This year will mark the 29th Anniversary of Hocus Pocus and after nearly 30 years, we are finally getting a sequel!
If like me, your excitement for this film cannot be measured, then you'll love these Hocus Pocus 2 facts. The sequel is due for release this fall and all year i'll be sharing all kinds of Hocus Pocus 2 blog posts to celebrate.
Please note however, that this does contain small tiny spoilers that some of you may want to avoid. I have intentionally not included any leaked set images or videos that have been posted online and have not gone into lengthy details of confirmed scenes and characters, but this should be just enough to raise your excitement level ever so slightly, without ruining any of the film for you. You have been warned!
If like me, your excitement for this film cannot be measured, then you'll love these Hocus Pocus 2 facts. The sequel is due for release this fall and all year i'll be sharing all kinds of Hocus Pocus 2 blog posts to celebrate.
Please note however, that this does contain small tiny spoilers that some of you may want to avoid. I have intentionally not included any leaked set images or videos that have been posted online and have not gone into lengthy details of confirmed scenes and characters, but this should be just enough to raise your excitement level ever so slightly, without ruining any of the film for you. You have been warned!
Rhode Island
The original Hocus Pocus had a large amount of scenes filmed in the city of Salem, Massachusetts and although all of the filming locations are now huge tourist spots, Hocus Pocus 2 has moved away from the Witch City and instead has been filmed in Rhode Island but still the film is based in Salem.
Months before the film was due to begin filming, there was rumours that the cast and crew would be returning to Salem but unfortunately this wasn't the case. It does make me wonder if these new filming locations will be as popular in 30 years time, as they are in Salem today.
Months before the film was due to begin filming, there was rumours that the cast and crew would be returning to Salem but unfortunately this wasn't the case. It does make me wonder if these new filming locations will be as popular in 30 years time, as they are in Salem today.
Disney+ Exclusive
The long awaited sequel will be a Disney+ exclusive release. Although I could definitely see HP2 making big $$ at the box office, Disney instead are playing it safe (and no doubt attracting thousands of new subscibers) by releasing the film to its streaming service.
The original film didn't do that well when it was released in 1993. Not only was it released in July, it also only made $39 million. It did make a profit, but was still considered a flop. Jump 29 years later and the film is a huge hit and Halloween cult classic.
The original film didn't do that well when it was released in 1993. Not only was it released in July, it also only made $39 million. It did make a profit, but was still considered a flop. Jump 29 years later and the film is a huge hit and Halloween cult classic.
The Sanderson Sisters Are Back!
Fans of Hocus Pocus will have heard all of the rumours over the years, even the rumour that Tina Fey was writing the sequel and that Disney were planning on rebooting the film with a brand new cast. Bette had also expressed her interest in the returning and on many occasions has stated that Winifred Sanderson was her favourite role.
Well we can scream with pure joy as all three of the original Sanderson Sisters are back and the first official image of all three that Disney released last year is enough to give anyone butterflies.
Well we can scream with pure joy as all three of the original Sanderson Sisters are back and the first official image of all three that Disney released last year is enough to give anyone butterflies.
Iconic!
Over the years, the tale of the Sanderson Sisters has grown and so has a huge fan base for them. The sequel appears to have a large part of the movie set at the 27th Annual Salem Scare Fest. This festival is all about the three witches and features themed stalls and rides and even a Sanderson Sisters costume contest.
What's Hocus Pocus Without A Little Song?
I Put A Spell On You isn't the only song that will be casting a little magic on you from now on (and Sarah's Garden of Magic of course). The sequel is expected to once again contain multiple musical numbers. One confirmed song is Blondies One Way or Another but with a Sanderson makeover.
New and Old Faces
Doug Jones is back as one of my favourite characters (they're all our favourites really, right?), Billy Butcherson. The Zombie will be back in the sequel and will once again be running through the streets of Salem.
Doug did share an image of him in full Billy makeup but the image was removed not long after being posted. It was still plenty of time for the internet to save it though, so we can see Billy once more.
Other new cast members also include Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Hannah Waddingham, Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Paige Henderson, and Nina Kitchen.
John Debney has also been confirmed to be returning to score the film. Debney scored the original Hocus Pocus and I absolutely love that soundtrack, so I am very excited to see what he puts together for the sequel.
Doug did share an image of him in full Billy makeup but the image was removed not long after being posted. It was still plenty of time for the internet to save it though, so we can see Billy once more.
Other new cast members also include Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Hannah Waddingham, Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Paige Henderson, and Nina Kitchen.
John Debney has also been confirmed to be returning to score the film. Debney scored the original Hocus Pocus and I absolutely love that soundtrack, so I am very excited to see what he puts together for the sequel.
Halloween!
There appears to be a lot of confusion on the release date of Hocus Pocus 2. Disney originally stated that the film would be released in Fall 2022, this much we know to be true, however producer Adam Shankman posted on Instagram that the film has wrapped filming and would be released "Halloween 2022". Many fans took this as the release date being October 31st, but currently, this has not been confirmed at all.
As Halloween is such a huge Holiday now, "Halloween" could be any day in October and it doesn't make much sense for Disney to release the film on the actual day of Halloween.
Sure it would be a huge hit and I can definitely see the film being one of Disney's highest watched films, but as soon as October is over, many people will go into Christmas mode and Halloween kinda gets pushed back (Halloween forever!). Which if this is the case, would cause a steep drop in viewers as soon as Halloween is over. I predict HP2 will be released mid October to ensure as many people watch and enjoy the sequel during the spookiest month of the year. I know i'll be watching both films over and over again all year anyway.
As Halloween is such a huge Holiday now, "Halloween" could be any day in October and it doesn't make much sense for Disney to release the film on the actual day of Halloween.
Sure it would be a huge hit and I can definitely see the film being one of Disney's highest watched films, but as soon as October is over, many people will go into Christmas mode and Halloween kinda gets pushed back (Halloween forever!). Which if this is the case, would cause a steep drop in viewers as soon as Halloween is over. I predict HP2 will be released mid October to ensure as many people watch and enjoy the sequel during the spookiest month of the year. I know i'll be watching both films over and over again all year anyway.
Museum? Never Heard of It
In Hocus Pocus, the Sanderson Sisters house has been turned into a museum which still contains all of their possessions. In the sequel however, it appears the Museum has now changed to a Magic Shop. It also appears that the Salem Scare Fest takes place right outside the magic shop too. The entire building is surrounded by all of the stalls and rides in set pictures that have been posted online.
With that being said, the shop may not actually be the original house but a replica, built for the festival and the real house is still tucked away amongst the trees waiting for the Sisters to return. That's just my theory though and I guess only time will tell...
With that being said, the shop may not actually be the original house but a replica, built for the festival and the real house is still tucked away amongst the trees waiting for the Sisters to return. That's just my theory though and I guess only time will tell...
Young Sanderson Sisters
We know from set pictures released online that a set of 1600 Salem was built. The set was built at Chase Farm Park, Rhode Island and features the famous Salem Witch House. The scenes filmed here will feature the young Sanderson Sisters and will create a backstory for the three witches.
Mother Sanderson
"Motherrrrr" Mother Sanderson will finally be making an appearance in Hocus Pocus 2. Casting for the film revealed that the character would be a part of the sequel and early rumours suggested it was going to be a big star like Cher or Diana Ross.
Thankfully it appears the rumoured casting is false, however fans are already speculating that Mother Sanderson will be played by Hannah Waddingham.
Thankfully it appears the rumoured casting is false, however fans are already speculating that Mother Sanderson will be played by Hannah Waddingham.
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