Hocus Pocus 2 was released on September 30 on Disney+ and is the sequel to the 1993 Hocus Pocus, one of the most viewed Halloween movies of all time. It is a PG movie with a 62% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Hocus Pocus 2 has premiered as the #1 movie of all time on Disney+, breaking the streaming record in its opening weekend.

The sequel is based on the same three Sanderson Sisters, played by the same actresses from the 1993 movie, who are brought back to present day Salem, Massachusetts by three high school girls. The teenagers have to use the people and places around them to keep the sisters from wreaking chaos and destruction over Salem. The movie also takes the audience back to the childhood of the witch sisters and how they received their powers.

There has been a variety of opinions on the movie ranging from people not enjoying the plot to loving the humor of the Sanderson Sisters. Many feel that the three kids from the first movie should have made some sort of an appearance in the second movie.

For me, Hocus Pocus has always been a family Halloween tradition. I’ve grown up watching the movie every Halloween and it is by far my favorite. The sequel definitely did not have the same sense of nostalgia that Hocus Pocus did. The movie was all around mediocre, except for the Sanderson Sisters. I felt that the plot was not as entertaining or as creative as the original and many characters such as Becca and Izzy lacked the development and strength needed for audience interest. Most events and ways of conveying the story were very modernized, which took away from the original feeling of the first movie.

The friendship theme was strong throughout the movie. Whether it was among the high school girls or the shopkeeper and zombie, the producers made sure to involve closely-knit characters into each part of the story. Most of it was done in a tasteful way, except for the teenage girls. Their friendship development throughout the movie was extremely corny and wasn’t fitting with the other friendships in the movie.

The ending was amazing. It portrayed the relationship between the three sisters so well and gave closure to their story. The story was left on a cliffhanger, which could open up chances for Disney to release a Hocus Pocus 3 in the future.

Disney could have definitely taken many different routes with the amount of love that Hocus Pocus has, but they could have done much better. I would give this movie a two out of four stars, more for nostalgia and the fact that it is Hocus Pocus based, rather than my interest in the story. You won’t be missing out on a lot if you choose to not watch this.