Hocus Pocus 2

The Sanderson sisters return, bringing the same spooky humor with some modern twists. ... From left, Kathy Najimy ...

In a slight retread of the first film’s plot, “Hocus Pocus 2” follows two present-day Salem teenagers, Becca and Izzy (Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo), who accidentally bring the witchy Sanderson sisters back to life while performing their yearly Halloween night ritual. Thankfully, with a cast rounded out by Doug Jones, Hannah Waddingham and Sam Richardson, the brew-haha’s aren’t solely concentrated in the three leads. [an initial negative reception](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/16/movies/review-film-bette-midler-queen-witch-in-heavy-makeup.html) when it was released in 1993, the Halloween-themed comedy starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker as a trio of campy witch sisters gained a fan base through seasonal VHS rentals and repeated airings on ABC and the Disney Channel.

'Hocus Pocus 2,' starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, will be on Disney+ starting September 30.

[Hocus Pocus 2](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fmovies%2Fhocus-pocus-2%2F4Q5cWHlnVCun) [ page](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fmovies%2Fhocus-pocus-2%2F4Q5cWHlnVCun) on Disney+'s official site or stream it directly on the [Disney+ app](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fdisney%2Fid1446075923). [$7.99 per month or $79.99 per year](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhelp.disneyplus.com%2F). [Adrianna Freedman](/author/245093/Adrianna-Freedman)Editorial Assistant In addition, you can opt into the Disney Bundle (which includes Hulu and ESPN+) for [$13.99 per month](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fwelcome%2Fdisney-hulu-espn-bundle). And while you're at it, you should make watching the new film into a movie marathon, with a screening of [Hocus Pocus](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fmovies%2Fhocus-pocus%2F2iCcYcGrx7qD) as well. [Hocus Pocus](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/a40116820/hocus-pocus-quotes/) debuted in theaters, fans have made the Halloween movie into a classic. There are multiple ways you can watch and stream Hocus Pocus 2. Here's what you need to know about watching Hocus Pocus 2 online: Hocus Pocus 2 will exclusively stream on Disney+. Now, it's up to a new set of teens to make sure they don't cause chaos again, all before dawn on All Hallow's Eve. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan, as they accidentally resurrect the Black Flame Candle and bring the Sanderson sisters back. Now, Disney is revealing what the trio of evil witches have been up to in [Hocus Pocus 2](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a38135298/hocus-pocus-2-sequel-trailer-cast-release-date-news/), premiering on September 30.

When it was first released in 1993, the Halloween tale about three witchy sisters—played with panache by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker— ...

Though it doesn’t steer close to the campy magic of the original, that’s as good a reason as any to return to Salem. It’s probably the only way to tell the story in the modern age, though it may come as a disappointment to hardcore Hocus Pocus fans who miss the crass flavor of the original. If Hocus Pocus was a kid movie aimed at adults, Hocus Pocus 2 is a teen movie aimed squarely at tweens. Once they’re back, the sisters run amok, resuming their evil mission of stealing kid souls to stay youthful and alive forever. Directed by Anne Fletcher, the film brings us back to modern-day Salem, where the Sanderson sisters have gone from being a local legend to becoming a major commercial part of the town’s tapestry. When it was first released in 1993, the Halloween tale about three witchy sisters—played with panache by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker—stomping around modern-day Salem and trying to steal the souls of children was a critical and commercial misfire.

Bette Midler returns with her child-killing sisters in a disappointingly flat follow-up that tries too hard to soften the villains.

So in Hocus Pocus 2, Hocus Pocus exists which begs too many questions to even begin trying to answer (I tried, got a migraine and promptly gave up). The dialogue is leaden with exposition, there are weird, indulgent musical sequences (that perhaps serve as a tease of the It’s a contemporary touch done with a heavy hand and is most discordant in the sugary finale as the tone swerves to moist-eyed emotion and the power of sisterhood, taking us so very far away from where we came from. [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://www.theguardian.com/film/sarah-jessica-parker) and Kathy Najimy) last showed up in Salem (why they didn’t wait for it to be a clean 30 is a mystery) and since then their legend has become commercialised and, for some, rewritten. It’s as tied to the day as bobbing for apples and being scared of teenagers, the kind of lived-in practice that happens without thinking about it, leading to huge, unquestioning pockets of affection, less for what it contains and more for what it represents. At times it feels more like an extended, if joke-free, SNL skit than a real movie, giving us the iconography we want but without any of the soul, propulsion or bare necessity we need to go with it, something that exists because it could rather than should.

