Hocus Pocus 2

The Sanderson sisters return, bringing the same spooky humor with some modern twists. ... From left, Kathy Najimy ...

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. 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. [an initial negative reception](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/16/movies/review-film-bette-midler-queen-witch-in-heavy-makeup.html) 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.

'Hocus Pocus 2,' starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, will be on Disney+ starting September 30.

[Hocus Pocus 2](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fmovies%2Fhocus-pocus-2%2F4Q5cWHlnVCun) [ page](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fmovies%2Fhocus-pocus-2%2F4Q5cWHlnVCun) on Disney+'s official site or stream it directly on the [Disney+ app](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fdisney%2Fid1446075923). [$7.99 per month or $79.99 per year](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhelp.disneyplus.com%2F). [Adrianna Freedman](/author/245093/Adrianna-Freedman)Editorial Assistant In addition, you can opt into the Disney Bundle (which includes Hulu and ESPN+) for [$13.99 per month](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fwelcome%2Fdisney-hulu-espn-bundle). And while you're at it, you should make watching the new film into a movie marathon, with a screening of [Hocus Pocus](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525078&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fmovies%2Fhocus-pocus%2F2iCcYcGrx7qD) as well. [Hocus Pocus](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/a40116820/hocus-pocus-quotes/) debuted in theaters, fans have made the Halloween movie into a classic. There are multiple ways you can watch and stream Hocus Pocus 2. Here's what you need to know about watching Hocus Pocus 2 online: Hocus Pocus 2 will exclusively stream on Disney+. Now, it's up to a new set of teens to make sure they don't cause chaos again, all before dawn on All Hallow's Eve. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan, as they accidentally resurrect the Black Flame Candle and bring the Sanderson sisters back. Now, Disney is revealing what the trio of evil witches have been up to in [Hocus Pocus 2](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a38135298/hocus-pocus-2-sequel-trailer-cast-release-date-news/), premiering on September 30.

When it was first released in 1993, the Halloween tale about three witchy sisters—played with panache by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker— ...

Though it doesn’t steer close to the campy magic of the original, that’s as good a reason as any to return to Salem. It’s probably the only way to tell the story in the modern age, though it may come as a disappointment to hardcore Hocus Pocus fans who miss the crass flavor of the original. If Hocus Pocus was a kid movie aimed at adults, Hocus Pocus 2 is a teen movie aimed squarely at tweens. Once they’re back, the sisters run amok, resuming their evil mission of stealing kid souls to stay youthful and alive forever. Directed by Anne Fletcher, the film brings us back to modern-day Salem, where the Sanderson sisters have gone from being a local legend to becoming a major commercial part of the town’s tapestry. When it was first released in 1993, the Halloween tale about three witchy sisters—played with panache by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker—stomping around modern-day Salem and trying to steal the souls of children was a critical and commercial misfire.

Disney's fan service project reunites Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, but it's newcomers Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo who shine.

But before they do, Hocus Pocus 2 indulges in a delightful “women out of time” detour as the sisters—in the movie’s best and funniest scenes—confront the 21st century by way of a trip to a Walgreens. And all walk it in a way that conveys they “understood the assignment” here: Make a Goonies-lite, Amblin-adjacent entertainment that recaptures that Disney Channel Original Movie magic without sullying or degrading “the brand.” For a very passionate fanbase, their efforts have proven very successful. As fun as it is to see these nearly-30-year-old characters get the legacy sequel treatment, the real stars of the movie are its newer characters, especially Becca. The filmmakers’ affinity for the first movie is immediately evident, as Hocus Pocus 2 opens with a flashback to a formative 17th-century moment from the sisters’ teenage years. Snap to 29 years later and modern-day Salem has capitalized on the Sanderson Sisters’ mythos with just the right amount of “meta:” The Sandersons’ old home is now a magic shop run by the duplicitous Gilbert (Sam Richardson). Playing like a big-budget “Disney Channel Original Movie” for the millennial crowd but with a more character-driven narrative, this overdue sequel to the 29-year-old original offers a surprisingly clever and, at times (blushes) heartfelt continuation of the Sanderson Sisters’ bewitching ways.

Rough greenscreen work can't keep the Sanderson Sisters down in Hocus Pocus 2, a fun enough follow-up to a Halloween classic.

