Hocus Pocus 2

Ahead of the cult classic sequel's release on Disney+, we learned how filming magically transformed the Ocean State into Salem, Massachusetts, last fall and ...

We had people coming from all over the world to visit the set and coming to the Armory. I was able to take a group of elementary school students from Providence on a school bus down to North Kingstown so they could see the interior of the magic shop. I was so excited to bring the sequel of the family film here. A lot of the forest sequences that you’re going to see where they are doing witchy craft stuff is in the Cranston Street Armory. I always knew I wanted to be a film director since I was a child. [Rhode Island Film and Television Office](http://www.film.ri.gov/), Cranston: responsible for bringing Hocus Pocus 2 to the Ocean State. Some may say it’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus, but the memories and the movie will live on for eternity. They did a lot of construction, they did flying sequences, they used the stage for the basement of the magic shop. Then I went out to Los Angeles and UCLA and [University of Southern California] film school, traveled around the world, and made a few movies and came back home in 2004. HOCUS POCUS has more recently become a cult classic since it was released in 1993, and Rhode Island recently got in on the lights, camera and action. The sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, cast a spell on the Ocean State by magically transforming its cities and towns last fall into Salem, Massachusetts, for filming many scenes in the movie, which was released Sept. Hocus Pocus 2 takes place twenty-nine years after the original — the movie’s tagline is “We’re back, witches!” — when three high school students accidentally conjure the Sanderson sisters to present-day times in Salem (which is eerily similar to the historic architecture in Rhode Island), and they must try to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallows Eve.

Hocus Pocus 2 review round-up: What critics are saying about the new Sanderson Sisters sequel streaming on Disney+. Read more on Boston.com.

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. 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. The central trio of Midler, Parker, and Najimy fail to recapture the gleeful chaos of the first outing. All in all, it’s twice as good as “Hocus Pocus.” It’s easier to write that if you didn’t like “Hocus Pocus.” 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. The new sequel, “Hocus Pocus 2,” out on Disney+ 29 years later, is much, much worse. That’s “Hocus Pocus 2.” It manages to tell its story straight, so that’s a huge improvement over the first one. 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. 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. [64 percent freshness rating](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hocus_pocus_2) at the time of this article’s publication. 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. 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.

'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).

She credited the sequel happening to her co-star, Bette Midler, who plays Winnie Sanderson. “To be completely honest, for the past 28 years, I didn't think much ...

[Extra](https://extratv.com/2022/09/27/sarah-jessica-parker-would-do-a-third-hocus-pocus-if-bette-midler-is-on-board/) in September 2022 that she would do a third Hocus Pocus movie is Bette Midler, who plays Winnie Sanderson, also returned. Here’s [how to subscribe for free](https://stylecaster.com/disney-plus-free-trial/). Will there be a Hocus Pocus 3? Kathy Najimy, who plays Mary Sanderson, for her part, told People in September 2022 about what it would take for her to come back for a third Hocus Pocus movie. [Entertainment Weekly](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-cast-interview-resurrecting-sanderson-sisters/) in September 2022, Bette Midler, who plays Winnie Sanderson, revealed that she proposed the idea of a Hocus Pocus sequel 10 years after the original movie’s premiere in 1993 but saw “no interest.” “Even when it became a phenomenon, [a sequel] wasn’t considered. My friend suggested that I go online, so I looked, and I was shocked because I’d never seen so much Hocus Pocus merch.” She continued, “I bought the costume, and I came as Winnie here and there, for this benefit or that benefit, and I realized there was something going on. See the full Hocus Pocus 2 cast below. (Disney Plus costs $7.99 per month, Hulu starts at $6.99 per month and ESPN Plus costs $6.99 per month for a total of $21.97 compared to [The Disney Bundle’s $13.99 per month](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=t1ZX7*4ybQA&mid=42392&u1=SC-&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Fstart) price.) Disney Plus and ESPN Plus also come free with [Hulu+ With Live TV](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=t1ZX7*4ybQA&mid=42392&u1=SC-&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Flive-tv), which costs [$69.99 per month](https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=t1ZX7*4ybQA&mid=42392&u1=SC-&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Flive-tv). Get More Unlimited, Play More Unlimited, Verizon Plan Unlimited, Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited and Above Unlimited.) If you have one of these plans, you can sign-up for a free six-month Disney+ subscription (which saves you about $42.) [Click here for Verizon’s FAQ](https://www.verizon.com/support/disney-bundle-faqs/) on how to sign up for its free Disney+ subscription. “And the amount of Hocus Pocus costumes and merchandise I saw was shocking. So there you have it—a way to watch Disney Plus for free. Hocus Pocus 2 sees the Sanderson sisters accidentally become resurrected again by two teenagers, Becca and Izzy, as they celebrate Halloween and Becca’s 16th birthday.

Almost 30 years after the Sanderson sisters found their way into the hearts of millennial kids looking for some PG-rated Halloween content, they're back in ...

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. 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. 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. Set in a Stars Hollow-like Salem, it’s the perfect Disney+ movie — seasonally appropriate entertainment that, for at least one night, may save a family from the doom of endless scrolling and indecision. And yet, much to my bewilderment, “Hocus Pocus” became a thing over the years.

The Disney movie includes locations in Lincoln, Providence, East Providence and Newport, as well as sound stages in North Kingstown and Providence.

While the stage was used for interior and exterior shots, some street scenes outside the shop were filmed in Newport. The Sanderson sisters fly here. Rumors were rampant that the village would be burned to the ground to film a climactic final scene. But would she have done it for free? [Catholic high school](https://www.lasalle-academy.org/) doubles as the halls and classrooms of the Salem high school. The Forbidden Woods, which plays a central role in the plot, were built in a sound stage in the armory. The [Ivy League campus](https://www.brown.edu/) doubles as the campus for the Salem high school. We found out](https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/09/15/conjuring-house-tours-burrillville-rhode-island-promote-radio-contact-ghosts-bill-brock/7888077001/) What you need to know now that the movie is out](https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/regional/2022/09/20/hocus-pocus-2-classic-movie-coming-disney-sequel-bette-midler/8032561001/) [cast as an extra](https://www.providencejournal.com/story/entertainment/2021/09/08/hocus-pocus-2-extras-sought-ri-area/5769276001/), make it into the final movie? Witches are expected.](https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2021/09/14/1670-s-village-rises-lincoln-park-filming-disneys-hocus-pocus-2/8334019002/)

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.