Warning: Spoilers ahead for Hocus Pocus 2!
Hocus Pocus 2 features several clever references to the original Hocus Pocus, but one specific callback complicates the existence of the first movie. The Disney movie that introduced the Sanderson Sisters debuted in 1993, with Hocus Pocus gaining popularity over the past three decades, solidifying itself as a bona fide classic. To honor the movie that started it all, Hocus Pocus 2 not only brings back the Sanderson Sisters but the sequel is also packed with special nods to the 1993 movie.
One noteworthy Hocus Pocus 2 callback comes around the sequel’s one-hour mark, but it ends up creating confusion. Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson are in the midst of searching out Mayor Traske around Salem. When they split up, Winifred flies around town on her broomstick and happens to look in a window of two men watching a movie. The unsuspecting men are actually watching the first Hocus Pocus movie as the TV screen shows a scene featuring Garry and Penny Marshall. The siblings, who have since passed away, memorably played the bickering married couple in 1993’s Hocus Pocus, with Garry’s character thought as the very old Sanderson Sisters’ “master” due to his devil costume. However, the scene of the “master” and his wife arguing from Hocus Pocus being shown in Hocus Pocus 2 doesn’t make much sense since it confuses what’s real and what’s not in the franchise’s universe.
Does The Original Hocus Pocus Exist In Hocus Pocus 2?
If the two men in Salem are watching the original Hocus Pocus, that implies that the 1993 movie exists within Hocus Pocus 2‘s continuity. Winifred sees what’s on the TV and even grins, but this begs the question of whether she recognizes the “master” in the devil costume. 29 years earlier, Winifred and her sisters were in the couple’s house. If the Sanderson Sisters recalled the events of Halloween Night in 1993, which Hocus Pocus 2 confirms, Winifred surely would have recognized the “master” and his wife. Though this detail messes with the fabric of continuity, it was likely more of a special nod to Hocus Pocus‘ big cameos.
Why Hocus Pocus 2 Pays Tribute To Garry & Penny Marshall
Garry and Penny Marshall were uncredited in their Hocus Pocus roles, but their characters were impossible to forget. Despite being siblings in real life, the pair had irrefutable chemistry as an argumentive married couple. There was no question why the Disney movie directed by Kenny Ortega would have wanted appearances by two of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers and actors. By 1993, Garry had gained notoriety through hits like Happy Days, Overboard, Beaches, and Pretty Woman, while Penny was already known for titles like Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, Big, and A League of Their Own. Having the Marshall involved in any capacity for the Salem-set Hocus Pocus was certainly a big deal, and it undoubtedly made for a memorable and fun sequence. Hocus Pocus 2 seemingly wanted to honor Garry and Penny Marshall’s original cameos in some way, and the easiest way to do so was through a direct showing of the siblings’ cameo scenes.
If revealing a snippet of the Marshall family’s scene was enough, Hocus Pocus 2 goes the extra mile in honoring the “master” and his wife. Just 30 seconds after Winifred witnesses the two men watching Hocus Pocus, Mayor Traske returns to his quest to acquire a caramel apple at the town’s Halloween carnival. The couple supposed to save his spot in line is dressed exactly like Garry and Penny Marshall from the first movie, devil costume and hair rollers included, making for the perfect Hocus Pocus 2 Easter egg. Though the late filmmakers never had a chance to reprise their roles, Hocus Pocus 2 and director Anne Fletcher make sure that the Marshalls are still present. The method may have messed with continuity, but their Hocus Pocus 2 presence is better than being left out altogether.
