{"id":82622,"date":"2022-09-30T09:03:06","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T09:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hocus-pocus-2-review-bette-midler-kathy-najimy-and-sarah-jessica-parker-conjure-the-same-old-brew-on-disney\/"},"modified":"2022-09-30T09:03:06","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T09:03:06","slug":"hocus-pocus-2-review-bette-midler-kathy-najimy-and-sarah-jessica-parker-conjure-the-same-old-brew-on-disney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hocus-pocus-2-review-bette-midler-kathy-najimy-and-sarah-jessica-parker-conjure-the-same-old-brew-on-disney\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Hocus Pocus 2’ review: Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker conjure the same old brew on Disney+"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n CNN<\/span>
\n \u2014
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Disney regularly wrings inordinate mileage out of nostalgia, which can easily obscure when the source wasn’t quite as worthy of praise as we like to remember. \u201cHocus Pocus 2\u201d should benefit from that dynamic, delivering a breezy sequel \u2013 29 years later \u2013 that should provide go-down-easy Halloween viewing for families in the less-demanding confines of Disney+.\n <\/p>\n

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The costumes and shoes still amiably fit for Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, who even get to belt out a jukebox-style version of a certain Elton John song, stone cold sober, as an added piece of content to help promote the movie.\n <\/p>\n

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Still, what makes this \u201cHocus Pocus\u201d gel is the nifty mix of old and new, replicating the basic template from the original while introducing a new and more diverse contingent of teens to do battle with the centuries-old witches. Throw in a couple of \u201cVeep\u201d alums (Sam Richardson, Tony Hale), and three-decades worth of technological advances to dazzle and befuddle the central trio (automatic doors and Alexa really are like witchcraft to undiscerning eyes), and you have a blueprint for humor that fits neatly within the original mold, while expanding it ever so slightly.\n <\/p>\n

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It takes a bit too much time for the movie’s charms to kick in, as the movie begins with a 12-minute Sandersons origin story that’s perhaps most memorable for a cameo by \u201cTed Lasso’s\u201d Hannah Waddingham. Director Anne Fletcher (\u201cThe Proposal\u201d) and writer Jen D’Angelo then shift to introduce a pair of misfit teens (\u201cGossip Girl’s\u201d Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo), who like hanging out at the local magic shop, where the proprietor ( Richardson) helps plant the seeds for the Sandersons’ latest reawakening.\n <\/p>\n

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As usual, the kids wind up having to do the heavy lifting in fighting off the threat, with the Sandersons again exhibiting a mix of malevolence and ineptitude, starting with their magic’s vulnerability to several grains of salt.\n <\/p>\n

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the younger contingent proves a fairly likable bunch, even if the Disney Channel-esque thread running luckily through it \u2013 involving an estranged friend (Lilia Buckingham) who has abandoned her old pals for the popular kids \u2013 doesn’t exactly reek of freshness.\n <\/p>\n

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Then again, this kind of movie hardly needs to reinvent the cauldron, representing more of a cut-and-paste job. To its credit, the film still manages to be clever about weaving in callbacks to the original, like the trio’s goofy synchronized walk, without overdoing them.\n <\/p>\n

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While the not-too-scary hijinks are acceptable for kids, those scenes will likely deliver more of a kick for parents who caught the movie way back when, helping turn it into a Halloween favorite. In practical terms, just seeing the principals reprise their roles should conjure enough marketing heat to make this a winner for Disney’s streaming service, without forgoing too much cash by not releasing the movie theatrically.\n <\/p>\n

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By that measure, \u201cHocus Pocus 2\u201d finds what amounts to the streaming sweet spot, feeling just big enough, but not too<\/em> big. There’s more alchemy than science to that formula, but as Disney’s long history of live-action remakes and revivals go, it does require a certain knack to serve the brew in a way that makes the toil worth the trouble.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cHocus Pocus 2\u201d premieres September 30 on Disney+.<\/em>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CNN \u2014 Disney regularly wrings inordinate mileage out of nostalgia, which can easily obscure when the source wasn’t quite as worthy of praise as we like to remember. \u201cHocus Pocus 2\u201d should benefit from that dynamic, delivering a breezy sequel \u2013 29 years later \u2013 that should provide go-down-easy Halloween viewing for families in the …<\/p>\n

‘Hocus Pocus 2’ review: Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker conjure the same old brew on Disney+<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[597,8375,329,4383,1522,4384,8377,8378,4385,327,8382,1323,24852],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":83099,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hocus-pocus-2-just-released-on-disney-and-a-hocus-pocus-broadway-musical-could-be-next\/","url_meta":{"origin":82622,"position":0},"title":"‘Hocus Pocus 2’ just released on Disney+ and a ‘Hocus Pocus’ Broadway musical could be next","date":"September 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The sequel to the popular 1993 Halloween movie \"Hocus Pocus\" released on Friday on Disney+ and according to the original film's producer and creator David Kirschner, a Broadway version of the classic movie is in the works. Kirschner, who created the original film and served as a producer on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":71802,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hocus-pocus-2-gets-first-official-trailer\/","url_meta":{"origin":82622,"position":1},"title":"Hocus Pocus 2 Gets First Official Trailer","date":"September 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Hocus Pocus 2 just got an official trailer... and it's full of witchy fun.Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are back as the Sanderson sisters for Hocus Pocus 2 - the upcoming sequel to the hit Disney movie.Now, Disney has unveiled the film's official trailer at D23, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":71460,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/video-hocus-pocus-2-watch-full-trailer-for-disney-plus-sequel\/","url_meta":{"origin":82622,"position":2},"title":"[VIDEO] ‘Hocus Pocus 2’: Watch Full Trailer for Disney Plus Sequel","date":"September 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"From the woods to the streets to the aisles of Walgreens, there's not a corner of Salem, Mass. that's safe from the Sanderson sisters' mayhem in a new Hocus Pocus 2 trailer. As part of this year's D23 Expo, Disney+ on Friday released a longer glimpse at its upcoming sequel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1120,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hocus-pocus-2-trailer-conjures-up-big-numbers-for-disney-the-hollywood-reporter\/","url_meta":{"origin":82622,"position":3},"title":"‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Trailer Conjures Up Big Numbers for Disney+ \u2013 The Hollywood Reporter","date":"July 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Talk about bewitching. The first teaser trailer for Hocus Pocus 2 conjured up big numbers for Disney+, drawing 43.6 million views in its first 24 hours. The piece, released on June 28, outperformed such high-profile Disney+ branded content as The Book of Boba Fett (23 million), the Mandalorian teasers for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/220628104215-01-hocus-pocus-2-disney.jpg?q=w_800,c_fill","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82622"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82622\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}