‘Hocus Pocus 2’ review: Lousy, lame millennial nostalgia bait

Hocus Pocus 2 has cast a spell on Disney+ viewers.The film, a sequel to the cult classic 1993 film starring Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker, has become the number one film to premiere on the streamer in the United States to date.The feat is 'based on hours watched domestically in the first three days' after its debut, according to the announcement made by Disney+ on Tuesday. I put a spell on you! Disney+ announced Hocus Pocus 2 has become the number one film to premiere on the platform in the U.S. Fans have been giving the film the thumbs up after its release on Friday. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Bette Midler reprise their roles as the diabolical Sarah, Mary and Winifred Sanderson in the spooky comedy.

Hocus Pocus 2 is a certified smash!

It's really all just a bunch of hocus pocus!  Just in time for Halloween, a sequel to the spooky "Hocus Pocus" is out on Disney+, but keen-eyed fans noticed some significant changes to at least one Sanderson Sister. You may have noticed that the infamous creepy-crooked smile of Mary Sanderson, played by Kathy Najimy, is inverted or backwards in the new "Hocus Pocus 2" film, but Najimy is now revealing there is a reason.

Nearly 30 years after the original Hocus Pocus debuted, the sequel Hocus Pocus 2 arrived in Disney Plus, though fans noticed a distinct difference in one character.Kathy Najimy's Mary Sanderson - one of the three Sanderson sisters with Bette Midler's Winifred and Sarah Jessica Parker's Sarah - stood out with a crooked smile on the right side of her mouth.The 65-year-old actress revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the smile has now shifted to the left side because the right became too difficult. Smile: Kathy Najimy's Mary Sanderson - one of the three Sanderson sisters with Bette Midler's Winifred and Sarah Jessica Parker's Sarah - stood out with a crooked smile on the right side of her mouth Difficult: The 65-year-old actress revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the smile has now shifted to the left side because the right became too difficult'It's on the other side mainly because it's so hard for me to do it on the side I did it on 30 years ago,' Najimy began. 'I'm sure the fans are going to go into deep detail about why it's on the other side,' she joked.  'It's just something I came up with the first week.

Belissa Escobedo is a Los Angeles-raised Chicana, the biggest cat mum ever (self-proclaimed), a former theatre kid, possibly America Ferrera’s long-lost baby sister (Just kidding. More on that later), and Izzy in the highly anticipated Disney+ Original movie Hocus Pocus 2. You may recognise Escobedo from her time as Natalie Garcia in The Baker and the Beauty, but on 30th September, she is making her way to Salem alongside the Sanderson Sisters.

While eagle-eyed fans may have noticed Kathy Najimy’s Hocus Pocus 2 smile looked different in the Disney+ sequel, the actress had a good reason for switching things up.

Hocus Pocus 2 appears to be just the Halloween treat that fans were hoping for.The long-awaited sequel to the 1993 cult movie was released Friday on Disney+, and the folks who have tuned in so far are giving it thumbs up.Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Bette Midler reprise their roles as the diabolical Sarah, Mary and Winifred Sanderson in the spooky comedy. Magic: Hocus Pocus 2 has cast its magical spell and fans are delighted with the long-awaited sequel now streaming on Disney+, according to their social media postsIn the new chapter, three young women light the black candle, bringing the Sanderson sisters to modern-day Salem.

Hocus Pocus 2 just premiered this week and fans are already talking about a lot of things in the movie – but one of the most noticeable things is that Mary’s crooked smile is backwards!

The Sanderson sisters ride again! Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles as Winnie, Sarah and Mary in Hocus Pocus 2 — and the new movie is packed with references to the original.

The Sanderson sisters are back and bewitching as ever in “Hocus Pocus 2”, the long-awaited sequel to the 1993 Halloween classic.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stay at the "Hocus Pocus" Cottage?  Well, now is the time — if you dare.  On Oct. 20, 2022, the Sanderson Sisters are inviting two guests to stay in a recreation of the Hocus Pocus Cottage in Salem, Massachusetts.  The 300-year-old cottage was recreated for fans of the movie to visit exclusively and get into the Halloween spirit.  One room in the cottage includes a large cauldron, in honor of the witches that once lived there.  (Helynn Ospina) But on October 12, 2022, at 1p.m.

