Hocus Pocus 2 — release date, trailer, cast, plot and everything we know

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker star in Hocus Pocus 2
Hocus Pocus 2: Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker star. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios)

Hocus Pocus 2 will see the cult 1990s Halloween film finally getting the sequel it deserves. We're now just days away from the movie's release, as it hits Disney Plus just in time for Halloween.

First revealed in May 2021, Hocus Pocus 2 will see Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy returning to play the iconic Sanderson sisters nearly 30 years on from the original movie in this Disney Plus exclusive sequel.

These three wonderfully wicked sisters are poised to wreak havoc on the town of Salem, Massachusetts on All Hallow's Eve once more, and it's now up to a new group of kids to try and put a stop to their scheme all over again.

Here's everything we know about Hocus Pocus 2 so far...

Hocus Pocus 2 release date

Hocus Pocus 2 will arrive on Disney Plus on Friday, September 30, in plenty of time for the Halloween season. 

Disney has released two posters for the new movie so far. Check them both out below:

Hocus Pocus 2 cast

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus 2

The Sanderson sisters are back in business! (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios)

Of course, you can't have a Hocus Pocus movie without the Sanderson sisters, so it's good to see that Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are set to reprise their roles as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson.

Doug Jones (The Shape of Water, What We Do in the Shadows) will also make a return as Billy Butcherson. Billy was Winifred's undead ex-boyfriend who helped Max, Dani, Allison and Binx defeat the sisters the first time around. 

Entertainment Weekly shared a still from the movie giving us our first look at Doug in costume for the new movie, set against a seriously spooky backdrop.

Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), Lilia Buckingham (Dirt), and Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories) will also feature as Becca, Cassie, and Izzy, a trio of high school students who incite the wrath of the Sanderson sisters.

Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) summon the Sanderson Sisters in Hocus Pocus 2

Becca and Izzy are responsible for lighting the Black Flame candle this time around. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios)

Emmy-winning actress Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Tony Hale (Veep), Sam Richardson (The Tomorrow War), Juju Brener (Vanquish), Froyan Gutierrez (Teen Wolf), Taylor Paige Henderson and Nina Kitchen round out the cast. Thora Birch isn't reprising the role of Dani Dennison from the original.

Who is directing Hocus Pocus 2?

Step Up's Anne Fletcher is at the helm of the Hocus Pocus sequel. When the movie was revealed, she said: "I am beyond thrilled to be involved in the sequel to a film that is as beloved as Hocus Pocus.

"Fans around the world have embraced these characters and have made this film a Halloween tradition whose popularity continues to grow, and how lucky am I to be back at Disney with these three extraordinarily talented ladies in the iconic roles they created, as well as our fabulous new additions to the cast?"

Hocus Pocus 2 plot

Hocus Pocus 2 is set in present-day Salem, 29 years after Max inadvertently resurrected the Sanderson sisters by lighting the Black Flame Candle, and they're out for revenge for their execution once again. 

With the witches back threatening to wreak a whole new kind of havoc on the town, high schoolers Becca, Cassie, and Izzy are tasked with putting a stop to the ravenous witches' plans before midnight on Halloween.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fletcher revealed that we'll be learning more about the Sandersons' origins in 1600s New England in the opening sequence. 

"The opening sequence of the movie, we get some history of our witches and Billy. We get a little kiss — pardon the pun — of the Billy aspect of it and the world that they lived in and what happened to the witches. I always missed that in the first one. Like, what are the witches the way they are?", she said, going on to tease "some wonderful surprised in the mythology" of the trio and confirming that their origin story intertwines with the new trio of teenagers.

Is there a trailer?

The full Hocus Pocus 2 trailer came along in September. In it, you can see the Sanderson sisters expelled from Salem, before they are awakened by our new cast 370 years later. From then on, it gives us a taste of the chaos the Sandersons are about to wreak in the sequel.

Disney also shared a teaser for the movie back in June. It sees Becca and Izzy lighting a Black Flame Candle and unleashing the Sanderson sisters for another night of chaos. 

The witches arrive in dramatic fashion, with Winifred proclaiming "Lock up your children! Yes, Salem, we're back!" Sounds like our new heroes are in for a world of trouble.

Is Hocus Pocus 2 on Netflix?

Unfortunately, Hocus Pocus 2 won't be available on Netflix. As it's a Disney Plus exclusive, you'll only be able to stream the new sequel on Disney's own stream service. 

If you're planning to rewatch the original film, the first Hocus Pocus movie is also available to stream in the same place.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.