The Sanderson sisters return to Salem!
On September 30th, it arrives on Disney + Hocus Pocus 2 , a sequel to the 1993 cult film directed by Kenny Ortega .
In the cast, once again, the little fearsome witches Bette Midler ( The club of the first wives, Beaches ), Sarah Jessica Parker ( Sex and the City, Divorce ) and Kathy Najimy ( Sister Act – A nut in a nun’s dress, Younger ) , protagonists of a new adventure which, just like the previous one, begins with the Candle of the Black Flame.
We recently attended the film’s press conference, which took place via Zoom. Obviously present Bette Midler , who did not hide the joy felt in being able to play again a role particularly dear to her.
A dream that becomes reality
The first film was not an immediate success but became a cult with the passage of time, but for Midler its destiny had always been clear, to the point of astonishment that a sequel was made only 29 years later. In fact, she had started asking for it much earlier.
For me this is a dream come true. After realizing that Hocus Pocus had become a phenomenon, I started asking people, my agent “Don’t you think a sequel would be interesting?”.
The film also offers us some details about the past of the Sanderson sisters, taking us back in time, when Winifred (Midler) was only 16 and, instead of taking a husband who is forced on her, she decides to take a more path with Sarah and Mary ” dark “.
Speaking of this comeback, Bette Midler said:
We talked a lot about sisterhood and we talked a lot about being able to rely on each other, about loyalty. Things have changed for women, but they haven’t changed enough. In a decidedly odd way these characters are positive for women: they are funny and loyal. They have a very wide range of emotions and their bond is very strong.
Any situation where women are together, united by a bond, a friendship, a sisterhood, is really very important.
Delivering a cult to the new generations
As for director Anne Fletcher ( I Want a Life Shaped Like Me, Blackmail of Love ), with this film she tried to:
Honoring these characters for the fans, taking them to a new generation.
Speaking of new generations, the Sanders sisters have to deal with three young girls in the film: Becca (Whitney Peak), Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo). Lilia Buckingham talked about her involvement in the film, which was a particularly positive twist in her life.
It was a big change in my life, but I couldn’t have asked for a better thing. I’ve worked with legends and learned so much.