Hocus Pocus
All actors and roles (10)
All team (101)
Short description
Hocus Pocus is a family comedy set in Salem, Massachusetts, where teenager Max Dennison and his younger sister Dani accidentally bring three witches back to life on Halloween night. The Sanderson sisters were executed for witchcraft three centuries earlier, and their return revives an old promise to take the souls of the town's children so they can stay young forever. With help from Max's friend Allison, a black cat and a book of spells, the children try to stop the witches before morning.
The film was directed by Kenny Ortega, arriving between Newsies and a long later run of television musicals. Neil Cuthbert and Mick Garris wrote the screenplay, and the credited cast runs to thirty-two performers, among them Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw as the three young leads, with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the sisters. Walt Disney Pictures produced it with David Kirschner Productions and Touchwood Pacific Partners 1 on a budget of 28 million dollars; it took about 40 million dollars worldwide.
Reception was mixed at the time. On IMDb it holds 6.9/10 from roughly 172,000 votes, and on TMDB 7/10 from a much smaller base of about 3,400. Critics, as recorded from 65 reviews, gave it 4.8/10, well below what audiences have since awarded it.
What's left behind the scenes
- Filming took place in the states of California and Massachusetts, USA.
- The role of Max Dennison was initially planned for Leonardo DiCaprio, but Omri Katz received it, as Leonardo was working on 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' at the time.
- Rosie O'Donnell was offered the role of Mary Sanderson, but she later stated that she turned it down because she didn't want to look like a scary witch on screen.
- Dag Jones' butterflies in his mouth were real, not created using computer technology. The actor had a small rubber pouch in his mouth to prevent the butterflies from going down his throat, and the pouch had a small hole for airflow, allowing the actor to cough.
- Sarah Jessica Parker said that she was so comfortable sitting in the special saddle on the broomstick that during long breaks between takes she didn't ask for the broomstick to be lowered so she could get off and stretch her legs, but simply remained in place and read a newspaper she had saved for just such an occasion.
- In the case of the cat named Thackery Binx, a real animal was filmed, and then its head was replaced with a computer model.
- The graveyard was filmed in the largest soundstage at the Walt Disney studio. Real birch and elm trees were even brought onto the soundstage specifically for the filming.
- For filming the scene in which Bette Midler's character explodes from sunlight near the end of the film, several statues of the actress were used. One such statue with a spellbook is on display at a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Orlando, Florida.
Similar movies
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
