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Hocus Pocus 2 Reviews

Dinsey's long-awaited Hocus Pocus 2 has arrived, but in a strange turn of events, it's derailed by its fixation on the Sanderson Sisters.

Full Review | Jan 9, 2023

Hocus Pocus 2 is brimming with hijinks, fun music numbers, and laughs. Unfortunately, the plot is the weakest link in this film.

Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Jan 4, 2023

If you enjoyed the cheesiness & shenanigans of the Sanderson sisters you'll appreciate this one as well. A lot of easter eggs and similar moments that will surprise you. But in terms of adding to the story or adding stacks that is non-existent here

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 27, 2022

This sequel has a strong screenplay, coherent dramatic progression, strong characters, and surprising twists, but it's missing the spark that made its predecessor legendary. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 5, 2022

It will most likely please kids looking for some spooky vibes as the Halloween season arrives (and I would say this one is a bit less scary for young ones than the first might have been) which is probably what Disney was hoping for.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 30, 2022

Despite its marginal issues, the film is a great watch for fans of the original or a whole new generation ready to be bewitched by the Sanderson sisters.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 3, 2022

Hocus Pocus 2 is like pulling out that year-old candy from last Halloween and being mildly surprised it doesn’t taste that bad.

Full Review | Oct 29, 2022

Double, double toil and trouble/ Fire burn and cauldron bubble./ Hocus Pocus' sequel stumbles/ in a plot that often crumbles./ While not awful, tis a struggle.

Full Review | Oct 27, 2022

There’s life in the old Mouse yet. Because the Sanderson Sisters — and their sequel — are, quite simply, wicked.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 23, 2022

Hocus Pocus 2 isn’t here to convert anyone. If the first movie isn’t on your radar, then it’s unlikely this will be either. However, for the many who made it a spooky season classic, it’s a delicious work of fan service that will cast a spell on you.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 18, 2022

There's lots of mayhem, silliness, and wonderful comic bits.

Full Review | Oct 14, 2022

Of course, it’s campy and fun. But despite lines about eating children, or teenagers, to achieve immortality, these witches are completely defanged.

A delightfully breezy sequel that knows the Sanderson sisters are the main draw and rightfully gives them the spotlight, even though this results in pretty slight characterizations for its teen protagonists

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 13, 2022

While the witches do manage to put a spell on us, their bewitching skills have taken a serious hit courtesy of a plot that doesn’t even try to find its footing.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 12, 2022

Way better than any 29-years-later sequel has any right to be, Hocus Pocus 2 is a delightful, if slight, time.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 11, 2022

The sequel has plenty of Easter eggs and nods to the original, but there's definitely some magic missing.

Full Review | Oct 11, 2022

Hocus Pocus 2 is just as fun as its predecessor.

Overall, the film remains true to its source—juvenile but fun.

Full Review | Oct 10, 2022

As soon as the trio turn up, Hocus Pocus 2 immediately becomes compelling and enjoyable.

Full Review | Oct 7, 2022

In shedding the original's director, peppering the Salem scenery with CGI that looks garish instead of kitschy, and reuniting the oft-impersonated witch trio nearly 30 years later, something was bound to get lost. You can't brew the same potion twice.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.8/10 | Oct 7, 2022

Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy in Hocus Pocus 2

Hocus Pocus 2 review – belated Halloween sequel is far from bewitching

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

F or certain millennials of a certain age (myself, perhaps , included), there’s something fittingly ritualistic about the consumption of 1993 witchcraft comedy Hocus Pocus, a film set, and set to be watched, on Halloween . 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. In situations like this, when nostalgia can overwhelm objectivity, the prospect of adding to the story is inherently fraught, any excitement over the new tempered by adulation for the old.

So like many fan favourite follow-ups, Hocus Pocus 2 is stuck, trapped somewhere between different times, audiences and tones, trying to do so much yet, in this instance, achieving so very little. It’s structurally more akin to a remake, one that aims to appease older diehards while being accessible to newcomers, a not impossible task (recent rehauls of Chip n Dale and Scream managed to do this well enough) but one it struggles with throughout, broomstick barely hovering off the ground. 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.

As Sam Richardson’s local historian/gift shop owner awkwardly reminds us, it’s been 29 years since the Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, 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. In a clumsy, and at points heinously acted, cold open, we travel back to when the three sisters were children and expelled by the locals for being too unconventional, bucking the male-dominated culture of the time by refusing marriage and finding solace in the woods and the witch (a spirited Hannah Waddingham) who teaches them how to be independent. So while the first film began with the three witches sucking the life out of a small child, this one sets them up as radical girlbosses (they are later referred to as “ahead of their time” and “misunderstood”), a strangely miscalculated softening (notably not a single child is murdered this time around).

The Sanderson sisters were never as sadistic as, say, Roald Dahl’s witches but they were clearcut villains, nourished and re-energised by inhaling the lifeforce of children but in 27 Dresses director Anne Fletcher’s conflicted sequel, they’ve been sanded down to dust. There are, of course, interesting narratives about Salem’s historically lethal patriarchy and how witchcraft can be a liberating force for women but I’d argue that a Hocus Pocus sequel might not be the best place to explore them. 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. It reminded me of the de-fanged Mean Girls musical on Broadway as vicious bully Regina George is turned into a feminist badass (“Never apologize for being a boss!” she says in one limp humanising scene). Even the jock bully here is just a dumb dope. Is it bad to want baddies to still be … bad?

Again, the witches are pitted against the younger generation, this time embodied by friends played by Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo (both strong if never young Thora Birch strong), and again, there’s a frantic mission to stop an evil plan but it’s all just a thin trace of the original with the stakes less defined and the dynamic between the teens less involving. The dialogue is leaden with exposition, there are weird, indulgent musical sequences (that perhaps serve as a tease of the inevitable Broadway musical in the works, an admittedly intriguing prospect) and there’s a Walgreens sequence that’s so aggressively branded it feels like we’re watching a Super Bowl ad. The makers also seem confused about the rules of the world we’re spending time in with one snippet showing characters watching the original on TV. 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).

Naturally, the returning trio are all as game as ever, committing to the bit despite dialogue from screenwriter Jen D’Angelo that lacks the fizz they deserve. The shift from murderous menace to mild mischief also gives them less to sink their teeth into and the culture clash comedy of the first is inevitably less pronounced with less of a gap in time and the only real attempt to comment on this revolving around a pair of helpful Roombas (from Walgreens!), which is somehow even less funny that it sounds.

This coming Halloween, it’s likely that many families will be watching Hocus Pocus 2 together, excited by the prospect of a tradition shift. Next Halloween, I doubt they’ll be watching it again.

Hocus Pocus 2 is now available on Disney+

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What critics are saying about ‘Hocus Pocus 2’

The reviews (both good and bad) of the spooky salem-set sequel now streaming on disney+..

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the Sanderson sisters in "Hocus Pocus 2."

By Kevin Slane

‘Hocus Pocus 2’ review: A worthy followup to a Halloween classic

Almost 30 years after the release of 1993’s Salem-set spookfest “Hocus Pocus,” Disney has released its sequel, “Hocus Pocus 2,” on Disney+, reuniting the Sanderson sisters just in time for the unofficial start of Halloween season .

This time around, two best friends named Becca and Izzy (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo) celebrate Becca’s 16th birthday in Salem’s Forbidden Woods, where they are unwittingly tricked into lighting the Black Flame Candle that summons the Winnifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, respectively) once more. Winnifred’s objectives are twofold: Enact revenge on the Mayor of Salem, and achieve immortality through the use of ancient and complex dark magic.

Early critical response to the film has been generally — though not overwhelmingly — positive, with review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes awarding “Hocus Pocus 2” a 64 percent freshness rating at the time of this article’s publication.

Boston.com’s review of “Hocus Pocus 2″ called the film an “entertaining, lively experience that captures the campy fun of the original.” But in order to allow readers to sample a range of critical responses and make a decision on their own, we’ve also rounded up what critics are saying — good, bad, and everything in between — about “Hocus Pocus 2.”

Boston.com’s review of “Hocus Pocus 2” gave the film three stars out of four, praising the peformances of Midler, Najimy, and Parker.

“Hocus Pocus 2” director Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal”) clearly understands that Midler, Najimy, and Parker are the main attraction, waiting less than 30 minutes to bring the trio back from the dead. Though it’s been nearly 30 years, all three bring the same verve to their performances, gamely swooning and shrieking around the screen, and leaning into the film’s “Three Stooges”-style slapstick with aplomb.

Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com wrote that “Hocus Pocus 2” would “make fans of all generations happy.”

The challenge for the sequel to a beloved film is maintaining enough of the original to make the fans happy without being too repetitive or confusing newcomers, and “Hocus Pocus 2” gets that just right. The highlights of the first film are celebrated (there’s a delightful musical number) and there are some very funny moments, including a Sanderson sisters costume competition.

Claire Shaffer of The New York Times wrote that “Hocus Pocus 2” captured “the same hokey magic of the original while creatively updating its humor.”

Anne Fletcher (“Step Up,” “The Proposal”) directs this sequel, but follows the same goofy comedic approach of the Kenny Ortega-directed first film — namely, how the sisters react to modern inventions like robot vacuums, Amazon’s Alexa and Walgreens. Even a few meta-jokes nod to the Sanderson sisters’ popularity in the world of drag. 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.

The AP’s Lindsey Bahr admitted to not enjoying the 1993 original, and was thus surprised that she found “Hocus Pocus 2” to be “actually pretty fun.”

Directed by Anne Fletcher, “Hocus Pocus 2” goes down easy — though by the time the entire town breaks out into a dance to “One Way or Another,” you may be ready for the film to get where it’s going. Still, it’s a fun enough ride for a fall night.

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune called “Hocus Pocus 2” twice as good as the original — but clarified that he didn’t like the original.

What’s halfway between trick and treat? That’s “Hocus Pocus 2.” It manages to tell its story straight, so that’s a huge improvement over the first one. There are some laughs, and director Anne Fletcher — like Kenny Ortega, who did the first one, she’s dance-trained and a veteran choreographer — manages a far smoother amalgam of effects, mood swings, mugging, headless-zombie comic relief and heartstring-yanking that miraculously almost kind of partly works. All in all, it’s twice as good as “Hocus Pocus.” It’s easier to write that if you didn’t like “Hocus Pocus.”

Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post , yet another critic who didn’t care for 1993’s “Hocus Pocus,” didn’t care for “Hocus Pocus 2” either, calling the sequel “shtick upon shtick.”

The truth about the original “Hocus Pocus” is harder to swallow than a witch’s brew containing “a bit of thine own tongue”: It’s a very bad movie. Well, take another gulp. The new sequel, “Hocus Pocus 2,” out on Disney+ 29 years later, is much, much worse.

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian wrote that “Hocus Pocus 2” functioned more like “an extended, if joke-free, SNL skit than a real movie.”

Hocus Pocus 2 is stuck, trapped somewhere between different times, audiences and tones, trying to do so much yet, in this instance, achieving so very little. It’s structurally more akin to a remake, one that aims to appease older diehards while being accessible to newcomers, a not impossible task (recent rehauls of Chip n Dale and Scream managed to do this well enough) but one it struggles with throughout, broomstick barely hovering off the ground..

Amanda Whiting of The Independent found the performances by Midler, Najimy, and Parker to be lacking compared to their work in the original.

The central trio of Midler, Parker, and Najimy fail to recapture the gleeful chaos of the first outing. Parker’s less embarrassingly coquettish; Najimy’s less drippingly inane. Never is OG Hocus Pocus director Kenny Ortega’s absence more felt than in the film’s big musical number, which doesn’t hold a (black flame) candle to Midler’s vampy rendition of “I Put a Spell On You” from last time around.

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‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Reviews: Critics Love the Sanderson Sister Reunion, But Not So Much the Story

The sequel has critics split between welcome nostalgia and ”saccharine sweetness“

Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson, and Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson in Disney's live-action HOCUS POCUS 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Matt Kennedy. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jump back! The Sanderson Sisters return once more this week with the arrival of “Hocus Pocus 2.” And among critics, the sequel is faring better than its predecessor originally did — but only just.

For the most part, reviews seem to be split between enjoying the nostalgia of “Hocus Pocus 2,” and wanting it to build more upon the original. Where The Hollywood Reporter’s Lovia Gyarkye argues that the sequel “honors its history without knowing quite how to move beyond it,” and IndieWire’s Jude Dry says it “hews closely to the original, perhaps a little too much,” others disagree.

The AV Club’s Phil Pirrello wrote that “Using ‘Hocus Pocus’ more like a modular foundation than sacrosanct canon, director Anne Fletcher (Netflix’s “Dumplin’”) and screenwriter Jen D’Angelo find an inventive way of expanding upon the OG movie by reaching into the main characters’ past and softening the trio of witches’ more sinister edges as they once again wreak their unique, PG-brand of havoc on the town of Salem.”

IGN’s Amelia Emberwing noted that it’s odd the movie doesn’t film in Salem, but nonetheless, “It’s wonderfully nostalgic that ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ feels like the Disney Channel Original Movies of yore.”

How ‘Hocus Pocus’ Went From Box Office Bomb to Disney’s Halloween Darling

Really, critics are just happy to see Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker back together again as the beloved witchy trio. “It’s the witches’ world; everything else is just scenery to get these three back on broomsticks together,” IndieWire writes.

And most critics agree that “Hocus Pocus 2” will fill the void for those who came up on the original.

CNET’s Richard Trenholm wrote that “The first Hocus Pocus was a cackling cauldron of camp chaos, and that’s where the sequel excels: The three original stars zap back into their roles as if they’ve been conjured straight from the original (seriously, watch both movies back to back). They seem to be having a rollicking old time, hilariously stalking through the frame as one and firing off zingers with relish.”

THR adds that “The Sanderson sisters remain the crown jewels.” Beyond the sisters though, the story doesn’t seem to be holding much water for critics.

There are those who found the smoother edges tough to stomach, however. USA Today’s Brian Truitt says, “While in the first film they were goofy women with a penchant for out-of-nowhere musical showstoppers, the sisters actually felt dangerous, since they were straight up murdering children for youthful makeovers. In the sequel, the Sandersons are mere filler, rather than killer, in their attempt to be all powerful, more inept than ever and, in Mary’s case, riding Roombas.”

As IndieWire sums up, “The script adds a saccharine sweetness along with its teen feminist morality play, as if it’s far too aware of sending a message. Some things, it seems, are better left buried.”

You Can Stay in a Haunted ‘Hocus Pocus’-Inspired Cottage From Airbnb… If You Dare

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Hocus Pocus 2 Reviews Are In, See What Critics Are Saying About The Sanderson Sisters’ Return

The witches are back!

The Sanderson Sisters are back, and just in time for Halloween, albeit 29 years after the original movie became an annual fall tradition. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker have reprised their roles , and are joined by some pretty great new cast additions , including Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak and more. Anticipation is through the roof ahead of its September 30th release to those with a Disney+ subscription , and the reviews are in to give us a sense of what to expect and see how the sequel ties into the first movie .

