Disney revives the witch trio for another broomstick ride
Directed by: Anne Fletcher
Written by: David Kirschner & Blake Harris. Screenplay by Jen D’Angelo
Starring: Bette Milder, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy
Rated PG for action, macabre/suggestive humor, and some language
Release Date: September 30, 2022
Runtime: 1:43
This review may contain spoilers
Halloween – it’s that magical time of year when kids dress up as superheroes and adults dress up as drunk, sexed-up versions of cops and nurses. Neighbors can walk up to strangers’ houses and demand free candy, and it’s not strange. Horror fans sit down to watch horror films or a certain kids’ film about a witch trio hunting children to drain them of their souls to retain their youth. Because Disney.
And now the witches are back, wreaking havoc in Salem and threatening children once again.
Returning to Salem
29 years after the first film, Salem has turned the Sanderson sisters into the town’s urban legend. The witches’ home has been turned into a gift shop with costumes inspired by the witches’ wardrobes. The store’s “props” even turn out to be the real thing, like Winifred’s living book.
In the midst of Halloween, teenagers Becca and Izzy (Whitney Peak, HBO’s revival of GossipGirl and Belissa Escobedo, FX’s AmericanHorrorStories, respectively) perform a birthday ritual of pretending to do witch spells when they accidentally revive the Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, TheFirstWivesClub; Sarah Jessica Parker, HBO’s SexandtheCity; and Kathy Najimy, SisterAct, respectively). Winifred, joined by her sisters Sarah and Mary, is now determined to perform Magicae Maxima, a forbidden spell that will turn them all powerful and impossible to defeat. But not before some goofy Disney antics to have fun with including a big singing event to enchant the whole town.
Director Anne Fletcher has worked on a handful of comedies. Her range has gone from action comedies to romantic comedies, or rom-coms. Before directing, she was a choreographer since the ‘90s. This works with Hocus Pocus 2 since there’s a big dance number when the witches enchant the town with their singing.
Wasn’t always a fan
Yeah, I was not a Hocus Pocus fan growing up. I never was really interested in any of the live-action Disney films, especially from the ‘90s and ‘80s. But since it was on Disney Plus, I figured I’d give it another watch for the sequel. Maybe my taste changed since I last saw it, but it’s pretty fun. The actresses playing the witches were clearly having a lot of fun in their roles. It’s a comedy that won’t work for everyone, but it’s a good film to enjoy during the spooky season.
The Sanderson sisters
After almost 30 years, Midler, Parker, and Najimy are all back, and it’s like they never stopped playing sisters. The chemistry between them is fantastic, and despite the time, they act exactly the same from the first film. They’re easily the best part of the sequel, interacting with today’s technology, like flying away with Swiffers and Roomas instead of traditional brooms.
The sequel also built a strong bond with the sisters. This time, the film took a little time to establish the importance of their sisterhood and family. Yeah, I know, that sounds a little cheesy, but hey, it’s Disney. These people invented cheesy family moments. Anyways, this bond becomes important towards the end of the film.
Ugh, teenagers…
I say they’re easily the best part because the main teenage heroes are not really interesting characters. It’s a flaw that also affected the first film. Becca and Izzy are better than the kids in the first movie, but I tend to get a low tolerance for kid characters. Oh nooo, their bestie invited them to a party, but they refused to go because they want to hold grudges. Who gives a crap?
Doug Jones returns
Also back is Doug Jones as Disney zombie Billy Butcherson. Doug Jones is a seriously underrated actor known to play monsters and aliens. He also has played physical parts of characters with more famous actors voicing them, like Abe Sabien from Hellboy (although he did use his own voice in the sequel) and Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Butcherson was an unfortunate soul resurrected by Winifred to do her bidding in the last film. He returns… after apparently sleeping in his grave for 29 years.
The sisters’ past
Something that really makes the sequel stand out is the prequel flashback in the beginning. In the flashback, it shows the town rejecting the young sisters before meeting the Mother Witch, played by Hannah Waddington (Apple TV’s Ted Lasso). This witch, who can be seen in her transformed bird form throughout the film, is the one to teach the sisters witchcraft and introduces Winifred to the living spell book.
Witches be witches
I’ve brought up the whole concept of the witches feeding off innocent children several times in this review for a reason. It was mostly in a joking mood, but unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there that will take this way too seriously. While this is just a fun and goofy Disney movie, several Christian groups fear and warn of such content. Because reasons.
One such source is CBN News, and I’m not making this up, they claim that the film shows that ‘witchcraft is no longer evil’ even though the actual witches in the movie are evil. It even shows non-witches playing around with cursed items and witchcraft, and it ends up getting them into trouble with the real witches.
You know, it helps when you people actually see these movies before making these crazy accusations. I sat through it; you can, too!
This was pretty fun
Hocus Pocus 2 is as fun as the original, and dare I say, I think it’s even better than the first. The nostalgia hits strong and the Sanderson sisters are fun in every scene that they appear it. I was really interested in the flashback scene, and I wish more was included about the young girls becoming witches. But it’s Disney, so they’re probably already working on a prequel series or film as we speak.
Hocus Pocus 2 is streaming on Disney Plus.
