Reviews: Here's What Critics Think of Disney's Return to Salem With Hocus Pocus 2 | Playbill

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The Verdict Reviews: Here's What Critics Think of Disney's Return to Salem With Hocus Pocus 2

The sequel stars the original 1993 cult favorite's Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.

Reviews are coming out for the return of Salem's baddest witches, the Sanderson sisters Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. The much-anticipated sequel Hocus Pocus 2 will officially drop on Disney+ September 30.

Reuniting for the film are the original trio Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the spooky trio who are brought back by three teenage girls who accidentally light the black flame candle—and possibly gain their own powers. Starring as Salem's teenaged trio are Whitney Peak as Becca, Belissa Escobedo as Izzy, and Lilia Buckingham as Cassie.

Read the reviews here.

ABC News (Peter Travers)

Associated Press (Lindsey Bahr)

AV Club (Phil Pirrello)

Bloody Disgusting (Meagan Navarro)

Bloomberg (Chris Rovzar)*

CBR (Caitlin Chappell)

Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips)

Collider (Maggie Lovitt)

Comic Book (Patrick Cavanaugh)

Digital Spy (Gabriella Geisinger)

The Disinsider (Jordan Simmons)

Evening Standard (Elizabeth Gregory)

Film Stories (Lauren Miles)

Geek Girl Authority (Kimberly Pierce)

The Hollywood Reporter (Lovia Gyarkye)

IndieWire (Jude Dry)

Mama's Geeky (Tessa Smith)

Mashable (Shannon Connellan)

Metro (Tori Brazier)

The New York Times (Claire Shaffer)*

Radio Times (Kevin Harley)

Screen Rant (Ferdosa)

The Telegraph (Robbie Collin)

USA Today (Brian Truitt)

Variety (Peter Debruge)

*This review requires creating a free account or a paid subscription.

Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.

Doug Jones, who played Billy Butcherson in the original 1993 cult favorite returns, with Veep stars Tony Hale and Sam Richardson also in the cast along alongside previously announced Hannah Waddingham. The sequel features a roster of up-and-comers as well, including Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Henderson, and Nina Kitchen.

Hocus Pocus 2 is directed by Anne Fletcher. Adam Shankman, Ralph Winter, and David Kirschner are executive producers with Lynn Harris and Steven Haft as co-producers.

The 1993 original film, directed by Kenny Ortega, starred a different trio who lit the black flame candle. New-kid-in-town and skeptic Max Dennison, played by Omri Katz, lights the black flame candle to prove the town legends of the Sanderson sisters are just superstition. But when the witches return and begin to threaten the townspeople of Salem, its up to Max, his sister Dani (Thora Birch) and Max's crush Allison (Vinessa Shaw) to stop them. No word yet on if Katz, Birch, or Shaw will appear in the new film.

 
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