When it comes to Halloween classics, there is no film more enduring or beloved than Hocus pocus. The story of Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah Sanderson (Sarah Jessica Parker), has become a popular tradition and will soon return to the big screen. As the film grew in popularity over the years, calls for a sequel echoed across the internet, both from fans and stars. In 2022, Disney has finally worked its magic and revived the Sanderson sisters Hocus Pocus 2. But the successful streaming sequel wasn’t the only attempt to rekindle the Black Flame Candle. Actually, A full sequel existed almost half a decade before the Disney+ project.

“Hocus Pocus” had a novella and a sequel

It may have taken 29 years to produce a follow-up film to the Halloween classic, but a Hocus pocus The sequel actually came about. Hocus Pocus and the brand new sequel was written by AW Jantha and published by Disney Hyperion in 2018. The two-part novel debuted as a New York Times bestseller and offered a deeper look into the world of Hocus pocus. The first half of the novel is a retelling of the original picture, but features a new character at the beginning: Elizabeth. Otherwise, it faithfully retells the events with which the audience was already familiar. But it was the second part of the book that proved to be the most fascinating.

Set 25 years after the events of Hocus pocus, The story follows a young girl named Poppy, the teenage daughter of Max Dennison (Omri Katz in the film) and Allison (Vanessa Shaw).. It offers an interesting twist in terms of characters right off the bat, as Allison and Max have banned Halloween after their fight with the Sanderson sisters. While Max wasn’t a big fan of the holiday in the original film, it was a big part of Allison’s personality. Given that there is still so much trauma left from her encounter with the Sanderson sisters, this certainly raises the stakes of the novel, as it is only a matter of time before her inevitable return.

Things get wild with this return; Poppy, who doesn’t believe the stories about her parents or her Aunt Dani (Thora Birch) accidentally casts a spell that sends the three old characters to hell in exchange for Winifred, Mary and Sarah. While it’s a confusing change, it’s definitely a plus compared to the original story. Poppy teams up with her boyfriend Travis and her crush Isabella to defeat the witches and save her family, but there’s another big twist: the reveal of a fourth Sanderson sister. Elizabeth was the long-forgotten sister of Winifred, Mary and Sarah in the first half of the novelwho led a quiet life. However, on the night the other three were hanged, the people of Salem did not spare them, although their children managed to escape. This leads to the revelation that Isabella is actually a descendant of Elizabeth’s bloodline. Of course the day is saved and the Sanderson sisters are defeated again. While the book contains significantly more zany hijinks than the on-screen sequel would bring just four years later, it’s definitely ambitious fun and does its best to create an original story while honoring what came before. And yet it wasn’t Disney’s only way to keep the characters or the story alive.

“Hocus Pocus” has a long history that extends beyond the films

The legacy of Hocus Pocus was never just limited to the screen. In fact, Disney kept the characters alive in the decades between the two films. According to The Numbers, the film generated huge sales on DVD and became the hallmark of Freeform’s annual 31 Nights of Halloween celebration. A live stage show took place at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida Hocus Pocus Villian Spelltacular brought the Sanderson sisters to Magic Kingdom Park for their annual Halloween festivities. And now, as talks continue about a third installment in the franchise, It’s very reassuring to know that Winifred, Mary and Sarah will be resurrected every Halloween for years to come.

Hocus pocus is available to stream on Disney+ in the US

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