We speak to an Oscar winner and a grime star this week, in the latest Backstage - the TV and film podcast from Sky News.

[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Claire Gregory is joined as usual by Stevie Wong, alongside Sky News' arts and entertainment reporter Chris Robertson, as they look at the latest news and reviews in the world of film and TV. We speak to an Oscar winner and a grime star this week, in the latest Backstage - the TV and film podcast from Sky News.

Andrew Scott and Bella Ramsey star in Lena Dunham's bracing look at life in medieval England, while the 90s cult classic gets the original Sanderson Sisters ...

[atmospheric drama](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/16/waves-review-drama-trey-edward-shults-peter-bradshaw). [2013 film](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/05/aint-them-bodies-saints-review), a delicate, Malick-esque love story. [sprightly comedy](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/13/catherine-called-birdy-review-lena-dunhams-delightful-medieval-romp) by Lena Dunham focuses on Birdy (Bella Ramsey) as she narrates her life as a 14-year-old aristocrat in medieval England. The work was done by the staff of Gazeta Sporturilor, which is known mainly as a sports paper, and though there are many depressing aspects to the film’s revelations, it does proves the vital role independent journalism can play in an open society. The serious nature of their situation is balanced by the giddy newness of adventure; their offence gaining iconic status in the Black communities they pass through and are welcomed by. Bridges is as magnetic as ever as the lawman on the verge of retirement, but Pine and Foster also impress as the errant siblings.

The new sequel launches on Disney Plus almost 30 years after the original – here's who stars alongside Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker.

What else has Froy Gutierrez been in? What else has Sam Richardson been in? What else has Belissa Escobedo been in? Who is Gilbert? Who is Mother Witch? What else has Sarah Jessica Parker been in? Who is Jefry? What else has Whitney Peak been in? Who is Cassie? Who is Billy? Who is Sarah? The oldest of the three Sanderson Sisters, Winnie's signature magical ability is electrokinesis, but she has extensive knowledge of dark magic thanks to her prized sentient spell book.

Hocus Pocus 2 brings the Sanderson sisters back for more Halloween hijinks and manages to channel the fun of the original film nearly 30 years later.

Those who consider Hocus Pocus a Halloween staple are likely to find themselves embracing this new, two-film saga with the Sandersons going forward, as the trio’s return gives audiences even more of a good thing. Hocus Pocus 2 also does a fine job of avoiding the pitfalls some sequels encounter when attempting to add a new chapter to a film released several decades earlier. Much like the original film, the teenagers might be the story’s heroes, but the Sanderson sisters are the real stars of Hocus Pocus 2. Gossip Girl actress Whitney Peak portrays Becca, who accidentally resurrects the Sanderson sisters in the film, and carries her role in the family-friendly adventure well, with just the sort of earnestness that Disney films of this sort demand. Hocus Pocus 2 conjures up original cast members Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson, respectively, the trio of witches who were accidentally resurrected in the 1993 film and terrorized the town of Salem before being defeated by a group of precocious teenagers and a magical black cat. And because this is a time when everything old is eventually new again — particularly if it’s gained the sort of post-release popularity Hocus Pocus has enjoyed — Disney has decided to

The original film follows a trio of kids who work together to defeat the wickedly funny Sanderson sisters (played by Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah ...

In that respect, “Hocus Pocus 2” remains quite the same. While the sequel sweeps the issue a little more under the rug, the birds and the bees conversation still haunts Salem, and even pokes fun at the uncomfortable “what’s a virgin?” conversation many families were forced into after the first movie. We get a shortened version performed by the Mother Witch (played by “Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddingham). The new generation of Salem youths are a group of teen girls: Becca (Whitney Peak), Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo). [I Put a Spell on You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCTbr3vjb6I),” as performed by Midler, Najimy and Parker. To achieve their immortality in the original “Hocus Pocus,” the Sanderson sisters require a virgin to light a candle. Though it didn’t do particularly well in theaters or with home sales, it found a second life on television: When Disney started to air the film on its own channel, and later on ABC Family, “a generation of millennials … In the not-too-distant future look for ‘Hocus Pocus’ in the rental-store bins, or as part of a Halloween ‘Trick or Treat’ package.” You’re going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You’re not going to be satisfied, you’re going to be angry,” she explained. The original film follows a trio of kids who work together to defeat the wickedly funny Sanderson sisters (played by Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker) after accidentally bringing them back from the dead. The only thing millennials have been waiting longer for than affordable housing is a “Hocus Pocus” sequel.