First reactions to the Hocus Pocus sequel were overwhelmingly positive, as it seems Winnie, Mary and Sarah Sanderson are summoned back to Salem by three high school students via black flame candle. The witches are hungry for revenge and, presumably, children. So let’s see what the critics are saying, starting with the CinemaBlend review of Hocus Pocus 2 . Our own Mike Reyes rates the film 3.5 stars out of 5, saying it doesn’t miss a beat bringing back the magic. While this movie isn’t as dark as the original, it’s just as funny, he says:

Digging into the origins of the Sandersons and their relationship with magic is only part of how Hocus Pocus 2 finds a comfortable middle ground between the past and the present. Through the inclusion of easter eggs, callbacks, and backstory that acknowledge the first adventure, the film obviously holds its older sibling close to its heart. In the same breath, it's a new spell that is being cast almost 30 years later.

Jude Dry of IndieWire grades the film a B-, saying the sequel is satisfying enough for those who rewatch the original Hocus Pocus each fall. The plot and the jokes are basically the same as the first time around, but you really can’t go wrong with the caliber of talent the three stars bring to the screen. The critic says:

But it’s the witches’ world; everything else is just scenery to get these three back on broomsticks together. Unfortunately, their mean streaks seem to have softened over the years, and the movie relies on a manufactured sisterly bond to wrap things up. The script adds a saccharine sweetness along with its teen feminist morality play, as if it’s far too aware of sending a message. Some things, it seems, are better left buried.

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting rates the sequel 3.5 skulls out of 5, also noting that the Sanderson Sisters aren’t quite as menacing this time around, but they still have that magical touch, and the trio of professionals slip back into these iconic roles easily. More from the review:

Director Anne Fletcher, working from a screenplay by Jen D’Angelo, marries nostalgia with a modern story for a new generation. The sequel offers the familiar elements that made the original memorable while adding a few new layers to the Sandersons’ history. Iconic lines, song spells cast over unsuspecting Halloween partygoers, black cats, the fleshy spell book, and lovable zombie Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones) all make grand returns.

Lovia Gyarkye of THR says Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are electric, with their scenes being the most enjoyable in the movie, even though — as other critics have also noted — the characters have been softened. The film struggles a little in how to honor the OG movie while still progressing the story, but the end product is still satisfactory, the writer says:

Hocus Pocus 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the original Disney film, honors its history without knowing quite how to move beyond it. Directed by Anne Fletcher, the live-action comedy film bears the markings of a struggle between embracing existing fans and courting new ones. Recycled plot points, jaunts down memory lane and knowing winks at the broader fandom are rolled into the type of sleek CGI package that’s typical of Disney offerings these days. The result is a thin but satisfactory piece of entertainment.

Maggie Lovitt of Collider gives Hocus Pocus 2 a B+, also noting that the lead trio is an absolute delight to see reunited. The sequel is full of nostalgia, relaying messages about friendship and sisterhood. The critic says:

Ultimately, Hocus Pocus 2 is a film about sisterhood, friendship, and the importance of our choices. A witch is only as strong as her coven, and she’s nothing without that fellowship. It summons the magic of nostalgia with laughs, heart, and music, and perfectly satisfies the heart of audiences trying to rekindle the past.

Brian Truitt of USA TODAY (opens in new tab) , however, calls the sequel “wretched,” rating it just 1.5 out of 4 stars. He says the Sanderson sisters are more filler than killer in this follow-up, but that the younger trio aren’t given the character development they need either:

The witches are done dirty, yet the youth movement also isn't well served. There are so many Easter eggs and callbacks to the original Hocus Pocus piled on that the teens don’t have the focus they need to be fleshed-out heroes of the story.

If you’ve been looking forward to adding Hocus Pocus 2 to your annual watch list, you don’t have to wait much longer! The sequel is set to hit Disney+ on Friday, September 30. And with October knocking on our doors, check out our list of upcoming horror movies . You can also see what else is coming soon to theaters with our 2022 Movie Release Schedule .

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'A wicked good time': Sanderson sisters cast a spell in 'Hocus Pocus 2'

Quick, lock up your children. The witchy Sanderson sisters are back and hungering for more young souls. It’s been nearly 30 years since the cackling coven – Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy – last cast a spell, but they’re up to old tricks in "Hocus Pocus 2.” You know the drill: the witches have until sunrise following Halloween to restore their youth by sucking the life out of children.

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If that sounds familiar, it’s because “2” is pretty much the same as “1,” with some fluffing and dusting, of course. And that’s not a knock. The sequel is a wicked good time, with a big musical number rivaling the original, the return of fan favorite “good zombie” Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones), plenty of salt circles, black cats and creepy cemeteries.

Director Anne Fletcher ("27 Dresses," "The Proposal") and screenwriter Jen D’Angelo (“Workaholics”) pay appropriate homage to the original, blending fun callbacks with loads of laughs, mild scares and lessons about loyalty, friendship and sisterhood.

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The film opens with a pre-title sequence showing the origin of the siblings in 1620s Salem, where they are run out of town when 16-year-old Winifred (Taylor Henderson) refuses an arranged marriage. Winnie and her younger siblings, Mary (Nina Kitchen) and Sarah (Juju Journey Brener), land deep in the woods, where they encounter a Witch Mother (Hannah Waddingham from “Ted Lasso”) and her devious one-eyed spellbook. Sorcery ensues.

Skip to 2022 and – abracadabra – it’s Halloween in Salem, and the city is decked out in orange, black and purple for the annual ScareFest. Becca (Whitney Peak) is ready to celebrate her sweet 16 with BFFs Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham). Except Cassie ditches them (again) for a boy. Later that night, during the “birthday ritual,” two of the girls accidentally light the cursed black-flame candle that springs the Sanderson sisters back to life. Instantly, they want to steal the souls of Becca and Izzy.

Fletcher conjures up enough spooky-kooky chaos, special effects and amusing situations to keep things moving. It’s a hoot to watch these 17th-century witches interact in the 21st century, taking selfies and playing with an Alexa. Winnie (Midler), Sarah (Parker) and Mary (Najimy) fly through the night sky on broomstick, Swiffer and a pair of robot vacuums. They visit Walgreens and become convinced it’s an enchanting place because the front doors open automatically, or as Winnie puts it, the “gates parted.” They believe the anti-aging lotions, potions and serums are full of coveted children’s souls. “Retinol, what a nice name for a child.”

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Midler, Parker and Najimy deliver fabulous, scenery-chewing performances as the OG witches. In Winnie’s signature red wig and buck teeth, Midler seems to be having a blast casting spells and terrifying tots. Parker’s dimwitted, boy-crazy Sarah is used to being pushed around by Winnie, but she’s become a bit more assertive. Najimy’s bumbling Mary can still sniff out a kid like nobody’s business.

Newcomers include “Veep” alums: Tony Hale as the mayor of Salem and descendant of the evil family who crossed the women centuries ago; and Sam Richardson is Gilbert the Great, owner of the magic store that used to be the Sandersons’ cottage.

The original “Hocus Pocus” bombed with critics and at the box office, gaining popularity as a Halloween favorite long after its theatrical run. Those fans who elevated the movie to cult-classic status will certainly be spellbound by the nostalgia. And this being a Disney offering, their kids won’t have to sleep with the lights on.

‘Hocus Pocus 2’

Rating: PG for action, macabre/suggestive humor and some language

Cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Doug Jones, Sam Richardson, Tony Hale

Director: Anne Fletcher

Writer: Jen D’Angelo

Running time: 104 minutes

Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+ starting Sept. 30

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‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Review: Still Spelling Trouble

The Sanderson sisters return, bringing the same spooky humor with some modern twists.

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From left, Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in “Hocus Pocus 2.”

By Claire Shaffer

Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” is one of the company’s few true cult classics; after an initial negative reception 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. And while its new sequel, “Hocus Pocus 2,” may be a blatant attempt by Disney to continue propping up its streaming platform Disney+ ( where the movie has its debut ), it manages to capture the same hokey magic of the original while creatively updating its humor.

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. (The teens’ interest in witchcraft and the occult is benign, a very 2022 detail that might not have come across the same way 30 years ago.) High jinks ensue as the girls race to stop the witches from kidnapping the town’s genial mayor (Tony Hale) and casting an immortality spell that would make them all-powerful, while also making amends with their former friend, the mayor’s daughter, Cassie (Lilia Buckingham).