, the long-awaited sequel to the 1993 Halloween classic.Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker reprise their roles as Winnifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson, respectively, in the new film, which finds the trio resurrected once again by a group of teen friends — Becca (Whitney Peak), Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) — who light a new version of the infamous Black Flame Candle.However, when they return to wreak havoc on Salem — this time seeking revenge on the town's mayor, a descendant of the puritanical reverend who originally exiled them (both played by Tony Hale) — they find that a few things have changed.For one, the Sanderson Witch Museum has been reopened as a magic shop, run by a man named Gilbert (Sam Richardson), who claims to have witnessed the witches' first night of mayhem back in the '90s. But that's far from the only callback to the original.

Hocus Pocus 2″ is the long awaited sequel to the 1993 original. A financial failure when it was first released, the film has since become a much beloved cult classic, celebrated, quoted and imitated in costume by faithful fans including this writer.

Some things never change. Hocus Pocus is back with an all-new sequel nearly 30 years after the original hit theaters, but the Disney+ movie cast says the biggest change is that the film actually has fans this time around.

Hollywood loves a good legacy sequel, and we are truly in the age of bringing back any and all properties with an ounce of nostalgic value.Tron: Legacy, Creed, Halloween (2018), Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Blade Runner: 2049, Doctor Sleep, The Matrix Resurrections, Mary Poppins Returns, Bill & Ted: Face the Music, and just this year, Top Gun: Maverick.They aren’t going away anytime soon and now Hocus Pocus 2 has joined the crowd to entice original fans and a new generation of audiences to welcome back the Sanderson Sisters.It dropped exclusively on Disney+ today (September 30) and takes place almost 30 years after the first film hit the big screen.Here is everything you need to know about the sequel, its cast, and how it connects to the original.To the delight of fans, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are all returning as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson.The Sanderson Sisters were the heart and driving force of the plot for the original film, so it is no surprise to see them back in action.The rest of the orbiting cast is entirely different to the first film though, as there are three decades of separation between instalments.Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham and Belissa Escobedo will co-star as Becca, Cassie, and Izzy.They are a trio of high school students that bring the Sanderson Sisters back to action once more.Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Juju Brener, Froyan Gutierrez, Taylor Paige Henderson and Nina Kitchen complete the main cast.In one disappointing bit of news for fans, Thora Birch isn't reprising the role of Dani Dennison from the original due to scheduling conflicts.Speaking to ComicBook.com in May, Thora said: "Everybody tried so hard to make that happen and it just

After revealing that she was “dismayed” she couldn’t reprise her role as Dani Dennison in “Hocus Pocus 2“, Thora Birch spoke with ET on the red carpet at the Variety Power of Women event, where she explained that there were attempts made to have her return for the sequel and shared whether she’s planning to watch.

Hocus Pocus is going to get the Broadway treatment and become a musical revealed the film's producer David Kirschner, 67. 'They are building a Broadway version of Hocus Pocus,' he told The Art of Kindness podcast. 'I just want to pinch myself.' This news comes ahead of the highly anticipated release of Hocus Pocus 2 starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy on Disney+ Friday.  Back and heading to Broadway: Bette Midler, center, Sarah Jessica Parker, left, and Kathy Najimy, right, wreaked hilarious chaos on Salem, Massachussets back in 1993 as the Sanderson Sisters.

during the Broadway Podcast Network’s “The Art of Kindness” podcast on Thursday.“This started before COVID, but now it seems to be back on — and that is that they are building a Broadway version of ‘Hocus Pocus,’ ” said Kirschner.“I just want to pinch myself, and I’m just afraid that I’m going to be 9 years old and on a Little League field again … But it’s just so wonderful just to stand back and watch all of this.”The 67-year-old producer and “Hocus Pocus” creator made the announcement a day before the highly-anticipated sequel is set to fly on Disney+.“It’s not just me. It’s so many people that brought ‘Hocus Pocus’ [to life] — from [director] Kenny Ortega and Mick Garris’ script and John Debney’s score and Bill Sandell’s production design, and now a whole new generation are working on it,” Kirschner said.“Hocus Pocus” and its sequel star Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the hilarious-yet-sinister Sanderson sisters — who are hellbent on terrorizing modern-day Salem, Massachusetts.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The Salem witch sisters are back for a straight-to-streamer reunion this week with the release of “Hocus Pocus 2,” the highly anticipated sequel to the 1993 cult classic. The reboot arrives on Disney+ on Friday, Sept. 30. Bette Middler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles as the Sanderson sisters in the reboot, nearly three decades after their fabulously flamboyant performances turned what was expected to be a typical comedy with fleeting success into a campy cult favorite that has become a Halloween staple for millions across the country. Read More: The ‘Hocus Pocus’ Sequel Has Created Some Truly Insane (And Inspired) Merch