Hocus Pocus

A Disney+ sequel to the classic Halloween movie is magical. Plus, check out a new Marilyn Monroe biopic, "Blonde," a new stand-up comedy special from ...

Wouldn’t you be tempted to [light the Black Flame Candle to hear Midler belt out a show tune](https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/28/entertainment/hocus-pocus-2-disney/index.html), though? But it was also not fair to me.” I liked that the lyrics could be coming from two points of view, even if they were mostly written for one person to sing.” What did you like about today’s newsletter? What did we miss? I understand that probably he didn’t want a cohost, but the network wanted me to be the cohost and I didn’t think I should pass up that opportunity. [Ripa’s tension with her “Live with Kelly and Michael” cohost Michael Strahan](https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/30/entertainment/michael-strahan-kelly-ripa-interview/index.html), who famously left the show in 2016 amid Ripa’s complaints that she was the last to know of his decision. I don’t think it was fair to him. “These songs feel like my Great American Songbook, because of the songwriting and the impact that they had on me,” Wilson said in a statement. [ how tough things were at times with her former “Live with Regis and Kelly” cohost Regis Philbin](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/27/entertainment/kelly-ripa-regis-philbin/index.html). Speaking of Halloween: Almost 30 years after Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker blessed us – or should it be cursed us? [she rapped Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray”](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/22/entertainment/rita-wilson-rapping-coronavirus-trnd/index.html) in the early days of the pandemic.

In the film, the Sanderson Sisters are three Salem witches condemned to death in 1693 after draining the life force of a young girl and cursing her brother to ...

Birch also had a recurring role on The Walking Dead, which was treated as something of a comeback for the actress. The actress has been working steadily in Hollywood ever since, with prominent appearances in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, The Weight of Water, Corky Romano, and the Josh Hartnett comedy, 40 Days and 40 Nights. The man who infamously began his career in MacDonald’s commercials as “Mac Tonight” has become a frequent collaborator of Guillermo del Toro. The performance earned Birch a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. He appeared in NBC’s The John Larroquette Show, a failed vehicle for Larroquette after his success in Night Court, as well as the TV movie Dallas: J.R. Kathy Najimi was the perfect comic relief in Hocus Pocus, and it’s a skill set she’d use to great success in her continued Hollywood career. In 1998, the trajectory of Parker’s career changed forever when she landed the lead role in HBO’s Sex and the City. A Broadway legend and accomplished singer, Bette Midler has long been a mainstay in the entertainment industry. Sex and the City’s success didn’t stop Parker from appearing in films, as the actress starred in high-profile Hollywood releases such as The Family Stone, Failure to Launch, and Garry Marshall’s New Year’s Eve. In 2003, she kicked off her highly successful tour Kiss My Brass and went on to feature in the Stepford Wives remake. In October 2018, the 25th anniversary of the film, the first week of Hocus Pocus viewings on Freeform averaged 8.2 million viewers. Of course, three centuries later, a new teenager in Salem lights the candle as a joke, bringing the sisters back.

Hocus Pocus 2 brings us more Sanderson Sister antics, and if you're wondering how they get defeated this time, here's the ending explained.

And that’s the ending of Hocus Pocus 2! The teenagers grant her wish, but the spell doesn’t bring Mary and Sarah back, rather it sends Winnie to them. However, the sisters seemingly win due to their experience, and the spell begins. But in a shocking turn of events, Winnie failed to note the spell’s warning, which was also written in the spell book: to gain ultimate power, she must sacrifice something she loves. But how does the film end, and does it end happily? The sequel to the nostalgic cult classic has finally dropped on [Disney+](https://www.dexerto.com/tag/disney/) , and after almost three decades, the Sanderson Sisters have returned to enact their revenge on Salem, with a new group of teenagers struggling to stop them.

When 1993's Hocus Pocus arrived in theaters, it cast Broadway marquee names Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker as two of the three main witches for a ...

Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are streaming on Disney+. Hocus Pocus 2 has a more extensive list of songs, but the “classics mixed with newer numbers” formula remains. Also, the “Sabre Dance” was a well-known and well-used piece of music from the 1950s.

That means Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimi are all back for some music and comedy, although Hocus Pocus 2 skips the magic of cinema and ...

There’s a few other bonuses here; Doug Jones as perennial victim Billy Butcherson, a Beetlejuice-style skeleton, and the always welcome Hannah Waddingham from Ted Lasso gets a single scene as The Mother Witch who sets the plot in motion. ‘How long ago was 1993?’ questions a passer-by as the usual chaos ensues; on this evidence, not long, since the star trio barely seem to have aged a day under their make-up and wigs. ‘New world, same story,’ one character comments, and that’s about right for these ‘Gothic Golden Girls’; despite references to the ‘patriarchal fear of female aging’, it’s the usual genie-in-a-bottle 80’s narrative about kids unleashing a force of nature and struggling to regain control and save their community.