Anne Fletcher (“Step Up,” “The Proposal”) directs this sequel, but follows the same goofy comedic approach of the Kenny Ortega-directed first film — namely, how the sisters react to modern inventions like robot vacuums, Amazon’s Alexa and Walgreens. Even a few meta-jokes nod to the Sanderson sisters’ popularity in the world of drag. 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.

Hocus Pocus 2 Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes. Watch on Disney+ .

Hocus Pocus 2 Review

The witch is back, and there’s much more than hell to pay..

Hocus Pocus 2 debuts on Disney+ on Sept. 30, 2022.

Almost 20 years ago, the original Hocus Pocus debuted to lackluster reviews and limited financial returns. Thankfully, you can’t keep a bad witch down. After becoming a beloved cult favorite over the years, the Sanderson Sisters have returned with all new mischievous plans, and they’ve brought a brand new cast along with them. It may be cursed with some shoddy greenscreen, but it still reminds us how these witches were able to cast a spell on us in the first place.

2022’s sequel follows Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) as they fight to keep Salem safe from the series’ original witches, Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). We also meet enthusiastic new players like the wonderful Gilbert (Sam Richardson) and see the return of old favorites like Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones). The original cast step into their former roles like they’re well broken-in witch boots, and all the new players make admirable additions to the Hocus Pocus franchise.

Hannah Waddingham is, of course, absolutely brilliant as the Witch Mother. Unfortunately, she just so happens to be criminally underused.

Now that that’s been addressed, let’s talk about Hocus Pocus 2’s biggest issue: it’s not filmed in Salem. Now, plenty of films don’t shoot on location. Even the original Hocus Pocus was shot mostly on a soundstage in Los Angeles while graveyard and other exterior shots took place in Massachusetts. The reason it’s a problem here is because it looks like it wasn’t filmed in Salem. It’s wonderfully nostalgic that Hocus Pocus 2 feels like the Disney Channel Original Movies of yore, but the fact that it looks like one in 2022 is pretty rough. The most egregious example is the moonlit forest backdrop that takes up much of the third act. You’ll know it when you see it.

Who's your favorite Sanderson Sister?

Outside of some ugly greenscreen work (and a complete lack of cobblestone in what’s meant to be historic downtown Salem), Hocus Pocus 2 has some fun attention to detail. For example, the town’s Mayor Traske is noted to have ties to the Salem Witch Trials, and the family does! (Though their name was spelled Trask. Anyway, Bridget Bishop: Innocent.) Meanwhile, there are some nice witchy details like the use of angelica leaves to lift curses. It’s really the root that’s used for protection, but as IGN’s Resident Witch I am letting it slide. Finally, Waddingham’s Witch Mother tells a young Winnifred that “one day, Salem will belong to us.” And it does. Today, up to 1,600 of Salem’s population identify as witches, and you can’t throw a stone downtown without hitting a shop devoted to or celebrating the craft.

Hocus Pocus 2 is all about the power of the coven. Some folks might call it trite or twee, but I personally find it hard to root against a story about sisterhood even if it may be guilty of a little fluff. Besides, who cares about the quest for ultimate power if you can’t take your sisters along with you? Who will you sing magical bops with if they’re not there to back you up? What are you gonna do, bewitch an entire town by yourself?!

Legacy sequels will, of course, always get compared to their predecessors, but it’s practically apples and oranges with Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2. They both have the same leading ladies, but the two focus on completely different things otherwise. The original was all about its non-witch human characters like Max, Dani, and Allison. Meanwhile, though Hocus Pocus 2 does give Becca, Izzy, and Cassie their fair share of relevant screen time, this one feels like it’s more for the Sanderson Sisters. Whether you believe that’s for cynical, merch-selling reasons or because of the uptick in stories told from the “villain” perspective is up to you. Either way, it works for the story and complements the new player’s narrative arc quite nicely. Plus, the focus on the Sanderson Sisters means we get way more musical moments than we did in the first movie! The main number is the show stopper, but their other songs are fun enough.

Like the original, Hocus Pocus 2 leaves things open for another sequel. That doesn’t really feel necessary with where things close out, but it is a nice homage to the final scene from the 1993 movie. Only time will tell if this is the last we see of the Sanderson Sisters and Becca’s circle but, for now, it was a happy enough return to Salem.

Click through for a spotlight on some of the most notable September 2022 Disney+ releases!

Amelia is the entertainment Streaming Editor here at IGN. She's also a film and television critic who spends too much time talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folk horror. You can usually find her with her dog, Rogers. There may be cheeseburgers involved. Follow her across social @ThatWitchMia

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'Hocus Pocus 2' review: Beloved Halloween cult classic loses its magic in wretched sequel

By the time the witchy Sanderson sisters become enchanted by the electronic doors at a Walgreens drug store, you realize just how wickedly off course “Hocus Pocus 2” has gone.

The 1993 Halloween cult classic starring Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy was a mostly forgettable dud with some safe and fun kid-friendly high jinks. Compared to the terribly unnecessary new sequel (★ ½ out of four; rated PG; streaming now on Disney+ ), the OG “Hocus Pocus” might as well be a classic from the Universal monsters canon. Directed by Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal”), the follow-up fails in every way, as a retread of the beloved ‘90s vehicle and as a youth-centered setup for future installments.

'Lock up your children!': See the first look at 'Hocus Pocus 2,' chilling new trailer

Although it has its faults, the original “Hocus Pocus” (directed by a pre-“High School Musical” Kenny Ortega) found a novelty with the Sanderson sisters – bucktoothed leader Winnie (Midler), barking oddball Mary (Najimy) and lovable dimwit Sarah (Parker) – introduced as horror villains by way of the Three Stooges. Three centuries after being hanged by Salem’s residents, they were brought back to life (thanks to a teen virgin lighting a magic candle) to run amok, amok, amok on the town, sucking the life force out of children so the siblings can remain young.

Even though it seemed they permanently poofed into colorful dust at the end of the ’93 movie, “Hocus Pocus 2” runs the plot back, with young wannabe spellcasters Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) inadvertently unleashing the witches again. They get help from their friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), who has been spending more time with the popular kids than her longtime pals, when her mayor dad (Tony Hale) becomes an unexpected target for the Sandersons’ vengeful shenanigans.

'Hocus Pocus' original review: Read our critic's not-so-good take on the first movie in 1993

The potion-brewing siblings are the latest, after the subjects of “Maleficent” and “ Cruella ,” to receive a Disney villain “they’re not that bad” origin tale, as their childhood backstory is forced into the “Hocus Pocus” sequel. On one hand, it’s a timely bit of girl empowerment (and one of the only aspects of the movie that kind of works). Yet it also renders the Sandersons toothless.

While in the first film they were goofy women with a penchant for out-of-nowhere musical showstoppers, the sisters actually felt dangerous, since they were straight up murdering children for youthful makeovers. In the sequel, the Sandersons are mere filler, rather than killer, in their attempt to be all powerful, more inept than ever and, in Mary’s case, riding Roombas. They even sing a switched-up version of Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back" (and you can guess which word is changed).

'Hocus Pocus 2' premiere: Kathy Najimy talks pressure of sequel, writer teases 'third' movie

The witches are done dirty, yet the youth movement also isn't well served. There are so many Easter eggs and callbacks to the original “Hocus Pocus” piled on that the teens don’t have the focus they need to be fleshed-out heroes of the story. Placing the sisters front and center in the sequel takes away from the younger characters' development, although two guest stars make the most of their time: Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”) plays a witch the Sandersons meet in 17th-century Salem, and Sam Richardson is owner of the magic shop frequented by Becca and Izzy. (From “Werewolves Within” to “The Afterparty,” Richardson usually makes everything he’s in better, but he can save only so much of this travesty.)

