Hocus Pocus 2

Hocus Pocus 2 is a fantasy comedy and sequel to the 1993 original with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprising their roles as Winifred "Winnie", Sarah and Mary Sanderson, respectively. The film picks up 29 years after the original and follows two Salem high schoolers after they accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters on Halloween. With time running out, they must figure out how to stop the witches before they become too powerful to defeat.

I re-watched the 1993 original before watching this one, to be fully immersed and to be able to catch the call backs more easily. I’m glad I did that because the second film was full of nostalgia. While the sequel’s storytelling was just a re-hashing of the original movie, I actually have more to criticize about the original film and I do the new one. I felt like the '93 version was more superficial, and lacked the strong character development that was present in this movie.

Even though they lacked in originality of story, they did manage to keep the some of the comedic genius that made the first so enjoyable. The casting also greatly improved. Whereas the original cast had zero diversity, this cast was full of diverse characters. I also liked the theme around the importance of family and a deeper dive into the personalities of the Sanderson Sisters.

Overall this movie was a family friendly and fun film for Halloween. Even though Disney has not green lit another sequel, it appears that they set up this film one. I enjoyed Hocus Pocus 2 but I think would be unnecessary to do a third one.