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. 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. Amelia Emberwing [Hocus Pocus 2 - Official Teaser TrailerCheck out the teaser trailer for Hocus Pocus 2.It's been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking for revenge. Hocus Pocus 2 is all about the power of the coven. For example, the town’s Mayor Traske is noted to have ties to the Salem Witch Trials, and the family does! 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. 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 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. The reason it’s a problem here is because it looks like it wasn’t filmed in Salem. 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. 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. Almost 20 years ago, the original Hocus Pocus debuted to lackluster reviews and limited financial returns.

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

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). The dialogue is leaden with exposition, there are weird, indulgent musical sequences (that perhaps serve as a tease of the 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. [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://www.theguardian.com/film/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. 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. 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.

We speak to an Oscar winner and a grime star this week, in the latest Backstage - the TV and film podcast from Sky News.

[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Claire Gregory is joined as usual by Stevie Wong, alongside Sky News' arts and entertainment reporter Chris Robertson, as they look at the latest news and reviews in the world of film and TV. We speak to an Oscar winner and a grime star this week, in the latest Backstage - the TV and film podcast from Sky News.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy return in this highly anticipated sequel. It's been almost 3 decades since the iconic Hocus Pocus movie and ...

Hocus Pocus 2 trailer Hocus Pocus 2 preview Where to watch Hocus Pocus 2 online in Australia You can watch Hocus Pocus 2 exclusively on Hocus Pocus 2 is directed by Anne Fletcher, also responsible for When does Hocus Pocus 2 come out? History repeats itself in the sequel as supernatural comedy Hocus Pocus 2 sees the witches back and looking for revenge. [best Disney Plus shows](https://www.finder.com.au/disney-plus-best-shows) and [best Disney Plus movies](https://www.finder.com.au/disney-plus-best-movies) on offer, and [Finder's review of the service](https://www.finder.com.au/disney-plus-review). It's been almost 3 decades since the iconic Hocus Pocus movie and now we can watch the Sanderson sisters make a comeback in Hocus Pocus 2.

The Sanderson sisters (played once again by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker) may threaten a teen or two and bewitch the adult population of ...

She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. This is all in the service of family-friendly mayhem, but there’s no remorse in these witches’ hearts. The threat of this is made real in the original film’s opening moments, as young Emily Binx is drained of her life while her brother watches on in helpless horror.

Andrew Scott and Bella Ramsey star in Lena Dunham's bracing look at life in medieval England, while the 90s cult classic gets the original Sanderson Sisters ...

[atmospheric drama](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/16/waves-review-drama-trey-edward-shults-peter-bradshaw). [2013 film](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/05/aint-them-bodies-saints-review), a delicate, Malick-esque love story. [sprightly comedy](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/13/catherine-called-birdy-review-lena-dunhams-delightful-medieval-romp) by Lena Dunham focuses on Birdy (Bella Ramsey) as she narrates her life as a 14-year-old aristocrat in medieval England. The work was done by the staff of Gazeta Sporturilor, which is known mainly as a sports paper, and though there are many depressing aspects to the film’s revelations, it does proves the vital role independent journalism can play in an open society. The serious nature of their situation is balanced by the giddy newness of adventure; their offence gaining iconic status in the Black communities they pass through and are welcomed by. Bridges is as magnetic as ever as the lawman on the verge of retirement, but Pine and Foster also impress as the errant siblings.

It's unlikely even Disney knew they had a classic Halloween scene on their hands when they put microphones in front of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, ...

The only real innovation of the Sandersons is a prologue set during their childhoods in the 1600s, and a more benign variation on the first movie’s climax, both of which seem ready to recontextualize the Sandersons as antiheroes. Children are the ultimate arbiters of whether this movie is worth their time, and much like how one generation embraced the first film on the Disney Channel, Hocus Pocus 2’s faults will undoubtedly be mooted by this film’s core Disney+ viewership who won’t mind if it’s more of the same, but worse. While it’s nice to finally have a Disney movie about kids going on an adventure again, unlike the brother-sister dynamic between Omri Katz and Thora Birch in the original movie, or even the tragedy of the animatronic black cat they called Thackery Binx, there’s no emotional investment by the screenplay or the direction in Becca’s storyline. But that new subplot seems undercooked since the movie still needs scenes of the weird sisters thrilled at the notion of eating children’s souls. Of course it’s unfair on some level to be comparing a new, perfectly innocuous family movie on streaming so intensely with the original, and yet the problem with nostalgia sequels is they retrace their predecessors’ footprints so studiously that it’s impossible to separate them. It’s perfunctory, like most of the plot machinations throughout the movie. Some of those set-pieces work, including when the invaluable Doug Jones reprises his role as Billy Butcherson, the Good Zombie from the original movie, but it’s all old, pointy hat. They sing, they cackle, and they pratfall with a relish that’s infectious. The trio immediately break into a song, and are then breaking bad… Set almost exactly 30 years after the ‘93 film, Hocus Pocus 2 primarily follows three adolescent girls who once were their own makeshift coven of wiccans: Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham). Thirty years on, that spell endures still, making the scene and the movie it’s borne from a stone cold holiday classic. Redoing such iconography is always the greatest intimidation, yet biggest audience expectation, that comes with remakes, reboots, and legacy sequels.