With its well-trodden fish-out-of-water and teen-movie tropes, “Hocus Pocus 2” succeeds in showing that not every popular movie needs a starry sequel decades after the fact. (Tom Cruise’s new “Top Gun” is the rare exception.) Midler, Najimy and especially Parker gave a needed spark to the mediocre original that’s missing in the sequel, an accursed undertaking that lacks any of the spell it cast on nostalgic fans.

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Campy but entertaining sequel has some violence, scares.

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What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Hocus Pocus 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Disney's hugely popular 1990s fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus . Like the original, the witchy sequel is family-friendly overall but does have magical violence, name-calling, and gross-out scenes, mostly involving a decapitated zombie. The witches (returning stars Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker , and Kathy Najimy ) discuss eating kids to stay young, and they threaten to kill and torture others, including teenagers. They set fires, use spells requiring blood and bones, and talk about stealing souls. People are chased, pushed, slapped, hit over the head, beheaded (in the case of a walking zombie), zapped with magic rays, and hypnotized -- all of which is played for comedy. Women of all ages learn that they benefit from having supportive females around them. Beyond name-calling, language includes "damn" and exclamations of "God," "Lucifer," and "Satan." There's mention of kisses and being a virgin.

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After lighting the Black Flame Candle in HOCUS POCUS 2, high school besties Becca and Izzy ( Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo) accidentally conjure up the Sanderson Sisters ( Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker , and Kathy Najimy ), bringing the 17th century's most notorious group of child-hungry witches back to present-day Salem. To remain alive and beautiful, the witches need young blood, but their pursuit of the teenagers is sidetracked when they discover that the local mayor ( Tony Hale ) is a descendant of their historical nemesis. The mayor is also father to Becca and Izzy's childhood friend, Cassie ( Lilia Buckingham ), putting her life at risk as well. The teens band together to stop the evil sisters before dawn on All Hallow's Eve, and they'll learn what they're capable of -- alone and with their "coven" -- in the process.

Is It Any Good?

It's always a relief when a sequel doesn't let down the legions of fans of a cult original, and in this case, the new film surpasses its predecessor in entertainment value. Hocus Pocus 2 plays to its followers with some references to the 1993 original, but you certainly don't have to have seen that film to enjoy this one, and the addition of modern-day teenagers could help draw in new followers. They might appreciate the feminist undertones, the dull-witted football boyfriend (deemed the "village idiot" by the Sandersons), and the present-day jokes involving technology like Alexa, Roomba, and the gazillion elixirs of the "youth and beauty industry."

Peak is especially good as the leader of the teen pack ( Hocus Pocus 3 material?), Hale is always a delight, and Ted Lasso 's Hannah Waddingham makes a glorious cameo as the "Witch Mother." But the real star here is Midler. She corrals her clueless sisters and steals the spotlight at every turn. "I bet you're looking for a stage," a character asks her as the sisters stumble upon a drag costume contest of, you got it, the Sanderson Sisters. "Always," she purrs, before breaking into song and dance and hypnotizing the townspeople into a zombie-like flash mob to do her bidding. This film tones down some of the cringier aspects of the original (like Parker's dumb blonde act) but keeps the camp, and even adds a touchingly emotional farewell (again, via Midler). And somehow, these "gothic Golden Girls" still look the same as they did 29 years ago. The blood of children must really work.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Hocus Pocus 2 compares to the original, if you've seen it. What are some of the benefits and risks of making a sequel to a popular film?

What do Becca, Izzy, and Cassie learn from the Sanderson sisters? What do the sisters learn from the teenagers?

What were the Salem witch trials? Where could you go for more information?

Movie Details

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'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Disney Plus Sequel Gets You in the Halloween Mood

The Sanderson Sisters are back for another Disney Plus reboot, streaming now.

Sisters! All Hallow's Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok -- and watch sequels to '90s movies on Disney Plus . Spooky sequel Hocus Pocus 2 is Disney's latest nostalgia-mining archive raid, reuniting witches Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy from the outrageous 1993 comedy.

Streaming now on Disney Plus, Hocus Pocus 2 begins promisingly. Like the original, it starts in the distant past -- but where the first movie began with a small child murdered and three women lynched (quite a kickoff for a family movie), the sequel goes back to 1653 for the origin story of the young Sanderson sisters annoying the puritanical townsfolk of Salem, Massachusetts. It's a fun opener that suggests all involved understand the assignment, particularly an eye-flashing Taylor Henderson as a young Winifred (complete with distinctive dentistry).

Cut to present-day Salem. It's Halloween, but more importantly, a birthday, a boyfriend and a banned bash are causing drama for three school friends. The teen angst pales into insignificance when they inadvertently resurrect Winifred, Mary and Sarah, played with familiar over-the-top relish by Midler, Najimy and Parker. Once again those three spend the night causing trouble in the modern world, with the magical stakes higher than ever.

The first Hocus Pocus was a cackling cauldron of camp chaos, and that's where the sequel excels: The three original stars zap back into their roles as if they've been conjured straight from the original (seriously, watch both movies back to back). They seem to be having a rollicking old time, hilariously stalking through the frame as one and firing off zingers with relish. SJP in particular steals countless frames with her comic capering in the background. In at least one scene the trio's laughter seems real.

And it's campy as all get out, of course. The original film was apparently something of a flop, but has taken on a new life as a Halloween tradition for kids and adults. Led by Anne Fletcher, director of Step Up, 27 Dresses, Hot Pursuit and Dumplin', the makers of Hocus Pocus 2 know this all too well. The Sandersons launch into a fabulous but inexplicable musical number the moment they're resurrected (which leads to an excellent jump scare, so I'll allow it). Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham gives the three stars a run for their money in the vamp stakes, and the trio even crash a drag show surrounded by alumni of RuPaul's Drag Race done up as the infamous Sanderson sisters. Which is all a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, what should be a crisp 90-minute romp loses some of its sparkle in the second half. As the teen leads, Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo are engaging but have very little to work with. None of the new characters turn out to be that interesting, with Sam Richardson barely given any lines that qualify as jokes. Tony Hale especially is stuck in a thankless role as the town's deeply unfunny mayor whose main personality is a baffling running gag about toffee apples, or something.

As the story progresses, the anarchic energy of earlier scenes gets bogged down in boring Harry Potter-esque action/adventure, complete with dueling lightning blasts in an underlit forest. Possibly thrilling for modern youngsters raised on a diet of more intense peril than the original offered, but it does go on a bit.

Like the recent Pinocchio (another Disney Plus retread), Hocus Pocus 2 is yet another modern film that's frustratingly murky. Day scenes fade under a desaturated palette that doesn't fit the colorful material at all, and night scenes are often too dark to see what's going on. Seriously, Disney, take that Mickey money and invest in some lights.

Minor quibbles, however. For all its flaws, it's a million miles better than previous seasonal Disney Plus '90s reboot, the utterly dismal Home Sweet Home Alone . The reunited Midler, Najimy and Parker running amok (amok, amok, amok) bring enough of that ol' black magic to carry this whimsical caper and keep it from feeling like too much of a cash-in. There's even a touch of pathos added to the lives of the hilariously fiendish Sandersons. And if all else fails, the original still holds up.

Hocus Pocus 2 throws mostly the same ingredients into the cauldron, but it's still a powerful witches' brew. Come, we fly!

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Critics call 'Hocus Pocus 2' a spooky, nostalgic return that doesn't always bring the magic

Hocus Pocus is back, but can the sequel measure up to the original?

Hocus Pocus is finally back. This weekend, Disney will release the long-awaited sequel to the original Halloween staple on the Disney+ streaming service, reuniting the Sanderson Sisters for one more Halloween night of mayhem nearly three decades after our first visit to Salem.

