In case you weren’t able to find the type of 90s nostalgia you’d hoped for in footage from last weekend’s theme-parkish 90s Fest (and you wouldn’t be blamed for being underwhelmed by the event), Disney is revisiting one of most immediate nostalgia-triggers for the era at their very real theme park: Hocus Pocus, the 1993 witchy family comedy starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, has been made into a Disney World stage show.
The original film was tepidly received at the box office, but later became a cult hit — so much so that this stage show now exists, having opened last night. It’s possible that it’ll make you happily recall the original film, but just as likely that it’ll just perturb you by virtue of not being the sequel you’ve longed for, and by not starring the three leads who made it such a memorable affair. (Rumors of an actual feature film sequel continue to trickle out from time to time.) The three stage actors do, however, do impeccable imitations of the original Sanderson Sisters.
The show, called the “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular,” actually features villains from across Disney’s films, including Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, and Maleficent. Per the official description, “With the help of the Disney villains, Winifred, Mary and Sarah [Sanderson] gather together sinister shadows, nefarious nightmares and the power of their frightful friends to conjure the ultimate Hocus Pocus Party Potion and cast a spell on everyone in the Magic Kingdom Park.” But since you’re likely here for the Sisters and the Sisters alone, the footage below is a combination of the Sanderson-centric opening and final moments (spotted on /Film):
And here’s the whole show: