Being a huge fan of the original movie, I was worried this would be a disaster, but it was everything I had hoped it would be. The tone, visuals, and acting are all there. _Hocus Pocus 2_ is able to hold enough from the first movie to be recognizable, while adding enough new ideas to not just be a boring copy.
Our new, young protagonists are delightful, and give the movie a theme of friendship, rather than family, that was the driving force in the 1993 movie.
The Sanderson sisters are still amazing, and we even get to see them as kids - I don't know who found the young girls to play them, but they did a great job; seriously, I could have watched a movie just about them.
There are loads of laughs here, a little bit of music, and at almost two hours, the movie just flies by. I will absolutely watch this every October - along with the first _Hocus Pocus_. Fans of the original are going to love this, and anyone new to our trio of witches can jump in and still enjoy.