This time around, the Sandersons (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker) unexpectedly return to their hometown after Becca (Whitney Peak) and her best friend Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) unwittingly resurrect them through a black flame candle (you don't want to leave those lying around Salem) during a ritual. With nothing but a couple of teenage girls standing in their way, the sisters return to walk the streets on Halloween night, seeking a little of their old magic that just might keep them around forever this time, as well as a couple of song and dance numbers along the way.

If you're a longtime fan of the original, you know the formula by now, but how does the new Hocus Pocus compare to the old? Does Hocus Pocus 2 retain any of that old magic? The first reviews for the sequel dropped Thursday morning, and the majority of critics seem to agree that the new film is, if not original, at least quite a bit of fun. Here's what some of the top reviewers had to say:

" Hocus Pocus 2 successfully does what many delayed sequels fail to do: capture the magic of the original, without feeling like a hackneyed facsimile meant to placate. The balance between nostalgia and newness is always a hard one to achieve, but the creators of the sure-to-be-beloved sequel have struck gold," Gabriella Geisinger wrote at Digital Spy .

" Hocus Pocus 2 empowers and delivers on the encore we’ve been waiting 29 years for. And we hope we can revisit the past and future of this universe sooner rather than later. Next Halloween, please?," Sabina Graves wrote at io9 .

"The first Hocus Pocus was a cackling cauldron of camp chaos, and that's where the sequel excels: The three original stars zap back into their roles as if they've been conjured straight from the original (seriously, watch both movies back to back). They seem to be having a rollicking old time, hilariously stalking through the frame as one and firing off zingers with relish. SJP in particular steals countless frames with her comic capering in the background. In at least one scene the trio's laughter seems real," Richard Trenholm wrote at CNET .

But of course, not everyone was quit so impressed, as some critics acknowledged the fun of the sequel while pointing out that it often feels a bit too much like a rehash.

"Recycled plot points, jaunts down memory lane and knowing winks at the broader fandom are rolled into the type of sleek CGI package that’s typical of Disney offerings these days. The result is a thin but satisfactory piece of entertainment," Lovia Gyarkye wrote at The Hollywood Reporter .

And then there were those critics for whom the film just didn't land at all in its quest to reclaim the old magic of the original.

"Things intermittently perk up, like a fish-out-of-water sequence in which the operatic Winifred (Midler), guileless Sarah (Parker), and daffy Mary (Najimy) mistake modern-day Walgreens cosmetics for the 17th-century potions they once knew. Yet the film keeps trafficking in overkill, almost as if it were designed with GIFs instead of narrative momentum in mind. For all its talk of virginal sorcery and child-hunting villains, the sequel comes off as more juvenile than its predecessor," Matthew Jacobs wrote at TV Guide .

"The best you can say for the movie is that Midler, Parker, and Najimy don’t treat this like an easy payday. They came ready to play, whether that means singing and dancing, riding on a Swiffer (they couldn’t find a broom, you see), or eating face cream at Walgreens. What little magic Hocus Pocus 2 contains is entirely because of them," Matt Singer wrote at ScreenCrush .

Find out for yourself how the film works when Hocus Pocus 2 hits Disney+ on Friday.

Looking for more ghostly action? Check out the first season SYFY's SurrealEstate in the SYFY app — and get ready — because the series is gearing up for a whole new season of scares and chills!

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‘hocus pocus 2’ review: the sanderson sisters are back in disney+’s nostalgia-heavy sequel.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles in the follow-up to the 1993 film about a group of kids who accidentally revive a powerful coven of witches.

By Lovia Gyarkye

Lovia Gyarkye

Arts & Culture Critic

Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson, and Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson in Disney's live-action HOCUS POCUS 2.

Twenty-nine years ago, the Sanderson sisters, an abrasive trio of siblings, put a spell on Disney audiences. Or at least they tried to.

Full credits

Thr newsletters.

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Hocus Pocus 2 is just as charming as the original, and in some ways even better

The hurly burly's done, and the Sanderson Sisters are victorious.

Becca, on the cusp of her 16th birthday, accidentally reopens the portal to allow the Sanderson sisters back into Salem. And while it would be easy from here for the film to follow in the footsteps of the original, Hocus Pocus 2 instead takes a slightly different track.

There are some good fish-out-of-water gags with the Sanderson sisters drinking face lotion in a Walgreens (a pharmacy that gets far more mentions throughout the movie than any pharmacy should, but that in and of itself becomes a kind of meta gag, too), and appropriating a Swiffer and two Roombas when they run out of brooms. It's unsurprising that the original's stars are just as bewitching and spooky as they were in the first.

Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker lean into the silliness of the sisters, which stops just this side of excessive thanks to the heart of their relationship ( helpfully explained in the movie's opening sequence ). Sam Richardson and Tony Hale bring their distinct comedic stylings to their respective roles, fleshing out the supporting characters with actual charisma and charm.

sarah jessica parker, bette midler, kathy najimy, hocus pocus 2

What recommends Hocus Pocus 2 over so many other Gen-Z pandering films (sequels or not) is the honesty with which it approaches its younger characters. There is no overblown digital language, nor shoehorning of contemporary 'hot button' topics, which act as a shortcut for older generations to put young people in a box and misunderstand, or worse, deride them.

Instead, Hocus Pocus 2 treats Becca, Izzy, and Cassie with respect to the true depths of teenage girlhood. It might not be Booksmart or My So-Called Life , but Hocus Pocus 2 lends a real credence to its young women that so many movies fail to even see as a possibility.

There is an unexpected shift in the third act that differentiates the sequel enough from the original without undoing what we know and love about the Sanderson sisters. In this way, it allows the Sanderson sisters to grow and evolve, changed by their new surroundings and the events that take place throughout the film.

belissa escobedo, whitney peak, hocus pocus 2

Honourable mention of course goes to the drag appearances in the Sanderson sisters' look-a-like contest. By featuring these drag queens, alongside the throwaway but adroit line about the label of witch being foisted upon girls entering womanhood in a way that frightened men, the movie naturally pokes fun at the ways in which overt femininity can be demonised without coming off as preachy or disingenuous.

Instead, there is a natural ease to the way in which the themes of girlhood and womanhood are presented – the bond of friendship and sisterhood. It is just enough to be heartwarming without tipping the film into the saccharine.

Hocus Pocus 2 also achieves a rare thing: it stands up on its own as movie regardless of whether you've seen the original.

Sure, there's some exposition in there to make that happen but delivered by Richardson, it flies by with a soft wit and creates the kind of connective tissue to the original that is just strong enough to feel the bond without it becoming a shackle.

Hocus Pocus 2 is available to watch on Disney+ from September 30.

Screen Rant

Hocus pocus 2 reviews say sequel leans on nostalgia for better & worse.

Critics share their thoughts on Disney+'s upcoming Hocus Pocus 2, the nostalgia-laden, 30-years-later sequel to the original Halloween classic.

The reviews are in for Hocus Pocus 2 , and critics largely disagree on whether the nostalgia-heavy sequel is a trick or a treat. The original 1993 Hocus Pocus introduced audiences to the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches made up of Winnie (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimi), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). They drain the life force out of children in Salem, Massachusetts and are executed for their crimes. However, they return on Halloween night when a group of kids lights the Black Flame Candle, unknowingly resurrecting them and sending them on a brand-new rampage around town. That original film was helmed by High School Musical director Kenny Ortega .

This year, on September 30, Disney+ is bringing the franchise back to life with its first sequel, directed by The Proposal 's Anne Fletcher. The film will reunite all three Sanderson sister actresses alongside Doug Jones reprising his role as the slapstick zombie Billy Butcherson, though it will not feature the return of the original cast of youngsters, including Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw. This time around, a new crop of kids will light the Black Flame Candle and release the vengeful sisters.