Around the 60-minute mark in the film, the freshly revived Sanderson Sisters fly through the city in search of Salem's mayor, Jefry Traske (Tony Hale), in order ...

[Disney+](https://ew.com/entity/disney-plus/). [ Parker previously told EW](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-cast-interview-resurrecting-sanderson-sisters/) of nailing the film's balance between pushing the story forward and balancing nostalgia fans craved. The film shows the witches soaring by the windows of Salem residents, and as Winnie zooms past a couple's window, we see that the pair is watching Garry and Penny's scene from the first Hocus Pocus. Check out [EW's interview with the returning cast](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-cast-interview-resurrecting-sanderson-sisters/), and read our [full breakdown of all the original Hocus Pocus references](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-references-in-hocus-pocus-2/) in the new sequel. [Mary Sanderson](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-kathy-najimy-explains-why-mary-crooked-mouth-other-side/) watching the [DuPont Stainmaster commercial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trlsvjdmgCU) on a 1993 TV set when [Garry](https://ew.com/person/garry-marshall/) and [Penny Marshall](https://ew.com/person/penny-marshall/) appeared on screen in [Hocus Pocus 2](https://ew.com/creative-work/hocus-pocus-2/). [Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-cast-interview-resurrecting-sanderson-sisters/)) for another Halloween "night of frolic" in Salem, but it also features a nod to the late filmmaker-actors who made a brief cameo in the first film — and it's sweeter than the chocolate-covered finger of a man named Clark.

One of the smart things Disney+'s "Hocus Pocus 2" does is go back in time. The long-awaited sequel starts in a way that recalls the original.

Sarah, whose later job it is to lure children to her witch sisters, first learns her song here in the woods. There's a long, rich history in fairy tales of the woman in the woods. The mother of their powers. Mother Witch is the fairy godmother of this tale and she's not letting the girls go empty-handed. [Stephen Sondheim's](https://www.salon.com/2021/12/05/assassins-stephen-sondheim-musical/) "Into the Woods" in a Disney film. The parent of the book. The villagers "were right to fear thee," she says, and praises Winne for something the girl has likely never been commended about before: her temper. What if [Glinda the Good Witch](https://www.salon.com/2022/08/25/league-of-their-own-wizard-of-oz/) was actually a bad witch? . . Although Waddingham's role is small in "Hocus Pocus 2," it's memorable, essential to the film and rooted in lore. The long-awaited sequel starts in a way that recalls the original. In the new movie, it's what looks like a gigantic redwing blackbird.

This October, the Sanderson Sisters from “Hocus Pocus” and the newly released sequel “Hocus Pocus 2" invite guests to book a one-of-a-kind recreation of the ...

The one-night stay is also not a contest, Airbnb stated. Those looking to book the stay can request to do so starting on Wednesday, Oct. ET on Airbnb’s devoted webpage to the Sanderson Sisters stay. The stay is meant for two guests on Thursday, Oct. “We all know that the Sanderson Sisters’ story might not have ended when we turned to dust, nor did our shenanigans,” said Kathy Najimy in a statement via Airbnb. [Hocus Pocus 2](https://www.disneyplus.com/)″ invite guests to book a one-of-a-kind recreation of the witches’ “creaky old cottage” in Danvers.

The Sanderson sisters of "Hocus Pocus" fame are inviting guests to stay at their creepy cottage in the remote woods of Salem, Massachusetts, this Halloween ...

NBC Universal, Inc. The Sanderson sisters from “Hocus Pocus” are inviting guests to book an Airbnb stay at a recreation of their spooky cottage in Salem ...

"We all know that the Sanderson Sisters’ story might not have ended when we turned to dust, nor did our shenanigans,” said Kathy Najimy, the actress who plays Mary Sanderson, in a statement. Renting out the home will cost just $31 for the night of Oct. like a Sanderson sister, then Airbnb has something right up your alley.

The creepy abode, located in the remote woods of Salem, Massachusetts, is available on Airbnb.

'Hocus Pocus 2' has a post-credits scene that teases the potential return of the Sanderson Sisters played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, ...

