How ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Connects to the Original Movie
Hocus Pocus 2 #HocusPocus2
The Sanderson sisters are back for Hocus Pocus 2!
Almost 30 years after the events of the first film, Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary (Kathy Najimy) make a bewitching return to Salem when another teenager lights the Black Flame Candle.
Hoping not to make the same mistakes they did in the first film, the witches immediately set out for revenge and power before the sun rises on All Hallow’s Eve.
While the film makes several nods to the original, including numerous Easter eggs throughout, there aren’t any cameos from the original film’s three kids, Max (Omri Katz), Dani (Thora Birch) and Allison (Vinessa Shaw). Birch was asked to reprise her role, but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts, per Entertainment Weekly.
Though the film centers on a new group of teens this time around, including Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham, it does have one connection to the first film that ties everything together. (Warning: spoilers for Hocus Pocus 2 ahead.)
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How are the Sanderson sisters resurrected in Hocus Pocus 2? 
Seeing as the first film ends with the Sanderson sisters’ demise, you’re probably wondering how exactly they come back in this movie. Following the events of the first film, the witches’ home has now been turned into a magic shop in the sequel, which is run by a man named Gilbert, who refers to himself as Gilbert the Great.
Through the years, Peak’s character Becca and her friends have become regulars at the shop, as they are very into witchcraft. As Becca gets ready to celebrate her 16th birthday in the woods, Gilbert gifts her a special candle, which he says he charged with special powers.
As Becca and her friend Izzy (Escobedo) recite a spell in the woods later that night, they quickly learn that Gilbert’s gift is no ordinary candle as the Sanderson sisters are magically resurrected. Turns out, the candle was actually mixed with the remains of the Black Flame Candle from the first film.
Why are the Sanderson sisters resurrected in Hocus Pocus 2? 
So why exactly did Glibert gift the girls with the infamous Black Flame Candle? Turns out, he wanted to bring the Sanderson sisters back! As he explains to Becca and Izzy, he actually witnessed the Sanderson sisters’ return in the ’90s when he was a little kid.
When he witnessed their demise in the graveyard as a child, he felt the Sanderson sisters were simply misunderstood at the time, and hoped to one day bring them back to give them a second chance, noting to Becca and Izzy that people now love them.
Of course, he quickly learns that everything is not as it seems when it comes to Salem’s most iconic witches.
Hocus Pocus 2 is currently streaming on Disney+
Read the original article on People