So far I can’t tell if this would be a huge mistake and possible embarrassment for Disney or a good idea. Hocus Pocus is a movie that a lot of us grew up on as kids, watching it every Halloween even though we knew exactly what happened and that nothing would ever change. Still we watched because it was a part of the holiday and the characters were simply too great to put away for good. Bette Milder, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker were perfect as the dangerous but dim-witted Sanderson sisters, and the rest of the cast was pretty good as well.
One thing to note though, did you happen to notice a familiar character that played the role of Zachary Binks? He was there for the opening scenes and then had to settle for voice acting for much of the rest of the movie, at least until he came back for the ending. Binks is played by none other than actor Sean Murray, the same lovable McGee that so many people like on NCIS. He was just a kid when the film was made and the surprise of realizing just who he is has amazed a lot of people.
But getting back to the remake, it wouldn’t really be a make or break kind of thing, but it would carry some importance to it since the movie is so loved by so many. Lately a lot of movies and TV shows have been coming back on the rise and have been kind of hit and miss with audiences. Some remakes seem like they should have never been attempted while some have been knocked out of the park they were so good. The latter though seems rare and there’s always that moment of uncertainty that comes before determining whether a remake was a good idea or not.
Looking at how Adventures In Babysitting went so far it’s kind of hard to get enthused about a coming remake of Hocus Pocus. Plus, the acting isn’t bound to be better and the characters would have to be played by those that are proven in the acting industry just to make it work. Honestly, each actress that played the witches was so well done that even being goofy and even a little campy only helped their role and made the film a classic. Better Midler alone was something special, but when flanked by Parker and Najimy she was the central figure that the film needed. Unfortunately the kids didn’t really add much to the film but did manage to provide the witches with some sport.
Personally I think that remaking this movie is a bad idea. I’ll even give a few reasons why.
- It was a perfect movie for it’s time and shouldn’t be messed with because it was nestled comfortably in the zone where it was just funny enough and yet wasn’t an instant blockbuster. It was a comfort movie for kids still growing up.
- Disney has developed a bad habit of destroying movies as of late. (cough, cough, Star Wars, cough).
- The number one reason is that you can’t possibly replace the actresses that played the Sanderson sisters. Mess with that at your peril.
Even if Disney goes ahead with this, which it sounds like they might, it seems like a bad idea.
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