genre staples. Nonetheless, Whitney Peak’s Becca, Belissa Escobedo’s Izzy, and Lilia Buckingham’s Cassie stand out. They’re easy heroes to root for and humorous ones at that.
The appeal of Disney’s cult classic from 1993 has always been its wacky energy and the Sanderson sisters’ even wackier humor. It’s campy and certainly memorable. It’ll be a success as long as the inevitable sequel hits the same notes. And so does Hocus Pocus 2.
Hocus Pocus 2 works best as a “legacy sequel,” because if it came out five years after the original, it would be clichéd, and if a third installment came out within the next five years, it would be meaningless. The sequel both pays homage to and riffs on the original. Of course, there’s some intrinsic hilarity in the fish-out-of-water plot, but there’s also the added layer of this film’s release 29 years after the first.
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Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson have returned, and it’s wickedly fantastic. Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy return to their eccentric characters with ease, while Sarah Jessica Parker is as terrific as she has always been. The bond between the sisters is the same and nevertheless does not feel overdone or weary. Some moments are almost identical replicas of the original, but even then they’re still fun since the sisters are fascinating to watch.
Hocus Pocus 2 receives a low Rotten Tomatoes Rating
Rotten Tomatoes gives Hocus Pocus 2 a dismal 66% rating. This Disney+ exclusive ran the risk of being overly current in its comedy or seeming flat. Hocus Pocus 2, thankfully, manages to avoid both of these. Anne Fletcher’s direction manages to convey a spooky tone, and while the film is not as visually rich as its predecessor, it isn’t as near to lifelessness as many of its direct-to-streaming peers.
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This film was made for fans of the first Hocus Pocus. If you haven’t seen the first and are intrigued by the campy notion, the sequel will be a blast – but you should still watch the first. It’s a profitable legacy sequel to one of Disney’s most enduring cult classics. Hocus Pocus 2 isn’t extremely emotionally evocative in terms of plot, but it is still a lot of fun to watch. It’s about the trip, not the goal. Nothing will ever be able to capture the original’s electric charge, but this sequel does a fantastic job of reminding us why we adore it.
Hocus Pocus 2 will be streaming on Disney+ exclusively.
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