Hocus Pocus cast then and now as new and original stars film sequel 30 years later
THE child actors from Hocus Pocus look unrecognizable nearly 30 years after the film premiered.
The hit film was first released in 1993, and featured a great cast including the all-star Sanderson sisters roles played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, and a sequel movie is now filming.
Pictures show how former child stars – Dani, Max, and Allison – are all grown up 28 years later.
The plot of the film centers on the Sanderson Sisters returning from the dead 300 years after being hanged for witchcraft.
Their comeback to life is thanks to the combination of a spell spoken before their demise and the accidental actions of teenager Max.
When Max lights the black flame candle, the sisters have just one night to secure their continuing existence and all they need to do is sacrifice the lives of local children.
See what the cast looks like today, as many of the cast have kept acting in series and
Thora Birch
Thora Birch, 39, played Max Dennison’s spoiled eight-year-old little sister. After the film's success, she continued with her acting career, starring in American Beauty and recently appearing in the TV series The Walking Dead.
She revealed in 2018 that she married Michael Benton Adler.
Omri Katz
Max, played by Omri Katz, was a teenager originally from LA who moves to Salem with his family.
He is responsible for bringing back the Sanderson sisters 300 years later on Halloween night.
Now 45, the former actor has led a quiet life in recent years.
Before Hocus Pocus, he made a name for himself as he played John Ross Ewing in the TV series Dallas, from 1983 to 1991.
He acted in a handful of TV series following Hocus Pocus – and after 2002, took a break from the screen.
In 2018, he appeared in an episode of the TV series Childhood Thoughts – but he's not had any more credits since.
Vinessa Shaw
Vinessa Shaw starred in the role of Max's girlfriend, Allison Watts, who is a wealthy native Salem resident and forms a close bond with Max's younger sister Dani.
Shaw has kept busy acting in recent years with some of her most notable film credits including Eyes Wide Shut (1999), The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and 3:10 to Yuma (2007).
In 2017, Shaw and her husband Kristopher Gifford tied the knot. The couple has one son together, who was born in 2018.
Sarah Jessica Parker
, now 56, played one of the Sanderson's sisters as the character Sarah in the beloved movie.
She's gone on to have a fruitful acting career – appearing in a mix of TV series and films.
One of her most famous roles includes Carrie Bradshaw in the hit Sex and the City franchise. She is currently filming Hocus Pocus 2, which will be released in 2022.
In 1997, she tied the knot with actor Matthew Broderick.
The duo has three children together, a son age 18, and
Sarah is set to appear in the , which checks in on the SATC cast more than a decade after the series ended.
Bette Midler
Bette Midler, 75, was already a famed actress when she starred as Winifred in Hocus Pocus.
She's continued acting in a range of TV series and movies over the years.
Recently, she's appeared in Adam's Family 2 (2021), the TV series The Politician (2019-2020), The Glorias (2020), and voiced Grandma in The Addams Family (2019). She is also currently filming Hocus Pocus 2, set to be released in 2022.
Kathy Najimy
Kathy Najimy, 64, played the third Sanderson sister, Mary, in the 1993 Halloween favorite movie.
Over the years, she's kept acting in various TV series and movies.
Most recently, she appeared as Millie's Mom in the movie Dumplin' (2018), and as Mayor Jen in the TV series Duncanville. She is currently filming Hocus Pocus 2, set to be released in 2022.
She and husband Dan Finnerty wed in 1998 and have one 24-year-old daughter.
Sean Murray
Sean Murray, 43, had viewers swooning as the real, non-cat version of Thackery Binx in the classic flick.
He went on to have roles in shows like Harts of the West and JAG and movies like The Lottery (1996) and Spring Break Lawyer (2001),
A decade after Hocus Pocus came out, Sean began his career-turning role as Timothy McGee in the CBS procedural, NCIS.
Starring alongside Mark Harmon and David McCallum, the actor has been in hundreds of episodes of the long-running drama since 2003.
He’s been married to his wife, teacher Carrie James, since 2005, and the pair have two kids – daughter Caitlyn and son River.
Doug Jones
Doug Jones, 61, played everyone’s favorite zombie, Billy Butcherson, in Hocus Pocus, and he’s only continued to work on fantastical movies ever since.
He took on the role of Pecilhead in the action-comedy Mystery Men (1999), was a yeti in Brendan Fraser’s Monkeybone (2001), alien Joey in Men in Black II (2002), and Abe Sapien in the Hellboy franchise.
In 2006, he portrayed the Fauno / Pale Man in Pan’s Labrynth, was The Bye Bye Man in the matching-titled movie in 2017), and starred as the Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water that same year.
Doug also stars on Star Trek: Discovery as Cmdr. Saru and is now set to reprise his role as Billy Butcherson for the Hocus Pocus sequel.
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The trio of kids posed with the film’s director Kenny Ortega – showing just how different they look these days in a reunion 25 years after the film.
“We had a good time making it, and I feel that energy of what was present when we were making it is evident in the movie. You can see everyone’s having a good time. It’s there. It lives underneath the dialogue and underneath the music.”
Speaking about the film, Kenny said: “It’s a fun movie that just takes you away and there’s just magic there.
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