The Sanderson sisters ride again! Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles as Winnie, Sarah and Mary in Hocus Pocus 2 — and the new movie is packed with references to the original.
Rumors about a sequel to the 1993 cult classic swirled for years before Disney confirmed in May 2021 that the trio of actresses would return for a new film. “I didn’t push for it,” Parker told Entertainment Weekly of the sequel in September 2022. “There were moments where it came up and I was asked about it, or something happened on social media that I’d respond to. I’d always say, ‘Yeah, sure,’ but I can’t confess to being involved in putting it together. The minute I heard it was real, I said yes right away.”
Though Hocus Pocus 2 includes flashbacks to the Sanderson sisters’ youth, the bulk of the movie takes place in the present day. Two teens named Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) decide to visit a magic shop — which happens to be in the Sandersons’ old house — instead of attending a Halloween party hosted by their former friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham).
The shop proprietor, Gilbert (Sam Richardson), gives the girls a candle, but it’s no ordinary object: it’s the Black Flame Candle that resurrected the Sanderson trio in the original film. The BFFs accidentally resurrect the witch sisters during a ritual, and naturally, all hell breaks loose.
“Our new protagonists are in charge of getting the witches contained before the sun rises,” director Anne Fletcher explained to EW, noting that the Sandersons are accepted “lore” in the film’s version of Salem. “We have [Salem residents] dressing as them, T-shirts of the Sanderson sisters, we think it’s all cheeky and fun, but — lo and behold — our girls find out they are real, and it’s a shock.”
While Hocus Pocus 2 tells its own story, there are still plenty of Easter eggs for superfans of the original. The Sanderson sisters perform a musical number, of course, and salt remains a powerful weapon against the witches’ powers. Parker, Midler and Najimy are also joined by OG cast member Doug Jones, who reprises his role as Billy Butcherson.
“The wig I wore was actually the same wig from the first movie,” the Pan’s Labyrinth actor told Looper in September 2022. “It had been sitting on a mannequin of me in producer David Kirschner‘s office all these years. They basically were able to take that off him and put it back on me, and it didn’t even need teasing. It was ready to go.”
Hocus Pocus 2 is now streaming on Disney+.
Keep scrolling for a look at all the Easter eggs in Hocus Pocus 2.