After 29 years, a sequel to Walt Disney’s original “Hocus Pocus” has finally been released. 

Freeform does “31 Nights of Halloween” where they broadcast tons of classic Halloween movies and the 1993, “Hocus Pocus” is played countless times. The movie is a fan favorite and many have seen it so many times that they can recite lines word for word.

The movie brought back the same actors who played the Sanderson Sisters in the old movie, which is super exciting. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy come back as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. Sophomore Gio Gooden agreed that it was nice to see the original actors back in their same roles after it being so many years since the first one came out.

Three girls, Becca(Whitney Peak), Izzy(Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie(Lilia Buckingham) unintentionally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day, and they must figure out how to stop them from destroying Salem. This movie veers from the original storyline and involves a new side story. 

This movie introduces a new generation of characters. Junior, Nabiha Ilkaqor said she liked “Hocus Pocus 2” way better than the original because the storyline and character development is much better.

The actors who play Max, Dani, and Allison do not make an appearance and their characters are not brought up in “Hocus Pocus 2.” The director of the movie, Anne Fletcher said this is “due to difficulties in organically integrating them into the story.” 

Freshman Asher Light said he wished they had brought back the initial characters from the 1993 version to help the new generation fight the Sanderson Sisters. Instead of tying the new storyline to the old characters, they introduce a new character, Gilbert whom they relate back to the original movie. Gilbert’s character is quite problematic and as Sophomore Lily Bratton said, he makes a whole mess. 

The movie does a fantastic job of recreating the returning characters’ roles. Ilkaqor said, “Mary had such a complicated personality.” At one point in the film, she even uses Roomba vacuum cleaners as transportation, just like in the original movie when she uses a generic vacuum. This contrasted the time periods well. 

Billy Butcherson was another character that made it into the new movie. Light said  Billy was much more important to the plot. Billy’s significance to the witches is explained; and if you look closely, the stitches that Winifred sewed his mouth shut with say “kiss.” 

According to The Walt Disney Company, they recreated the witches’ costumes to fit the newer time period. Additionally, the costumes relate to details within the movie and the characters. For example, Winifred’s costume has the eye of her spell book;  Sarah’s costume incorporates spiders, and Mary’s rings signify elements of the earth. In the 1960s, witchcraft was linked to the stars, the ocean, and the Earth and this symbolism is represented in their costumes.

One disadvantage is that “Hocus Pocus 2” is only being streamed on Disney+. It’s not being shown in theaters and it will not premiere on live tv this year. A poll conducted on The Scribe Instagram concluded that 73% of participants have a Disney+ membership. Disney+ costs $7.99 per month. Additionally, 80% of participants said they haven’t seen Hocus Pocus 2.

Ilkaqor said she liked “Hocus Pocus 2” way better than the original. She says the storyline and character development are much better. Several South students recommend watching this movie if you have little siblings, if you’ve seen the original, or if you just need a laugh.