Hocus Pocus 2

Unfortunately, Max (Omri Katz), Allison (Vinessa Shaw), and Dani (Thora Birch) did not return – for one reason or another, we’re still not clear why Disney decided to go in another direction. Their absence, however, does not negatively impact the story.

After all, Hocus Pocus is about the Sanderson sisters, with the Dennison’s simply being the impetus for their return. I kid, I kid – both trios are heavily tied to the overall mythology of the original, and while I’m certain Hocus Pocus 2 could have benefited from their return, it didn’t feel harmed by their absence. Time will tell if the next sequel gives us the best of both worlds.

We are treated to a prologue, exploring who the Sanderson sisters were before they became witches, living in Salem. It’s already clear that they are not liked, let alone trusted, by the townsfolk – and Winifred is not above making her presence known to her neighbors. But when Reverend Traske (Tony Hale) informs Winifred that she’s getting old (at 16), and that she must marry, she refuses and ends up banished from the town. With how the girls are treated, is it any wonder they took power into their own hands? Rather than be separated from her sisters, Winifred takes them and flees into the forbidden woods, where they meet the Mother Witch (Hannah Waddingham, famous for playing Septa Unella). It is here where past, present, and future meet – with the utterance of a single line, we all know how the movie will climax.

Hannah Waddingham may only have one scene in the entire movie, but she makes do with what she is given and sells every second of screen time.

I have to say that the young actresses who took on the Sanderson sisters in the prologue were phenomenal. Taylor Paige Henderson, Nina Kitchen, and Juju Brenner capture a viscerally youthful version of their specific sister – Winifred, Mary, and Sarah respectively. They only have a handful of minutes of screentime, but from the mannerisms that will be perfected in adulthood to the way they carry themselves, it’s clear that these young actresses pulled out all of the stops. It’s a stark reminder that they themselves were children, capable of dreaming of a better life. They were given the opportunity to grab it by the horns.

As we drive further into the 2020s, a newfound interest in villains has emerged. Despite the reprehensible actions of this kind of character, viewers find them enthralling, to the point where they can excuse many of those same actions simply because they’re hot, cool, or better developed as characters. Hocus Pocus 2 carefully analyzes this trend. By the time the Sanderson sisters are resurrected in the modern era for a second time, Salem has become even more obsessed with them, especially the legends surrounding them, and turned them into icons. For their part, the sisters are somewhat confused, but they’re able to roll with it. It’s unfortunate that, for every obsessive fan that they have, the sisters care little for them. They’re still vile witches who eat children, and this time Winifred has a more dangerous plan to keep herself and her sisters around for the long haul.

Hocus Pocus 2 expands on the world that was laid out in 1993. We are given a bit more information on how magic works in their world, and that at the age of 16 a witch’s powers are unlocked. What makes somebody a witch is not explicitly covered, but it seems that they follow a trend when they have a coven of sisterhood. Whether that sisterhood is one of blood or not is immaterial. One of the three has magic, pure and unquestionable power at their fingertips. The other two seem to be able to participate in magical rituals and the casting of spells, but their powers are limited. We see this with Winifred and Becca (Whitney Peak).

With Winifred receiving the book, and her powers, at the age of 16, it’s not quite clear if this is why Sarah and Mary never had as much power as her – after all, Winifred shares as a last resort. In the case of Becca and her two friends, Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and Cassie Traske (Lilia Buckingham), as they’re all in the same grade, they’re all clearly 16, but only Becca receives the ability to project magic.

She was just a child, and she was born in a time when women, especially young girls, have no power. If you were given the chance to claim power to protect yourself from a world out to crush you, how might you react?

At the center of the film is another coming-of-age story for Becca and her two friends, Izzy and Cassie. The former two feel like they’ve been left behind by Cassie, who has become popular, while they remain feeling like outcasts in their high school. Cassie even has a new boyfriend, the seemingly insensitive Mike (Froy Gutierrez) and his friends.

Belissa Escobedo is in the midst of an acting renaissance, taking on numerous roles with well-deserved acclaim. From her turn as Milagro Reyes in the recent Blue Beetle to the role that first brought her to my attention, Natalie Garcia in The Baker and the Beauty, she is making waves and taking names. I look forward to each step of her career. Whitney Peak leads the ensemble, in between seasons of the reboot/continuation of Gossip Girl and her portrayal of Judith Blackwood in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina it was always clear that she was a star in the making.

Tony Hale does pull double duty as Reverend Traske and Mayor Traske, allowing him to show both sides of his acting ability. He can play the cruel, capricious reverend who will inflict his will on those around him to the softer, friendlier, yet somehow still a bit of a jerk mayor. How one reads his performance is, of course, subjective. As the only person to play two characters in two timelines, it was clearly a choice to show their differences as well as their similarities.

Gilbert (Sam Richardson) is the final major new character who, through carefully refilmed and reutilized footage, is revealed to have a history with the Sanderson sisters. He owns a magic shop that Becca and her friends frequent, and it is his actions which cause the sequel to unfold when he sells Becca and Izzy the real Black Flame Candle. The film delves into his motives quite well, giving us a look inside the everyday citizen’s reaction to finding out that magic is real. It also ties into the town’s modern day embracing of the sisters, despite having condemned them to death in their own lives. Mind you, we all know why…

Hocus Pocus 2 spends much of its time developing its characters, casting them in a near opposite light to their predecessors. While Max and his sister Dani were new to Salem, Becca and her friends have lived her entire life there. Max is a staunch nonbeliever in all things supernatural, but Becca, Izzy, and Cassie spent years practicing magic – though without the telltale supernatural effects. Max and Dani spend the film building a new relationship with Allison, whilst Becca and Izzy spend a good portion of their film trying to rebuild their relationship with Cassie. The trio also act as light counterparts to the Sanderson sisters.

This is one of my favorite parts of Hocus Pocus 2. At its core, it is a story about sisterhood. Whether by blood or by choice. In the end, both bonds prove to be as strong as steel.

The humor of Hocus Pocus 2 emulates several scenes from its predecessor, such as the iconic witch’s flight where they are left with only one broom amongst them. Rather than a modern vacuum and a mop, with technology having advanced even wildly in the last three decades, Sarah takes to the skies on a Swiffer Wet Jet while Mary commandeers a pair of Roombas. I don’t just mean to fly, mind you. Mary somehow manages to turn them into black-cat-esque familiars who do her bidding, such as freeing them from a salt circle. We are also treated to several musical numbers, harkening back to one of the most iconic scenes of Hocus Pocus: I Put a Spell On You. When you know what works, do that.

A sequel to Hocus Pocus has long been on the wish list of fans, coming of age as adults with the ability to financially support their interests more thoroughly than when they were children. In the three decades since its original release, Hocus Pocus has turned into a massive franchise with, until last year, only one film under its belt. That kind of underappreciation is to be expected from a film that, when released, was not a financial success. Yet, Disney had it aired throughout October for years, leading to the film gaining a massive following, which were clamoring for a follow-up long before it became a cultural icon. Hocus Pocus 2 was a love letter to the original, even without half of its original ensemble.

Here’s hoping that when Hocus Pocus 3 scares up a release date, we get word that everybody, past and present, comes back for the flight.