Hocus Pocus 2 brings the Sanderson sisters back for more Halloween hijinks and manages to channel the fun of the original film nearly 30 years later.

Those who consider Hocus Pocus a Halloween staple are likely to find themselves embracing this new, two-film saga with the Sandersons going forward, as the trio’s return gives audiences even more of a good thing. Hocus Pocus 2 also does a fine job of avoiding the pitfalls some sequels encounter when attempting to add a new chapter to a film released several decades earlier. Much like the original film, the teenagers might be the story’s heroes, but the Sanderson sisters are the real stars of Hocus Pocus 2. Gossip Girl actress Whitney Peak portrays Becca, who accidentally resurrects the Sanderson sisters in the film, and carries her role in the family-friendly adventure well, with just the sort of earnestness that Disney films of this sort demand. Hocus Pocus 2 conjures up original cast members Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson, respectively, the trio of witches who were accidentally resurrected in the 1993 film and terrorized the town of Salem before being defeated by a group of precocious teenagers and a magical black cat. And because this is a time when everything old is eventually new again — particularly if it’s gained the sort of post-release popularity Hocus Pocus has enjoyed — Disney has decided to

The original film follows a trio of kids who work together to defeat the wickedly funny Sanderson sisters (played by Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah ...

In that respect, “Hocus Pocus 2” remains quite the same. While the sequel sweeps the issue a little more under the rug, the birds and the bees conversation still haunts Salem, and even pokes fun at the uncomfortable “what’s a virgin?” conversation many families were forced into after the first movie. We get a shortened version performed by the Mother Witch (played by “Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddingham). The new generation of Salem youths are a group of teen girls: Becca (Whitney Peak), Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo). [I Put a Spell on You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCTbr3vjb6I),” as performed by Midler, Najimy and Parker. To achieve their immortality in the original “Hocus Pocus,” the Sanderson sisters require a virgin to light a candle. Though it didn’t do particularly well in theaters or with home sales, it found a second life on television: When Disney started to air the film on its own channel, and later on ABC Family, “a generation of millennials … In the not-too-distant future look for ‘Hocus Pocus’ in the rental-store bins, or as part of a Halloween ‘Trick or Treat’ package.” You’re going to put the leads of the first movie in the background and be satisfied? You’re not going to be satisfied, you’re going to be angry,” she explained. The original film follows a trio of kids who work together to defeat the wickedly funny Sanderson sisters (played by Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker) after accidentally bringing them back from the dead. The only thing millennials have been waiting longer for than affordable housing is a “Hocus Pocus” sequel.

The long-awaited sequel features the three Sanderson witches we've come to know and love, with the movie starring the same iconic actors from the original such ...

Here are the details on how to watch and where you can see Hocus Pocus 2 . At the moment, there is no free trial for the streaming service, so you will need to sign up if you’re not already a member. How to watch Hocus Pocus 2: where to watch the sequel

Surprisingly for a sequel based on a mediocre film, Hocus Pocus 2 is actually pretty fun.

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. 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. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that “ 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. Plus, there is the intro-to-camp factor of Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy as singing sisters bent on eating children to preserve their youth.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy return as the witchy Sanderson sisters in Disney sequel 'Hocus Pocus 2.'

