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Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Bette Midler are back as the Sanderson Sisters in the long-awaited sequel, Hocus Pocus 2 – which is now on Disney Plus. The first reviews are already in, and critics have mixed feelings about the magic-filled movie.
Released in 1993, the original followed a young boy named Max (Omri Katz) who inadvertently resurrects witches Sarah, Winifred and Mary, endangering the Salem town he and his family move to just before Halloween. Its follow-up centers on a similar plot, as three young women unleash the child-hungry sorceresses. Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham, Sam Richardson, Tony Hale, and Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham also star, while Doug Jones appears as Winnie's zombified ex-boyfriend Billy Butcherson once again.
"Like many fan favorite follow-ups, 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," argues The Guardian's Benjamin Lee, while Independent's Amanda Whiting writes: "It's less menacing. It lacks the exquisite cuteness exuded by a middle-grade Thora Birch. There are zero talking cats. But that's unlikely to matter much to most audiences."
Den of Geek's David Crow claimed that while Hocus Pocus 2 is "leaps and bounds better than most second helpings of Disney nostalgia", the sequel "still can't climb out of its own grave." Elsewhere, Screen It! scribe Jim Judy was more scathing, describing the flick as "mediocre, flat, uninspired, and thus [as] forgettable as its predecessor."
Others found some merit in it, like ABC News' Peter Travers, who called it "bewitching" and Bloody Disgusting's Meagan Navarro says: "Nearly three decades later, the Sanderson sisters still cast a magical spell, offering a warm hug of nostalgic callbacks with a modern take on sisterhood."
"It manages to capture the same hokey magic of the original while creatively updating its humor," adds New York Times journalist Claire Shaffer, as London Evening Standard's Elizabeth Gregory awards it the full five out of five stars. "The banshees are more brilliantly bonkers than ever in this rollicking sequel," she gushes.
At the time of writing, Hocus Pocus 2 has a 64% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It is available to stream on Disney Plus now, if you want to make up your own mind about it. Or, if sorcery-filled sequels aren't your bag, then check out the best movies on Disney Plus and the best shows on Disney Plus for some viewing inspiration.
