It’s been almost 30 years since Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy brought the Sanderson sisters to us in Hocus Pocus and as we prepare for what’s next, Hocus Pocus 2 (on Disney+ September 30)the stars of the original film reflect on the significance of these women in cultural history.
“There’s so much going on in this world that we never really realized until maybe the last 25, 30 years, maybe 50 years, things have changed for women, but things haven’t changed pretty quickly for women,” Midler said at a press conference. Wednesday. “I think those three characters are really, in a weird, weird way, they’re really, really positive for women.”
“First of all, they’re very funny, which women aren’t allowed to be, aren’t supposed to be, and they’re intensely loyal to each other…I think in a way funny, their bond is very, very strong, so in any situation where women are together, a bond of friendship and sisterhood is really, really important, and then this movie kind of reinforces that.
” There is very little [hesitance] in our ideas and the things that we are going to do,” added Najimy. “We’re like, this is what we have to do, we’re going to do this, even if it is, eat kids. Whatever our mission, there’s not a lot of doubt, which I don’t think you see a lot.”
“We’re a very decisive group, which also shows that women can be decisive,” Midler said.
What is “Hocus Pocus 2” about?
Hocus Pocus 2 begins with an origin story, traveling back in time to when a young Winifred is banished from Salem on her 16th birthday and escapes, along with her sisters Sarah and Mary, into the forbidden woods. This is where they meet Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham’s character, The Witch Mother, which sets the trio on their way to becoming the witches we saw in the 1993 film.
Fast forward to the present day, high school girls Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) prepare for their annual ritual where, on Becca’s birthday/Halloween, they travel to the Forbidden Woods. This year, their friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) won’t be joining them, due to tensions that arose when Cassie found a boyfriend.
Sam Richardson plays Gilbert, who runs the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe, who tells town children the story of the Sanderson sisters and the tradition that if a virgin lights a Black Flame candle on Halloween with a full moon in the sky, the the sisters will return. As you might expect (given that all three original characters are in the movie), Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson return and are ready to steal the children’s souls again, but this time there’s more story. involved in their pursuit.
Hocus Pocus became an absolute cultural phenomenon, but it wasn’t a huge hit when it was initially released. It’s important to note this because with any sequel, especially one that comes years later, it’s easy to go back to the original with rose-colored glasses, in a way that makes it impossible to enjoy something new. .
One thing is certain in Hocus Pocus 2 is that the magic of the Sanderson sisters never died. Watching Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy is every bit as peppy and seductive as we want it to be, with several absolutely hysterical moments.
Another interesting highlight is seeing Doug Jones reprise the role of Billy Butcherson, once again.
“I was 32 when I faced him the first time, I was 61 against him the second time, a big difference,” Jones said. “My first scene in the movie was tripping down a flight of stairs leading to a door, I’m like, I can’t remember how tiring it was before.”
“When I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, oh my God, two minutes have passed in the last 29 years. He came right back, voice and all. I don’t know how it happened. happened, but it was a bit magical.
Looking at the current part of the film, Sam Richardson and Tony Hale (who plays the mayor and Cassie’s father), are comedic geniuses, while the trio of young women, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo and Lilia Buckingham stand out among the Sanderson sisters.
‘A dream come true’
Reflecting on what made the original film so important and loved by so many, Kathy Najimy pointed out that you never really know how a movie is going to impact an audience.
“I think you just make films and move on to the next one, and however the audience receives it, it’s always a surprise,” Najimy said. “So I think there was something about that movie, I think, like Wizard of Oz-ish, where the generation shows it to its children, shows it to its children, and shows it to its children. So it’s part of the fabric of the family history.
For Bette Midler, she said it’s “a dream come true” to be able to step into the world of Hocus Pocus Again.
“It was kind of a dream come true, it really was,” Midler said. “After realizing it was actually a phenom, I started asking people my age… ‘don’t you think they would be interested in a sequel?'”
” It was a long time ago. It was 15 years ago, something like that. So here we are… I love a franchise, I think I’m a little older for a franchise at this point. But I’ll take what I can get.
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