Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on Earth to torment Salem for all eternity.

Leonardo DiCaprio Turned Down 'Hocus Pocus' And 'More Money Than I Ever Dreamed Of' ". Huffington Post. February 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016 . Retrieved December 1, 2016. Sneider, Jeff (March 4, 2020). " 'Hairspray' Helmer Adam Shankman to Direct 'Hocus Pocus 2' for Disney+". Collider. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020 . Retrieved March 4, 2020. Interview with David Kirschner". YouTube. July 18, 2018. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021 . Retrieved February 26, 2020. Sarah Jessica Parker on 'Hocus Pocus 2': "I Would Love That" ". Entertainment Weekly. October 7, 2016. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019 . Retrieved February 18, 2020. a b "ABC Family's "13 Nights of Halloween 2011" Scares Up Record Crowd". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011 . Retrieved November 3, 2011.Kennedy, Michael (November 8, 2014). "Bette Midler & Co-Stars Are Up for 'Hocus Pocus 2' ". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020 . Retrieved February 18, 2020. Various rewrites were made to the script to make the film more comedic and made two of its young protagonists into teenagers; however, production was stalled several times until 1992, when Bette Midler expressed interest in the script and the project immediately went forward. [11] Midler, who plays the central antagonist of the film (originally written for Cloris Leachman), [11] is quoted as saying that Hocus Pocus "was the most fun I'd had in my career up to that point". [ citation needed] Casting [ edit ] McCluskey, Megan (October 19, 2017). "The Story of Leonardo DiCaprio's Hocus Pocus Audition Is Everything You Want It to Be". Time . Retrieved June 29, 2023. Leonardo DiCaprio Reveals What Movie He Turned Down Even After Being Offered "More Money Than I Ever Dreamed Of" ". E! Online. February 12, 2014. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016 . Retrieved December 1, 2016.

Nolfi, Joey (November 1, 2019). "Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy confirm interest in Hocus Pocus sequel". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019 . Retrieved November 2, 2019. Hocus Pocus – Where are they now?". Oh No They Didn't. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011 . Retrieved November 3, 2011. According to Whip Media, Hocus Pocus was the 7th most watched movie across all platforms in the United States during the week of October 31, 2021. [32] According to Whip Media, Hocus Pocus was the 2nd most watched movie across all platforms in the United States during the week of September 30, 2022, to October 2, 2022, [33] [34] the 7th during the week of October 9, 2022, [35] [36] and the 9th during the week of October 23, 2022. [37] Critical response [ edit ] TRAVIS REESE | Travis is a math and chemistry whiz, a master of bad puns, and Poppy’s loyal BFF. For a long time, he was the only one who knew about Poppy’s bizarre family history involving the Sanderson sisters. Like Poppy, he doesn’t believe in evil witches or old-timey ghosts . . . until he comes face-to-face with them. As he would say, “I didn’t ex-specter this!” Prange, Stephanie (November 2, 2021). " 'Dune,' 'You' Again Top Weekly Whip Media Streaming Charts". Media Play News . Retrieved October 29, 2022.A must-see for fans of the cult classic film, this novelization was a good read. I had just recently watched the new sequel film, so when I stumbled across this novelization at my library, I was thrilled to see what might have been in store for readers in this revisit of the original film. In 2023, Disney re-released the film in select theaters on October 6 to commemorate its 30th anniversary. Home – Cinemascore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018 . Retrieved July 13, 2020. When they say “the illustrated novelization,” they really mean the illustrated novelization. You probably need to have seen the movie at least once to follow the story well, but if you’ve seen the movie enough times, you’ll realize this is essentially a screenplay fluffed into a novel (hence “novelization”). At several points, an editor could have been utilized to clean up portions that were poorly conveyed — things that were written to capture an image from the film (leading to confusion or redundancy in the writing) or oddly placed breaks that only make sense as scene changes on screen (but not so much on paper). Werewolf by Night,' 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts – Media Play News". October 11, 2022 . Retrieved October 23, 2022.

Although I am not a raving fan of the film, Hocus Pocus (that accolade would have to go to Labyrinth), when I saw this illustrated version by Gris Grimly, I thought it would be the perfect read leading up to Halloween. And, in a lot of ways, it is. But this book did leave me sitting on the fence a little bit, which is why I have gone down the middle and awarded 3 stars. a b Chaney, Jen (October 28, 2015). "The Magical Tale of How 'Hocus Pocus' Went From Box-Office Flop to Halloween Favorite". Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015 . Retrieved October 28, 2015. Disney+'s 'Hocus Pocus 2' Tops Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Movies Chart – Media Play News". October 7, 2022 . Retrieved October 11, 2022. New book about 'Hocus Pocus' now available". September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016 . Retrieved September 23, 2016.Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don’t quite go as planned, it’s a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches’ latest vile scheme. Five Reasons Why 'Hocus Pocus' is One of the Greatest Cult Classic Films". International Business Times. October 21, 2011. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020 . Retrieved November 3, 2011. Sneider, Jeff (October 23, 2019). "Exclusive: 'Hocus Pocus 2' Moving Forward at Disney+ with Writer Jen D'Angelo". Collider. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019 . Retrieved October 23, 2021. a b "Hocus Pocus - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011 . Retrieved November 3, 2011. a b Oganesyan, Natalie (October 30, 2020). "Bette Midler, Meryl Streep and Mariah Carey Featured in Starry 'Hocus Pocus' Reunion Fundraiser". Variety. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020 . Retrieved October 31, 2020.