Disney announced that on Sept. 30, the Sequel to ‘Hocus Pocus’ would be released. I was a bit worried since many Disney fans dislike most movie reboots and sequels: an example being the much disliked live-action Pinocchio, with a 2.5 star rating.

The problem with all these reboots from Disney so far is how they directly copy their originals and not having their own entertaining and unique spin. After finally watching the movie on Disney+, I found it to be better than I anticipated.

‘Hocus Pocus’ is considered a classic Halloween movie since its release in 1993, telling the story of a boy who accidentally revived the evil witch trio, The Sanderson Sisters. ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ follows the story of Becca, a young high school girl who is celebrating her 16th birthday with her friend Izzy by doing a ritual that, once again, accidentally releases the Sanderson sisters back into modern-day Salem.

The movie received mainly either five-star or one-star reviews.. Some of the reviews called the movie “dumb” or “very lousy,” with the main complaint being the lesson of the movie .I found these reviews posted on The Gardian and Hollywood in Toto , along with many YouTube review videos like Hocus Pocus 2 is Kinda Dumb.

I can see how the sequel might not have the same charm as the original, as it was made for a more kid-friendly audience than before. With the Sanderson sisters being portrayed as less menacing and having past characters taken away, I don’t think the movie deserves all of this hate from the internet. The sequel was something expected, since the original movie ending had Book opening its eye, signaling the sisters may be back once again. Despite the potential truth behind the theory that Disney produced the movie only to profit off of original fan’s nostalgia, the plot is intriguing and the cast has likable and relatable characters.

Even though it’s true that the witches are not going after children’s souls, having the witches test out a new strategy to stay in Salem made the movie seem like less of a repeat. Songs recited by the Sanderson sisters were not ones familiar to their time period; mess-ups like this were also present in the original movie as seen when the sisters apparently knew what a drivers license was despite having no knowledge of the current era.

Missing the 1993 protagonists is understandable, but that doesn’t validate hatred toward the new ones. Like in most teen movies, there was plenty of typical high school drama. Specifically, most of the drama was focused around the new kid having a crush on the popular girl. In the sequel, Cassie, Becca and Izzy’s other friend, began dating a boy named Mike. Because of misunderstandings that resulted from this situation, Becca and Izzy started to distance themselves from Cassie.I loved the beginning of the movie because of how it provided context on why the sisters were despised by the town of Salem and explained their hatred towards them.

The child actors the mannerisms of the sisters, and it was nice to see how Winifred cared for her sisters their entire lives, even though she may snap at them from time to time. This functioned as a great start to the movie, showing how it was more about the sister’s relationships with each other than anything else. This is emphasized in how both trios care about each other despite their fights.

The ending was very touching.

Hocus Pocus 2 is mostly focused around sisterhood and the powerful bonds you earn from it. While it may have some minor flaws, Iit’s be enjoyable,and I appreciated the interesting, yet appropriate, closure it brought to the plot introduced in the first movie.

I would definitely recommend that anyone who has seen the first movie, give Hocus Pocus 2 a chance and dedicate a Friday night to watching both. Hocus Pocus 2 gives watchers a good laugh and is spellbinding.