The Sanderson sisters of Salem have returned to trouble a new generation in Hocus Pocus 2, the decades-later sequel to the 1993 Halloween classic streaming ...

And now, Disney+ is all set for the release of Hocus Pocus 2 today. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). Also, in the original movie, Dough Jones plays Billy Butcherson, Winifred’s unfaithful lover. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein. Hocus Pocus 2 is the sequel to the original movie and features the original cast to play the three witches. The original Hocus Pocus movie was released on July 16, 1993.

The long-awaited sequel features the three Sanderson witches we've come to know and love, with the movie starring the same iconic actors from the original such ...

Here are the details on how to watch and where you can see Hocus Pocus 2 . At the moment, there is no free trial for the streaming service, so you will need to sign up if you’re not already a member. How to watch Hocus Pocus 2: where to watch the sequel

Surprisingly for a sequel based on a mediocre film, Hocus Pocus 2 is actually pretty fun.

With a lively, witty script by Jen D’Angelo, “Hocus Pocus 2” finds the Sanderson sisters Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker) and Mary (Najimy) unleashed on their present day town once more. Peak, who played Idris Elba’s daughter in “Molly’s Game,” is a standout. Midler, Parker and Najimy are all once again game to ham it up for the audience (and sometimes no one but themselves) with spells, songs and dances. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that “ This is not a testament to my taste at the time, when I thought “Grease 2” was one of the best movies ever, but more so indicative of the undeniable averageness of “Hocus Pocus.” I don’t think it was just me, either. Plus, there is the intro-to-camp factor of Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy as singing sisters bent on eating children to preserve their youth.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy return as the witchy Sanderson sisters in Disney sequel 'Hocus Pocus 2.'

And after their 1993 rendition of “I Put a Spell on You,” of course the witches are obliged to revive their Vegas-style lounge act here, this time while crashing (what else?) a Sanderson Sisters-themed costume contest — a self-congratulatory wink at how popular the “Hocus Pocus” phenomenon has become. That lengthy gestation speaks to the long, weird shelf life of the first “Hocus Pocus,” received as a campy misfire but reclaimed, over the decades, as a Halloween staple and (oc)cult classic. They’re particularly funny in one sequence in which Becca and her friend, Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), try to distract the witches from their pedicidal rampage by taking them shopping at Walgreens, where they’re duly wowed by the advanced sorcery of beauty products and automatic sliding doors. That’s what happens again in “Hocus Pocus 2,” this time by way of a rather smarter teenager, Becca (Whitney Peak), and a very dumb Salem historian, Gilbert (Sam Richardson), plus some tortuous story logic that brings the evil sisters whooshing back to life. Flash forward to the present day, which happens to be exactly 29 years after the events of the first “Hocus Pocus,” when a virginal high schooler ill-advisedly resurrected the Sanderson Sisters for one Halloween night of literally soul-sucking mayhem. [“Hocus Pocus”](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-16-ca-13536-story.html) (1993), which, like “Avatar,” has now spawned a long-awaited follow-up.

'Hocus Pocus 2,' streaming on Disney+, brings back Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters.

[was happening](https://collider.com/hocus-pocus-2-disney-plus-writer-jen-dangelo/), and Jen D’Angelo would be writing the script. Hocus Pocus 2 serves as both a prequel and a sequel, opening in 1653 Salem on the origin story of the Sanderson sisters. But somehow, the same Hocus Pocus magic works: the movie leans into larger than life qualities while still maintaining the spirit of a Halloween classic. [Where All The Strongest Hurricanes Have Hit the U.S. About six years later, rumors began to swirl of a potential sequel in the works, though nothing came to fruition immediately. Eventually, Disney+ took over the film. Slowly but surely, Hocus Pocus became a seasonal staple, especially for those nostalgic millennials who caught it on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween. In 1984, Kirschner pitched the idea to Walt Disney Studios, pouring candy corn on the table, hanging broomsticks from the ceiling, and putting up hand-drawn pictures of black cats. Since 2011, the movie has made “It changes tone as casually as the actors don their masquerade costumes, and has no scruples about breaking its own mood altogether.” The plot itself arose from a bedtime story that Kirschner told his two young daughters in the 1980s. Their sights are set, conveniently, on Max’s younger sister, Dani Dennison (Thora Birch).

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein and Claudia Puig review this weekend's new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.

