As the premiere of Hocus Pocus 2 draws ever nearer, new stills from the movie have revealed new looks at the young leads, the young versions of the Sanderson sisters and the Sandersons being reunited with their spell book in what appears to be a gift shop that has been set up in their old cottage. The belated sequel to the 1993 movie wrapped filming earlier this year and will premiere on Disney+ just in time for Halloween, bringing back Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters who will once again look to bring about chaos and madness to the world.
Disney recently released a trailer for the upcoming movie, which will be set 29 years after the events of Hocus Pocus, with the inadvertent resurrection of the Sandersons once again leading to mayhem on Halloween when the Black Flame Candle is lit by high school students Becca, Cassie and Izzy. Along with the trio of witches, Doug Jones will also be reprising his role as Billy Butcherson, and some of the newcomers to the franchise include Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham and Belissa Escobedo as the three teens and Game of Thrones and Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham.
The new images give a first look at Buckingham and Escobedo in their roles as Cassie and Izzy respectively and the first good quality look at the young versions of the Sanderson Sisters featured in the movie. Another image shared by Instagram fan account Hocus Pocus Guide, who were on hand to provide behind-the-scenes videos and images during filming, shows the Sandersons casting a spell using their ancient book, while surrounded by what appears to be Sanderson Sister t-shirts which are being sold from the witches’ old cottage. Bringing the story into the modern day once again is clearly presenting several comedy situations for the witches to contend with, and even though the storyline pretty much follows the original movie to the letter, it is fully expected that Hocus Pocus 2 will be one of the hits of the season. Check out the images below.
Hocus Pocus 2 is Bringing Nostalgic Familiarity to Disney+
Disney’s synopsis for Hocus Pocus 2 reads: "It's been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters who were executed for practicing witchcraft, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high-school students to figure out how to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before midnight on All Hallow's Eve."
While the story may be a familiar one, the anticipation for the new sequel almost guarantees another hit on Disney+ when the movie premieres on September 30. With Hocus Pocus having been a regular fixture of the Halloween season for almost three decades, the continuation of the Sandersons’ story will be a draw for both new and old fans, and will be a welcome addition to the new movies and shows coming to Disney+ next month.