And after their 1993 rendition of “I Put a Spell on You,” of course the witches are obliged to revive their Vegas-style lounge act here, this time while crashing (what else?) a Sanderson Sisters-themed costume contest — a self-congratulatory wink at how popular the “Hocus Pocus” phenomenon has become. That lengthy gestation speaks to the long, weird shelf life of the first “Hocus Pocus,” received as a campy misfire but reclaimed, over the decades, as a Halloween staple and (oc)cult classic. They’re particularly funny in one sequence in which Becca and her friend, Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), try to distract the witches from their pedicidal rampage by taking them shopping at Walgreens, where they’re duly wowed by the advanced sorcery of beauty products and automatic sliding doors. That’s what happens again in “Hocus Pocus 2,” this time by way of a rather smarter teenager, Becca (Whitney Peak), and a very dumb Salem historian, Gilbert (Sam Richardson), plus some tortuous story logic that brings the evil sisters whooshing back to life. Flash forward to the present day, which happens to be exactly 29 years after the events of the first “Hocus Pocus,” when a virginal high schooler ill-advisedly resurrected the Sanderson Sisters for one Halloween night of literally soul-sucking mayhem. [“Hocus Pocus”](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-16-ca-13536-story.html) (1993), which, like “Avatar,” has now spawned a long-awaited follow-up.

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).

The live-action comedy follows the wonderfully wicked Sanderson sisters—Winifred (Disney Legend Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary (Kathy ...

“The original rings on her bodice were simply decorative, but I wanted them to have a meaning, so we made them out of hammered brass and had the Wiccan words for earth, fire, wind, and water carved into them.” “The original sleeves were made from a mesh fabric, which wasn’t a period detail, but Anne Fletcher liked the spider idea, so we decided to make the sleeves out of individually crocheted spider webs that were joined together to make up the sleeves,” he says. Winifred’s boots in the original film were off the rack, and a pointed toe was applied later on—but Perez wanted to push that look further in the sequel. “Then I found a French Chantilly lace that had the same pattern as the original skirt front, and the rest of the skirt is made from layers of dyed chiffon and organza.” Perez and his team wanted to study the original costumes and conduct a detailed assessment of each outfit before they could reimagine and update them for the sequel. “I incorporated the eye to reference the Book of Spells, and the ravens on the coals are inspired by the Witch [Hannah Waddingham] who first appears as a raven,” Perez says.

Hocus Pocus 2's director, Bette Midler, & Kathy Najimy shared how the sequel was a dream come true, changing the costumes, and the musical numbers.

She’s just one of the best people, one of the best directors and one of the best artists, ever in the world. In the 1600s, that version of witchcraft was tethered to the earth, the ocean, and the stars, all tied together. MIDLER: We talked a lot about sisterhood, and we talked a lot about leaning on each other and counting on each other and having loyalty to each other. NAJIMY: And there’s very little hesitation in our ideas and the things that we’re gonna do. In any situation where women are together, a bond of friendship and sisterhood is really, really important. And I think these three characters are really, in a strange and odd way, quite positive for women. They did the arrangement and the lyrics. And he said, “Because I love Hocus Pocus.” I was like, “All right. FLETCHER: The mission, in general, is the story, honoring the first movie, carrying that into the sequel, making sure that I’m honoring these characters for the fans, and bringing it into a new generation. I didn’t feel like I could compete with “I Put a Spell on You,” which Bette and Marc Shaiman wrote. When a teenager lights the Black Flame Candle, the 17th-century troublemakers are resurrected to run amok and continue wreaking havoc all over Salem before the end of All Hallow’s Eve, leaving a trail of mayhem in their renewed quest for immortality. After I realized it was actually a phenomenon, I started asking people around my age, “Don’t you think they would be interested in a sequel?” This was a long time ago.

After the 'alchemy' of 'I Put a Spell on You,' Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker cover a Blondie hit in the Disney+ sequel.

Walk to the left!’” “He and I went to town on any song under the sun that had the word witch, moon, cat, evil, you name it. “Will it take another 30 years?” he asks with a laugh. “There’s a part that’s not in the movie where Bette and I totally went insane: ‘We’re gonna slay ya/ then probably fillet ya/ it might upset ya/ but we’ll getcha.’ We worked really hard on it, and even when I think it’s good, there will always be that phone call at night from Bette saying, ‘We gotta fix this part.’ She’s endlessly striving for perfection.” “We had to work quickly, and since Bette is a consummate live performer, you don’t need to do more than a few takes with her and Kathy and Sarah, and you’ve got it in the bag,” says Ortega. Though critics panned the movie and the audio still has yet to be released, the sequence has developed a cultlike popularity over the last three decades as the film has become a Halloween-season staple. And that began with Bette: She had a great sense of humor about the work and her character that she would often crack herself up. She just couldn’t believe some of the places that Winifred Sanderson enabled her to go, and I just had to tell her, ‘Keep going!’” “At the time, I just couldn’t imagine getting all the way through this movie without taking advantage of her musical talent.” The original “Hocus Pocus” sees Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as sibling witches desperate to extract children’s souls in order to maintain their own youth. Composer Marc Shaiman, who regularly collaborated with Midler on her musical performances onscreen and onstage, rearranged the track into a family-friendly showstopper that highlighted her soaring vocals and animated acting choices. [“Hocus Pocus 2,”](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-09-30/hocus-pocus-2-review-bette-midler-disney) Bette Midler shouts off a set of direct commands.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy premiered their highly anticipated Disney+ sequel in New York on Tuesday, along with newcomers Sam ...