Earlier today, the embargo was lifted on reviews of Hocus Pocus 2 and critics were able to share their thoughts on the sequel. They are largely divided on whether it has been able to recapture the magic of the original film, though its supporters seem to outnumber its detractors by a hair. One thing nearly everyone seems to agree on, however, is that returning star Bette Midler delivers a powerhouse performance and that the project should be a real Halloween treat for folks who don't mind a heavy dose of nostalgia. However, nostalgia does seem to come at the expense of the new young cast, who don't get much to do in the face of expanded roles for all three witches. Read selected quotes from critics below:

Ferdosa, Screen Rant :

The film does struggle when it comes to the script. While the novelty of the Sanderson sisters roaming the 21st century earns a couple of chuckles, the script can’t quite meet the charm and charisma naturally imbued in the lead actresses, namely Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy. Sarah Jessica Parker plays up her inappropriate sex appeal playfully, but she has little offered to her, with the script seemingly catered to Midler and Najimy. On top of that, the new ensemble barely holds on, with paper-thin characters that are hollow imitations of the typical Disney Channel character.

Peter Debruge, Variety :

The movie misses the opportunity to serve up a useful portrayal of the petty divisions that drive old friends apart, while orienting itself to lecture audiences on the importance of loyalty and the perils of egotism. It’s doubtful that such moral lessons are the reason anyone’s watching “Hocus Pocus 2,” which again blends Midler’s hammy diva persona with details that feel almost too dark for a kids’ movie (but have since been normalized by the likes of Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton).

Jude Dry, IndieWire :

It’s the witches’ world; everything else is just scenery to get these three back on broomsticks together. Unfortunately, their mean streaks seem to have softened over the years, and the movie relies on a manufactured sisterly bond to wrap things up. The script adds a saccharine sweetness along with its teen feminist morality play, as if it’s far too aware of sending a message. Some things, it seems, are better left buried.

Amelia Emberwing, IGN :

The original cast return to remind us why Hocus Pocus became a cult classic, and new players give fans being introduced to the franchise wonderful characters to cheer on, although Hannah Waddingham should have been given more to do. Some shoddy greenscreen work pulls Hocus Pocus 2 down, but otherwise it feels like a Disney Channel Original Movie in a charming way.

Lovia Gyarkye, THR :

Midler, Parker and Najimy have an electric presence on screen, their chemistry virtually unchanged in the decades between films. Their scenes are the most consistently enjoyable of Hocus Pocus 2 — the moments when it feels like everyone behind and in front of the camera are under their enchanting spell.

Peter Travers, ABC News :

Is "Hocus Pocus 2" often as exhausting as it is entertaining? Sure. But the inspired lunacy of Midler, Parker and Najimy is impossible to resist, whether they're flying on broomsticks or vacuum cleaners. One way or another, as the song goes, they're gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya.

Brian Truitt, USA Today :

The witches are done dirty, yet the youth movement also isn't well served. There are so many Easter eggs and callbacks to the original “Hocus Pocus” piled on that the teens don’t have the focus they need to be fleshed-out heroes of the story.

How Hocus Pocus 2 Compares to the Original

The Rotten Tomatoes score for Hocus Pocus 2 will continue to fluctuate throughout the week, as more and more reviews are added to the aggregator. However, at the time of writing, the score has landed somewhere around the 68%-70% range, which is comfortably Fresh. Even if it eventually dips below the line into Rotten, it seems that the sequel will still rank considerably higher than the original Hocus Pocus , which is at a thoroughly Rotten 39%, though general audiences were considerably kinder to it, giving it a 71%.

This increased score for Hocus Pocus 2 may indeed largely be a result of the overall cultural shift in perception of the original film. Although the original film was both a critical and commercial flop, it became a Halloween cult classic on home video. Since then, it has risen to become a genuine classic in the eyes of many despite its inauspicious debut, so it makes sense for younger critics to now have warmer feelings toward the original that can then color their perceptions of the way the new movie functions as a follow-up.

Source: Various (see above)

Key Release Dates

Hocus pocus 2.

What are the critics saying about ‘Hocus Pocus 2’?

‘hocus pocus 2’ was released on friday. here’s what the early reviews say about the film.

Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson and Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson in “Hocus Pocus 2,” exclusively on Disney+.

Matt Kennedy, Disney Enterprises

“ Hocus Pocus 2 ” was released Friday on Disney+, and reviews have already rolled in for this spooky sequel to the beloved 1993 classic. Here’s what critics are saying about the movie.

‘Hocus Pocus 2’ reviews

Some reviews for “ Hocus Pocus 2 ” are already out. What are critics saying?

How to watch ‘Hocus Pocus 2’

“Hocus Pocus 2” is available to stream on Disney+.

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‘Hocus Pocus 2’: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimi return as Sanderson sisters and ‘aren’t missing a beat’

October 3, 2022 2:00PM

“ Hocus Pocus” was released in 1993, and the fantasy about a comedic trio of witches played by Bette Midler , Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimi failed to cast a spell over critics or the box office. But nearly three decades later, the film is a Halloween cult classic adored by fans who received a treat on September 30, 2022 with the release of “ Hocus Pocus 2 ″ on Disney+ . After their defeat at the hands of two teenagers, a child, a talking cat, and a zombie, the Sanderson Sisters are back for another adventure directed by Anne Fletcher . With a score of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, history may have repeated itself in regards to the critics, who had a mixed reaction to the long awaited sequel.

Kimberly Pierce of Geek Girl Authority begins by noting the nostalgic nature around the film and the expectations that arose as a result. When our favorite witchy trio is brought back to Salem, they waste no time trying to accomplish the goal they so gloriously failed at in 1993. “The originals who return (and many of them have) aren’t missing a beat. Even better, the new cast joining the fold meld in smoothly.” Despite the fact that the stakes are not as high this time around as dictated by the script, there is a new, dare we say more interesting aspect to investigate: the human side of the Sanderson Sisters. “Keep an eye out for Taylor Henderson , who steals the early minutes of the movie as young Winifred. Her Bette Midler impression is uncanny.” Pierce concludes, “When all is said and done, though, Hocus Pocus 2 is ultimately a cute little family film, probably far more fantasy than horror.”

Joanna Langfield of The Movie Minute was not as impressed. While praising the adult cast of the film, this critic notes that Midler quickly becomes the movie’s most valuable player. “Poor Kathy Najimy isn’t given much to do except nod enthusiastically, Sarah Jessica Parker does the most she can with her few moments in the sun and then there’s Bette Midler. I don’t know if the script or production was designed to do so, but the movie seems to shift, everybody just moving out of the way when Midler shows up. And show up she does, knowing the assignment and nailing it, in each and every scene.” In the end, the film is not nearly as funny as it could have been, as seen in a riotous scene that takes place at Walgreens, and shows a glimpse of the clever film that could have been.

Chelsea Steiner of The Mary Sue states,“Directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal), Hocus Pocus 2 knows exactly what its core audience wants to see: bickering witches, impromptu musical numbers, and confusion over modern technology. And the film delivers in spades, thanks to the terrific performances of the witchy trio.” The chemistry between the main three remains deliciously perfect. “ Hannah Waddingham also makes a delightful cameo as Mother Witch, who inspires the Sanderson sisters to begin their magical journey.” Adding backstory, even to the infamous spell book that we all know and love, adds even more depth to the film that is unexpected. “So go ahead and grab your broomstick, your Swiffer, and your Roombas, and be prepared to run amok, amok, amok.”

Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com praises the sequel, especially its adult cast. “The first movie was about the relationships between brothers and sisters (with a little teen romance); this one is about friendship. And we get a bit of an origin story.” Alas, the virginity joke is mentioned but not nearly as much as it was in the prior film. “The challenge for the sequel to a beloved film is maintaining enough of the original to make the fans happy without being too repetitive or confusing newcomers, and ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ gets that just right.”