It stars Viola Davis and is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood of ‘Love & Basketball,’ ‘The Secret Life of Bees,’ and ‘The Old Guard.’ In addition to strong reviews and word-of-mouth, ‘The Woman King’ has done quite well at the box office. [“](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9731598/) [Bros](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9731598/) [,”](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9731598/)Wide Release - “ The new film, ‘The Woman King’ is a rarity in Hollywood with a Black female studio head, a Black female director, and an overwhelmingly Black cast.

After the 'alchemy' of 'I Put a Spell on You,' Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker cover a Blondie hit in the Disney+ sequel.

Walk to the left!’” “He and I went to town on any song under the sun that had the word witch, moon, cat, evil, you name it. “Will it take another 30 years?” he asks with a laugh. “There’s a part that’s not in the movie where Bette and I totally went insane: ‘We’re gonna slay ya/ then probably fillet ya/ it might upset ya/ but we’ll getcha.’ We worked really hard on it, and even when I think it’s good, there will always be that phone call at night from Bette saying, ‘We gotta fix this part.’ She’s endlessly striving for perfection.” “We had to work quickly, and since Bette is a consummate live performer, you don’t need to do more than a few takes with her and Kathy and Sarah, and you’ve got it in the bag,” says Ortega. Though critics panned the movie and the audio still has yet to be released, the sequence has developed a cultlike popularity over the last three decades as the film has become a Halloween-season staple. And that began with Bette: She had a great sense of humor about the work and her character that she would often crack herself up. She just couldn’t believe some of the places that Winifred Sanderson enabled her to go, and I just had to tell her, ‘Keep going!’” “At the time, I just couldn’t imagine getting all the way through this movie without taking advantage of her musical talent.” The original “Hocus Pocus” sees Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as sibling witches desperate to extract children’s souls in order to maintain their own youth. Composer Marc Shaiman, who regularly collaborated with Midler on her musical performances onscreen and onstage, rearranged the track into a family-friendly showstopper that highlighted her soaring vocals and animated acting choices. [“Hocus Pocus 2,”](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-09-30/hocus-pocus-2-review-bette-midler-disney) Bette Midler shouts off a set of direct commands.

So of course Disney made a sequel. Hocus Pocus 2, which started streaming on Disney+ yesterday, revives the reviled Sanderson sisters—Winifred, Mary, and Sarah ...

Despite how much they want to eat children, they exude a defiance and obstinacy that can resonate with young audiences also caught in the turmoil of having to grow up. It also reminded me of what I enjoyed most about Hocus Pocus as a kid, even when I caught scenes in snippets: the leads’ commitment to making the Sanderson sisters not just odd, but naively so. Not much about Hocus Pocus is realistic, except the trio’s anxiety about stepping into a world they don’t know how to navigate. It strips the plot to its bare bones, largely ignoring the events that came before in favor of sequences that allow the actors to chew as much scenery as possible. Hocus Pocus 2 understands that Hocus Pocus has a lot that doesn’t work, including an overstuffed plot, hokey dialogue, and chintzy effects. The plot, about a coven of witches who seek to eat children, involves a talking cat, a boy who despises trick-or-treating, and far too many mentions of virgins lighting candles.

A Disney+ sequel to the classic Halloween movie is magical. Plus, check out a new Marilyn Monroe biopic, "Blonde," a new stand-up comedy special from ...

Wouldn’t you be tempted to [light the Black Flame Candle to hear Midler belt out a show tune](https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/28/entertainment/hocus-pocus-2-disney/index.html), though? But it was also not fair to me.” I liked that the lyrics could be coming from two points of view, even if they were mostly written for one person to sing.” What did you like about today’s newsletter? What did we miss? I understand that probably he didn’t want a cohost, but the network wanted me to be the cohost and I didn’t think I should pass up that opportunity. [Ripa’s tension with her “Live with Kelly and Michael” cohost Michael Strahan](https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/30/entertainment/michael-strahan-kelly-ripa-interview/index.html), who famously left the show in 2016 amid Ripa’s complaints that she was the last to know of his decision. I don’t think it was fair to him. “These songs feel like my Great American Songbook, because of the songwriting and the impact that they had on me,” Wilson said in a statement. [ how tough things were at times with her former “Live with Regis and Kelly” cohost Regis Philbin](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/27/entertainment/kelly-ripa-regis-philbin/index.html). Speaking of Halloween: Almost 30 years after Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker blessed us – or should it be cursed us? [she rapped Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray”](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/22/entertainment/rita-wilson-rapping-coronavirus-trnd/index.html) in the early days of the pandemic.