Hocus Pocus 2 release date, trailer and cast – what we know so far

KIDS of the 90s have fond memories of the Halloween Disney film Hocus Pocus.

Fans might all be gown up now, but that won’t stop them being thrilled to know that the movie is making a  comeback with a sequel.



The Sanderson Sisters are back for Hocus Pocus 2

When is Hocus Pocus 2 out in the UK?

It was announced in May 2021 by original cast member Sarah Jessica Parker that Hocus Pocus 2 is happening.

Alongside a promotional photograph for the upcoming Disney hit, Sarah told her fans she was “ready” to appear alongside other original stars Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy in Hocus Pocus 2.

She wrote: “Yep. I’m ready. To run,” she wrote to her 6.6million followers. Amok, amok, amok, amok. Hocus Pocus 2 arrives fall 2022 on @disneyplus.”

So you can expect it in Autumn 2022, probably in time for Halloween and it is likely to be available on Disney+.



The film starred Vinessa Shaw, Thora Birch and Omri Katz

What will happen in Hocus Pocus 2?

The plot of the new movie is yet to be released and there is no trailer yet.

However the first film centres on the Sanderson Sisters returning from the dead 300 years after being hanged for witchcraft.

Their comeback to life is thanks to the combination of a spell spoken before their demise and the accidental actions of teenager Max.

The sisters then have just one night to secure their continuing existence and all they need to do is sacrifice the lives of local children, simple eh?



The movie poster for the new film

Who is in the cast of Hocus Pocus 2?

At the moment only the three witches have been confirmed:

  • Bette Midler as Winifred “Winnie” Sanderson – the buck-toothed oldest Sanderson sister and leader of the trio.
  • Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson – the middle sister. She can smell children and hunts them down.
  • Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson – the youngest and most beautiful sister. She has the ability to entrance children with her siren-like singing.

However, if all of the original cast was to come back, this would include:

  • Omri Katz as Max Dennison – a teenager originally from LA who moves to Salem with his family. He is responsible for bringing back the Sanderson sisters 300 years later on Halloween night.
  • Thora Birch as Dani Dennison – Max’s spoiled 8-year-old sister.
  • Vinessa Shaw as Allison Watts – Max’s love interest and a wealthy native Salem resident, who forms a close bond with Dani.
  • Sean Murray as Thackery Binx – originally a teenager from 1693. The witches transform him into an immortal cat, voiced by Jason Marsden.
  • Doug Jones as Billy Butcherson, Winifred’s lover and a zombie. He died on May 1, 1693 after Winifred found him sporting with her sister Sarah, poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle, so he couldn’t tell her secrets, even in death.



Thora, Omri and Vanessa in 2018

When did the original with Bette Midler come out?

The film released in the UK on October 29, 1993.

While the movie didn’t set the box office alight, it became a cult classic, and remains a popular Halloween movie nearly 30 years later.

Watch the film’s original trailer at the top of this article to relive the magic.