Other panels featured the Father of the Bride cast and creative team, Valderrama on building his own enterprise, and Dwayne Johnson’s business partners Dany and Hiram Garcia. 23, co-founder and president of Cinémoi USA Daphna Edwards Ziman officially launched Justice For Women — an effort created to eradicate emotional, economic and physical violence against women — and the Every Girl’s City initiative at a gala event during the UN General Assembly in New York City. The New York City Ballet hosted its 10th annual Fall Fashion Gala on Wednesday, which raised $3.4 million for the ballet and honored board vice chair Sarah Jessica Parker for her decade of leadership. Barack Obama, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Wilmer Valderrama, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Luis Guzmán and Oscar De La Hoya are just a few of the names that made the trek to San Diego for the conference, which featured panel discussions, networking and a black-tie gala. The night included special performances by Chaka Khan and Doug E. The star-studded guest list included Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Oscar Isaac, John Krasinski, Dua Lipa, Drew Barrymore, Ethan Hawke, Gemma Chan, Tracee Ellis Ross and Julianna Marguiles. Employees from Endeavor companies including WME, UFC, IMG, Frieze and more volunteered 30,000 working hours to support 300 organizations across 100 cities worldwide. Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, Jessica Williams, Ty Dolla $ign, Laura Harrier and Teyana Taylor were in attendance along with executive producers Kenya Barris, Fletcher Moules, Maurice Williams, Ian Edelman, Karina Manashil and Dennis Cummings. On Wednesday, Netflix hosted a brunch and evening premiere for new series Entergalactic, the latter at the The Paris Theater in New York City. George and Amal Clooney and their Clooney Foundation chaired the inaugural Albie Awards in NYC on Thursday, honoring courageous defenders of justice who are at great risk for what they do. Kate Hudson and director Ana Lily Amirpour attended a special screening in Los Angeles on Wednesday night for their film Mona Lisa and The Blood Moon. [Hocus Pocus 2](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/hocus-pocus-2/), [A Friend of the Family](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/a-friend-of-the-family/), Entergalactic and the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Albie Awards.

Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson · Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson · Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson · Doug Jones as Billy Butcherson · Hannah Waddingham ...

As you dive into the nostalgia and watch the movie, here's where you might recognize the various cast members from! Before sunrise hits on [Halloween](https://www.popsugar.com/Halloween), the group must stop the evil witches before they steal the souls of children and get their revenge on the town of Salem for good. The sequel to the [original 1993 film](https://www.popsugar.com/Hocus-Pocus) follows teenagers Becca, Cassie, and Izzy, who accidentally summon the Sanderson sisters back to life by lighting the Black Flame Candle you'll remember from the original.

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.

The long-awaited sequel to the Halloween favorite is now streaming on Disney+.

We’re a very decisive group which goes also goes to show that women can be decisive.” Whatever it is that our mission is, there’s not a lot of second-guessing which I don’t think you see a lot.” And we talked a lot about leaning on each other and counting on each other and loyalty to each other. She has a core friend group and no matter what happens, she eventually gets to [make] sure that she has her sisters behind her the entire time.” I think she is a very good example of misstepping and not being able to figure it out until she communicates with her best friends. “You know, as a fan of the movie itself, this was directed right at me. It wasn’t like you were just a lackey. “I think I just admire that she just has this, like, blind loyalty to these girls, [and] will do anything for them, no questions asked—totally would go against three evil witches.” “And I think it’s amazing that, you have one end of horror, and then you have this end of camp. “He kind of matches the energy and the floppiness and the fun and the overdone characters of the sisters. Advertisement io9 recently participated in the press conference for the film with the cast and creative team to discuss the making of the movie and why it t00k 29 years to get here.