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Hocus Pocus 2

2022, 1h 47min - Family , Fantasy , Comedy

Country: USA

"Hocus Pocus 2" — family, fantasy and comedy movie produced in USA and released in 2022. It has a good rating on IMDb: 6 stars out of 10. It is a feature-length film with a runtime of 1h 47min. "Hocus Pocus 2" is currently available to stream on Disney+. Click on a playlink to watch it now!

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...I can’t be that mad that the witches are back; they still cast quite the spell.

... these "gothic Golden Girls" still look the same as they did 29 years ago. The blood of children must really work.

It is not a spoiler to say that smart, brave, and loyal teenagers get more comic treats than tricks. So does the audience.

It will remind you of the fun ride, and leave you with a message of togetherness.

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How well do you remember 'Hocus Pocus'? Who said these quotes?
Nostalgia Critic #294
Hocus Pocus 2: Everything We Know So Far
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Why ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ is the sequel the Internet deserves
My Response To The Nostalgia Critic's Clipless Review

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Hocus Pocus 2 Trailer Reaction & Breakdown
Hocus Pocus 2 TRAILER
Hocus Pocus 2 is the Perfect Halloween Sequel (and you may quote me on that)
Hocus Pocus 2, Disney Plus
Gay Vampires & Devil Magic
2022 Kellogg's Halloween Cereals

COMMENTS

Hocus Pocus 2
Hocus Pocus 2 PG 2022, Kids & family/Holiday, 1h 43m 64% Tomatometer 153 Reviews 49% Audience Score 5,000+ Ratings What to know critics consensus Hocus Pocus 2 is basically a...
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Hocus Pocus 2 is brimming with hijinks, fun music numbers, and laughs. Unfortunately, the plot is the weakest link in this film. Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Jan 4, 2023 Samuel...
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Hocus Pocus 2 review - belated Halloween sequel is far from bewitching Bette Midler returns with her child-killing sisters in a disappointingly flat follow-up that tries too hard to soften...
Critic Reviews for Hocus Pocus 2
Hocus Pocus 2 is actually the better made film, even if it amounts to little more than a stealth remake, with strategic decisions about the present-day and old-Salem witch trios being engineered to allow for more sequels, whether or not its star trio return. Read full review 60 KiMi Robinson Sep 29, 2022 Some new elements do work . . .
Hocus Pocus 2 Reviews
Hocus Pocus 2 (minus one shoulder shrug of a musical number) uses the franchise's witchcraft and world-building to earnestly explore timely themes of identity and inclusivity, for a follow-up that fans may begrudgingly concede is better than the original. Read full review 40 Apeksha Bagchi Oct 3, 2022
'Hocus Pocus 2' reviews: What critics are saying about the sequel
Boston.com's review of "Hocus Pocus 2" gave the film three stars out of four, praising the peformances of Midler, Najimy, and Parker. "Hocus Pocus 2" director Anne Fletcher ("The...
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
Ultimately, Hocus Pocus 2 operates as a cheerful throwback to the 1980s/early '90s genre of plucky kids saving small-town America from existential danger, a vibe tapped into by not just the original "Hocus Pocus" but such classics as "Gremlins," "Back to the Future" and "The Goonies.". The reunited Midler, Najimy and Parker ...
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The Sanderson Sisters return once more this week with the arrival of "Hocus Pocus 2.". And among critics, the sequel is faring better than its predecessor originally did — but only just. For ...
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The critic says: Ultimately, Hocus Pocus 2 is a film about sisterhood, friendship, and the importance of our choices. A witch is only as strong as her coven, and she's nothing without that...
'Hocus Pocus 2' review: MIdler Parker Najimy still cast a spell
The film opens with a pre-title sequence showing the origin of the siblings in 1620s Salem, where they are run out of town when 16-year-old Winifred (Taylor Henderson) refuses an arranged marriage.
'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Still Spelling Trouble
'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Still Spelling Trouble The Sanderson sisters return, bringing the same spooky humor with some modern twists. 17 From left, Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah...
Hocus Pocus 2 Review
It's wonderfully nostalgic that Hocus Pocus 2 feels like the Disney Channel Original Movies of yore, but the fact that it looks like one in 2022 is pretty rough. The most egregious example is...
'Hocus Pocus 2' review: Disney sequel does the Sanderson sisters dirty
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy return as witchy sisters in Disney's "Hocus Pocus 2,' an accursed sequel to the beloved 1993 film.
Hocus Pocus 2 Movie Review
Hocus Pocus 2 Movie review by Jennifer Green, Common Sense Media Common Sense says age 10+ Campy but entertaining sequel has some violence, scares. PG 2022 103 minutes Save Rate movie Parents say age 10+ Based on 57 reviews Kids say age 8+ Based on 21 reviews Watch or buy Common Sense is a nonprofit organization.
Hocus Pocus 2
Hocus Pocus 2 is a 2022 American fantasy comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Jen D'Angelo and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. ... Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Disney Plus Sequel Gets You in the Halloween
Like the recent Pinocchio (another Disney Plus retread), Hocus Pocus 2 is yet another modern film that's frustratingly murky. Day scenes fade under a desaturated palette that doesn't fit the...
Critics take on 'Hocus Pocus 2' as sequel arrives on Disney+
The first reviews for the sequel dropped Thursday morning, and the majority of critics seem to agree that the new film is, if not original, at least quite a bit of fun. Here's what some of the top reviewers had to say: RELATED STORY: 'Poltergeist' remains the greatest family horror movie ever made "Hocus Pocus 2 successfully does what many ...
'Hocus Pocus 2' Review: Disney+'s Nostalgia-Heavy Sequel
Rated PG, 1 hour 43 minutes. Hocus Pocus 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the original Disney film, honors its history without knowing quite how to move beyond it. Directed by Anne Fletcher ...
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By Gabriella Geisinger. 29 Sep 2022. Hocus Pocus 2 successfully does what many delayed sequels fail to do: capture the magic of the original, without feeling like a hackneyed facsimile meant to ...
Hocus Pocus 2 Reviews Say Sequel Leans On Nostalgia For Better & Worse
The reviews are in for Hocus Pocus 2, and critics largely disagree on whether the nostalgia-heavy sequel is a trick or a treat.The original 1993 Hocus Pocus introduced audiences to the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches made up of Winnie (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimi), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker). They drain the life force out of children in Salem, Massachusetts and are executed ...
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The Guardian criticized what the film did for the Sanderson sisters. The reviewer concluded, "This coming Halloween, it's likely that many families will be watching 'Hocus Pocus 2' together, excited by the prospect of a tradition shift. Next Halloween, I doubt they'll be watching it again."
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Hocus Pocus 2 Review : Hocus Pocus 2. Neil Soans, TNN, Updated: Sep 30, 2022, 01.39 PM IST Critic's Rating: 3.5/5. Hocus Pocus 2 Story: Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) have become ...
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The first Shazam! 2 reviews that hit the internet Wednesday drew mixed reactions from critics, with 68% of professional critic reviews giving the DC and New Line ... Hocus Pocus Stars Say They ...
Hocus Pocus 2 reviews: What critics are saying about Disney+ sequel
"Hocus Pocus" was released in 1993, and the fantasy about a comedic trio of witches played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimi failed to cast a spell over critics or the box ...
Monoreel Radio Episode 206
Monoreel Radio Episode 206 - Hocus Pocus 2 (2022 Podcast Episode) User Reviews Review this title 0 Reviews. Hide Spoilers ... Metacritic Reviews; Details. Full Cast and Crew; Release Dates; Official Sites; Company Credits; Filming & Production; Technical Specs; Storyline. Taglines; Plot Summary; Synopsis;
Watch 'Hocus Pocus 2' Online Streaming (Full Movie)
Hocus Pocus 2. 2022, 1h 47min - Family, Fantasy, Comedy. Three young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world. ...