Twenty-nine years ago, the Sanderson sisters (the Sanderson sisters trio) made an impact on Disney audiences. Or at least they tried.
Kenny Ortega’s Hocus Pocus was initially not criticized or even commercial , but over the years, this funny and weird Halloween movie has gained a cult following. My sisters and I came to this movie years after it was released – a chance encounter while browsing the channel. We love its odd, unbalanced tone. From now on, watch Winnie the Pooh ( Betty Midler), Sarah ( Sarah Jessica Parker ) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) chasing toddlers through Salem, MA on Halloween night to be ours Tradition.
Hocus Pocus 2
Bottom line Respect the past, do not open up the future.
Release Date: September, Friday (Disney+)actor:
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimi, Sam Richardson, Doug Jones Director: Anne Fletcher
Screenwriter: Jen D’Angelo (screenplay writer), David Kirschner (story writer, character based on writer), Blake Harris (story writer) Author), Mick Garris (based on character created) Rated PG, 1 hour minute
Hocus Pocus 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the Disney original film, unknowingly honors its history ng quite how beyond it. The live-action comedy, directed by Anne Fletcher, bears the hallmarks of a struggle between embracing existing fans and attracting new ones. Recycled plot points, excursions in memory, and a wink of awareness to a wider audience all blend into the type of stylish CGI packaging typical of Disney products today. The result is a thin but satisfying entertainment.
Hocus Pocus 2 what’s most interesting (except its usefulness as a lesson you can’t bottle and resell nostalgia) It’s its star trio: Midler, Parker, and Najimi reprise their roles with the same dynamic quirk that Hocus Pocus loves . You could tell they had a great time.
The video begins with a flashback. Winifred Sanderson (Taylor Henderson) just full 16 If she is a witch, according to colonial patriarchy, should marry. Winnie didn’t know the first part and wasn’t happy with the second part. We see her storm the house where she lives with her sisters Sarah (Juju Journey Brener) and Mary (Nina’s Kitchen). There are bits and pieces of the trio’s grown-up personalities—Winnie’s domineering, Sarah’s docile, and Mary’s acerbic narration—that keeps this flashback from feeling completely perfunctory.
Sarah and Mary try to comfort Winnie – the town priest asked Winnie ( Tony Hale ) married someone other than her beloved Billy Butcherson (Austin J. Ryan) — with compliments and gifts. Before they could make any progress, they found themselves fleeing Pastor Trask and the entire town of Salem. The sisters end up in the depths of the forest, where an encounter with the witch reveals to them that they too are magical beings. The importance of the Sanderson sisters’ origin story becomes clearer later, but it’s hard not to squint at the film’s attempt to give the trio’s brutality a pseudo-feminist justification, as Cruella did it with its protagonist.
Fast forward to today, as we know from Hocus Pocus, the Sandersons haven’t seen each other in years . It’s Halloween again. The story of them being beaten by three children years ago has been added to A town legend. Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) struggle in their friendship because Cassie has a boyfriend (Froy Gutierrez). Becca plans to celebrate her 16 birthday party without Cassie, but she’s not careful Found out that Cassie was throwing something while throwing a Halloween party. The three magic-obsessed friends once enjoyed the tradition of casting spells and playing spells deep in the woods at their favorite spot. Not so much anymore.
After a tense time between the three, Becca and Izzy continue their respective plans. They visit a local magic shop run by Gilbert (Sam Richardson), a nerdy magician obsessed with the Sanderson sisters (for reasons I won’t spoil here). He personally tells Salem’s youngest residents their life stories. As a gift to Becca, Gilbert gave the child a magic candle – only he didn’t tell them. When Becca and Izzy light it up at their secret location under the full moon, they, like their predecessors in Hocus Pocus , resurrect the witch.
Sanderson’s admission – Earth split, moon darkened, lightning crackling, and of course singing and dancing – relaxing Hocus Pocus 2 quite big. The movie stepped into its status event. Winnie, Sarah and Mary are back and this time they want to live forever and be the most powerful witch in the world. The last wish is new; perhaps 30 years of dormancy, the familiar target of the movie villains— – Domination of the world becomes more attractive.
To distract the sisters from feeding on their souls, Becca and Izzy take them to Walgreens, where they promise youth in the form of retinol. In one of the funniest episodes of Hocus Pocus 2, the sisters swoosh down the skincare aisle, sipping anti-aging elixir and nibbling on face masks. They also met a group of fans asking for selfies, introducing the centuries-old witches to the power of Instagram filters.
Midler, Parker, and Najimi have a solid on-screen presence, and their chemistry has barely changed in the decades between films. Their scene is one of the most delightful in Hocus Pocus 2 – it feels like the moment when everyone in front of and behind the camera is under their enchanting spell. The sisters sneaked through Salem on Halloween night, using their trademark spiky tongues and snappy wit to taunt and joke about the weirdness of contemporary life. They still crave evil and despise children, but the film’s interest in softening them weakens their bite.
Outside of the Sanderson dynamic, Hocus Pocus 2 struggled more, though not for lack of effort. Gilbert and a grown-up Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones) have an endearingly goofy friendship that showcases the film’s original potential. But the teenage witch narrative that the film employs is hard to polish, especially since Hocus Pocus , there is no shortage of such stories, from Halloweentown to Sabrina (and reboot). It’s a struggle to drum up the same enthusiasm for Becca, Izzy, and Cassie’s sisterhood, because their friendship doesn’t have enough screen time for us to care. Even as these girls take center stage and take up more of the narrative, the Sanderson sisters remain the crown jewel.
whole Credits
Publisher: Disney+ Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures, David Kirschner Productions Cast: Betty Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimi, Sam Richardson, Doug Jones,
Hannah Wadingham, Mount Whitney, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham, Frojan Gutierrez, Tony Hale Director: Anne Fletcher
Screenwriters: Jen D’Angelo (screenplay writer), David Kirschner (story Author, character based on author), Blake Harris (story writer), Mick Garris (character based on author) Producer: Lynn Harris Executive Producers: Ralph Winter, David Kirschner, Adam Shankman
Photographer: Elliot Davis
Production Designer: Nelson Coates
Costume Designer: Salvador Pérez Jr. Editor: Julia Wong Composer: John Deb Ni Casting Director: Cathy Sandrich Gefond, Amanda Mackey Rated PG, 1 hour 30 minutes
THR Newsletter 30
Sign up for THR News daily directly in your inbox
