Calling all Hocus Pocus fans! A sequel is here, and it’s queer!
Disney released a novelized version of our favorite Halloween movie, and included a sequel that is both racially diverse and queer. The first part of the book focuses on the original story, but the remainder contains a brand new story that is rumored to be the storyline for the new Disney Channel Hocus Pocus movie.
According to AutoStraddle, the sequel takes place 25 years later and centers on Allison and Max’s daughter, Poppy. The family lives in Salem, Massachusetts, and Poppy, much like her father at the beginning of the original movie, doesn’t believe in witches. But when Isabella, a popular black girl at school who Poppy has a crush on, develops an interest in the Sanderson sisters, Poppy begins to question her own beliefs in superstition and myths.
While the book has a sinister vibe like the original Hocus Pocus, the story definitely focuses on the love story between Poppy and Isabella (because Isabella’s feelings are definitely mutual).
According to Nylon, the new story features another POC character named Travis, who is the third member of this new group of teens.
The sequel also sheds light on other important topics, like misogyny and criminal justice regarding witches, AutoStraddle reports. Witches are, after all, a very real part of history, and the Salem witch trials were a mass prosecution of innocent women. Even the dialogue in Poppy’s class highlight this issue. “Doesn’t this relate to the evolution of criminal justice and the autocratic state?” one student asks when the Sanderson sisters legend comes up in the conversation. “What do the Sanderson sisters say about misogyny and unmarried women in colonial America?” another student demands.
This new Hocus Pocus story definitely has it all: racial diversity, queerness and addressing societal issues. How awesome is that?
My only question is: when are we getting the movie version of this amazing sequel?