I finally watched Hocus Pocus 2, six and half months after it premiered on Disney Plus. It’s the long awaited sequel to Hocus Pocus which came out nearly 30 years ago. The film sees the return of the Sanderson sisters after the Black Flame Candle was lit once again. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham, Froy Gutierrez, Sam Richardson, Tony Hale, and Doug Jones.

I thought Hocus Pocus 2 was alright. I loved Hocus Pocus. I grew up on it. The movie was released when I was very little, so I did not see it until a little later. I enjoyed the original a lot. I was excited for a sequel and waited years for it to finally happen. I think the cast does a good job, especially Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy who play the Sanderson sisters. They really make the films. Doug Jones also does a good job as zombie Billy Butcherson. I liked the opening sequence of the movie which tells a bit of an origin story for the sisters when they were much younger. We also get to see how they became witches. I thought that sequence was cool. The rest of the movie takes place in the present. There are some flashbacks to key moments from the original movie using footage from the original.

I felt Hocus Pocus 2 was a bit shallow compared to the first movie. It is hard to pinpoint why it felt shallow. The movie centered on Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Bella Escobedo) who are best friends and accidentally unleash the Sanderson sisters. There was also a third friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) who had been busy with her boyfriend Mike (Froy Gutierrez) and had not spent that much time with Becca and Izzy. Eventually the three reconnect when the Sanderson sisters go after Cassie’s dad (Tony Hale) who is a descendant of someone from their past. The relationships felt a bit hollow in this movie on both ends. There were some nice moments with the Sanderson sisters, but a lot just felt unexplored. There are a lot of movies that do not have three dimensional characters and go in depth with a lot of things like character development. Even in those movies, the audience can still feel some sort of connection to the main characters and invest in their relationships. This just felt empty, and it felt like something was missing.

I feel like the Sanderson sisters were not as involved which is weird because they were in a lot of the movie. They felt sidelined in a way. It is hard to explain why it felt that way. I did not dislike any of the new characters, but I also felt indifferent to the characters. The only one that stood out was Gilbert (Sam Richardson) who owned a magic shop. It was a little hard to get invested with the Sanderson sisters this time too. I felt the movie was lacking the magic that the first one had.

Hocus Pocus has become a phenomenon since it came out in 1993. It has a huge audience. Hocus Pocus 2 felt like a Disney Channel movie to a degree. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Disney Channel has had some really great movies over the years like the High School Musical and Descendants movies. Hocus Pocus 2 was not a Disney Channel movie. It was a movie that was released on Disney Plus. It had a bigger budget than a Disney Channel movie. There were aspects of the film that just felt more Disney Channel movie than theatrical movie. Before Disney Plus came out, I believe that the original intention for a sequel would have been for a theatrical release. That changed once Disney Plus was born.

Hocus Pocus 2 is not a bad movie but it’s not as great as it could have been. I think the original movie is better. Hocus Pocus 2 kind of lacked some of the fun that the first one had. I also did not find it as funny either. The music was alright. It was not fun the way the original was. Hocus Pocus 2 has a post credits scene that sets up a potential third movie. I would like to see a Hocus Pocus 3. I would like to see a darker movie. Something that is fun but a little edgier. It could be PG-13 if need be. A huge part of the fanbase for Hocus Pocus are adults. I was three when the original came out. I think there is a way to make Hocus Pocus darker but still fun for the whole family. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies were a little more grown up and tons of families went to those. That franchise even had some spooky moments as well. I also would like to see more music in a potential third movie. It does not have to be a musical. There are some good songs that are appropriate for Halloween. I also would like to learn more about the Sandersons. There could be some more flashbacks in the next movie. If they make Hocus Pocus 3, the movie has to have the Sanderson sisters as the stars, and they have to be prominent in the movie regardless if it’s a new cast of characters or if they bring back the original cast from the first movie. At the end of the day Hocus Pocus is all about the Sanderson sisters.