Hocus Pocus 2: Bewitching Disney Plus

Hocus Pocus 2, the sequel to the original 1993 movie, was released on September 30 on Disney Plus, and let’s just say it was better than the original. 

The plot of the movie had more consistency than the original movie, which made it more entertaining. While Hocus Pocus focused on some side plots, making it feel like the story was a little all over the place, Hocus Pocus 2 focused more on the main plot and had a great flow throughout the movie.

In the 1993 movie, there was a side plot of Max liking Allison and him trying to be her boyfriend, but that was never shown at the end of the movie of whether or not he was able to. It just felt like a cliffhanger of if he got the girl or not.

Although it was shown throughout the movie that he could have, we as an audience never got that question solved, which would have made the movie come full circle and have a better ending.

Within the opening scenes of the movie, we get a back story of how the Sanderson Sisters became witches and how they were treated as children. As some could imagine, they were not well-liked by the townspeople, especially the Reverend. The sisters were gifted a Book by another witch since it was Winifred’s 16th birthday, and that witch knew that these sisters were destined for greatness.

It was good to see a backstory on these famous witches because it shows how they became who they are today and any motives they have. It’s also great to see that the connection between the sisters has been there for a long time since all they had was each other. 

As the movie continues, we see that it takes place in modern Salem, following Becca and her best friend Izzy, who are into crystals and casting spells. Though this is a movie about witches, it’s good to see the representation of how some teens today also enjoy these things and how it is a normal thing to do. 

The actresses Sara Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Bette Midler were back to play the Sanderson Sisters and it was great to see them. No one else could have played the witty and chaotic sisters better like these actresses. They know exactly when the characters should be serious or full of energy, which is something that great actresses should be like.

One detail that was enjoyable to see was the number of people who dressed up like the original characters from the 1993 movie. It took me by surprise when someone was watching the original movie since the movie is within the same universe as this movie. 

I’m happy to say that the visual effects within the movie were a lot better than most Disney movies recently. It looked very clean and didn’t seem like it was garbage, which is something that lately has been a problem with other live-action movies and shows. Everything within the movie didn’t feel like Disney was on a budget with the effects and was really well-made.

This movie is really good, but every good movie always has something wrong with it. Something that could have made the movie come full circle was seeing Becca, Izzy, and Cassie all together again and how they feel after the events of the Sanderson Sisters. 

This could’ve been a happy ending that everyone could enjoy and not question unless another movie were to come out, which I hope there isn’t. Although at the end of the movie there were end credit scenes that may suggest that there could potentially be a third movie, it isn’t necessary since we saw the happy ending for everyone.

Though Hocus Pocus is a classic Halloween movie that is enjoyed by many, I would say that later on in the future this could also be a classic. It may not be up there with Hocus Pocus, but it could be within that vicinity because of the great plot. This is a great movie that should be watched for many Halloweens to come along with the original.