"Of course I'd be happy to have a conversation [for a third film]," she continued. Parker added that Najimy "had a good idea that the third one should be animated" if Disney were to continue the Sanderson mythology. [Midler previously told EW](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-stars-discuss-potential-sequel-hocus-pocus-3/) of potentially returning for a third Hocus Pocus film. "If there was a third one, of course I'd sign on, but I don't know how. At Winifred's request, the film's newly minted coven (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham) performed a follow-up spell that sent Winnie to her grave and reunited her with her sisters in the afterlife — which, as we see in another credits sequence, sees them happily residing in hell while singing a witch-ified interpolation of Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back." [Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-cast-interview-resurrecting-sanderson-sisters/)) that he later converted into a tourist trap for witch-obsessed Salem citizens.

Kathy Najimy, who plays Mary Sanderson in the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus, explains the change in her character in the recently released sequel.

With a Hocus Pocus 2 end credits scene that seemed to set up the possibility for another sequel, it's possible that the Sanderson sisters will be back sooner than audiences might expect. Hocus Pocus 2 stands at a 61% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes as of the time of this writing, much higher than the original Hocus Pocus' 39%. While Hocus Pocus 2 was careful to honor what came before it, reviews have been mixed, with some reporting that the film relies too heavily on nostalgia to the detriment of the script and the younger cast members. She also offered a funny in-character reason for the switch, which fits the goofy tone of the films. Hocus Pocus 2 also brought back Doug Jones, reprising his role as the zombie Billy Butcherson, along with the original trio of witches. [Hocus Pocus 2](https://screenrant.com/tag/hocus-pocus-2/) star Kathy Najimy explains one big sequel change in her character, Mary Sanderson.

Kathy Najimy reunited with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker for Disney+'s 'Hocus Pocus 2' sequel — read more.

“It was very difficult to try to have [the original kids: Omri Katz and [Vinessa Shaw](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/vinessa-shaw-reveals-shes-pregnant-with-hilarious-hocus-pocus-photo-w497798/)] be a part of it, because [we did talk about it — painstakingly](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/vinessa-shaw-reveals-whether-shed-return-for-hocus-pocus-sequel/).” The [Descendants ](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/disney-channels-descendants-cast-where-are-they-now/)actress, for her part, notably had a lopsided smile. You’re not going to be satisfied, you’re going to be angry.’” In the flick, three teenagers — played by “It’s just something I came up with the first week,” the California native recalled to EW of filming the OG film. I’m sure the fans are going to go into deep detail about why it’s on the other side,” Najimy, 65, told

"It's on the other side mainly because it's so hard for me to do it on the side I did it on 30 years ago," Hocus Pocus 2 star Kathy Najimy said in a recent ...

she told PEOPLE, joking, "I think if we did it 30 years later again, well, there would be walkers and canes involved. "And then I was back at work wrapped up. Half the movie, I have a broken rib." and I fell like an accordion," she recalled. And I saw that she had one of those machines that you put your legs in and you go upside down and it stretches you, because I have one. "It's just something I came up with the first week," she said of shooting the first movie.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy have reprised their spooky roles in a sequel to the hit 1993 movie. But they aren't the only Sanderson ...

One tweeted: “So dope to see @kornbreadTMFS in Hocus Pocus 2. So many of them have done and are doing big things.” Ginger Minj, Kahmora Hall and Kornbread transform into the Sanderson Sisters for the long-awaited sequel that dropped on Disney+ yesterday.

Hocus Pocus 2 wastes Hannah Waddingham's Witch Mother character by only including her in one scene, but that could change in a sequel project.

[Hocus Pocus 3 movie featuring The Witch Mother](https://screenrant.com/hocus-pocus-3-news-updates-story/) could explore the character losing her coven due to the spell and beginning a journey to try to bring them back with the black flame candle. Hocus Pocus 2's inclusion of Hannah Waddingham's Witch Mother in only one flashback scene was a waste of both the character's potential and Waddingham's talent and will hopefully be corrected in a future Hocus Pocus project. The Witch Mother's energy and character are a perfect fit to work with or against the Sanderson sisters. [Hocus Pocus 2 post-credit scene](https://screenrant.com/hocus-pocus-2-credits-scene-explained/) shows a box that appears to contain a second black flame candle, the object that resurrects the Sanderson sisters. [Ted Lasso](https://screenrant.com/tag/ted-lasso/)) as The Witch Mother, introduces the young Sanderson sisters to a forbidden spell, the Magicae Maxima. [Hocus Pocus 2](http://screenrant.com/tag/hocus-pocus-2/) massively underutilizes Hannah Waddingham's fun character, The Witch Mother, but it should capitalize on the character's massive potential in Hocus Pocus 3, or her own spinoff show.