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Hocus Pocus 2 is Anne Fletcher's sequel to the 1993 film of the same name. It marks the return of the Sanderson sisters, who were resurrected unknowingly by teenagers. The film is set against the backdrop of the Salem witch trials in 1693.
IMDb's synopsis of the film reads:
"Three young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world."
Featuring actors Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, who reprised their roles as Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson, Sarah Sanderson, and Mary Sanderson, respectively, Hocus Pocus 2 premiered on Disney+ on Friday, September 30, 2022.
Read on to find out if another film in the Hocus Pocus franchise is possible.
Hocus Pocus 2: Is there a scope for a sequel to the Disney+ film?
A brief overview of the film
Hocus Pocus 2 began with Salem, 1653, where 16-year-old Winnie was banished from the village for declining to marry a man the Reverend chose.
The sisters escaped the situation and stumbled upon Mother Witch, who gave Winnie the one-eyed spellbook she swore by. Cut to present-day Salem, where 16-year-old Becca and her best friend Izzy discussed their plans for the former's birthday. The context for Becca and Izzy's strained relations with their former best friend Cassie is also established.
Becca and Izzy went to Gilbert's magic store, where they were regulars. Gilbert gifted Becca the Black Flame Candle, which is used to call upon the witches/resurrect them. An unaware Becca and Izzy went to the forest and lit the candle, which led to the resurrection of Winifred, Mary, and Sarah.
Although Becca and Izzy initially successfully fooled the sisters, they soon caught up with the teenagers' lies that children's souls were available in the form of skincare.
Becca and Izzy also visited Cassie's house to caution her father, Mr. Traske, after discovering that the sisters required their enemy's blood to conjure a powerful spell. Cassie and her family were the descendants of the Reverend and thus made for the perfect enemy.
Despite containing the witches, leaving them unchecked resulted in Cassie's abduction. When Becca and Izzy went to save Cassie, Becca discovered that she had powers too and was a witch.
Even though friends could not stop the sisters from conjuring up the all-powerful spell, they helped Winnie after she was the only one left from the performance. Both Sarah and Mary had been reduced to dust since they were the sacrifices that Winnie had to make to attain power.
The film ended with Becca, Izzy, and Cassie helping Winnie and sending her back to her sisters. The best friends also left as the Mother Witch trailed behind them.
What could a potential sequel ensue?
Hannah Waddingham's Mother Witch
A potential sequel to Hocus Pocus 2 could explain the history of Hannah Waddingham's Mother Witch, who appeared in front of the sisters in the forbidden forest in 1653, and why she is called so.
The Mother Witch seemed to live in the forest, which she called the sacred altar for the witches. Her archaic English could refer to the time she has spent in Salem, while her words. The following words further indicated that she could have borne the brunt of being a social deviant:
"New world, same story."
She did not just appear in the film as a witch but also as a bird with a shade of red on the top edge of its wings. Even when the film ended, and Cassie, Becca, and Izzy walked home, Mother Witch followed them in the form of the bird.
Becca's background of being a witch and her future
When Becca and Izzy were trapped in Gilbert's shop, Winnie made the staircase vanish to prevent them from escaping. Izzy had picked up Angelica leaves earlier in the day and decided to use them to upturn Winnie's spell.
When both Becca and Izzy held their outstretched hands over the burning leaves, Becca's palm gleamed with inexplicable blue light. Both Becca and Izzy did not notice this, but it made the spell work, and the stairs reappeared.
A second instance occurred in the graveyard when an electrokinesis, like Winnie's, crackled out of Becca's hands. Izzy noticed it and tried wielding her powers.
A nervous Becca saved her friends against the three witches. As shown in one scene, her powers were escalated by Izzy and Cassie. So, Izzy and Cassie became Becca's coven.
A sequel to Hocus Pocus 2 could delve deeper into why only Becca got the powers, not Cassie or Izzy.
Hocus Pocus 2 is currently streaming on Disney+.
