The Main Street Mouse
25 Things You May Not Know About “Hocus Pocus”
By Staff
October 19, 2024
Those who know me know that the film “Hocus Pocus” is one of my favorite Disney movies, and it’s become a yearly tradition to watch it a few times (at least) every Halloween season. This fantastic film is celebrating 31 years this year as well! It’s hard to believe it’s been out that long! I came across this article about Hocus Pocus, on hollywood.com, regarding fun facts that most fans didn’t know about the movie. I know I didn’t know, so the article was a fun read. That being said, I thought I’d share the info with our readers, as I know we have a lot of fans of the Sanderson Sisters! So here we go, 25 things you didn’t know about Hocus Pocus~
- Producer David Kirschner created the story for Hocus Pocus and said he made it as a bedtime story for his daughters.
- To pitch the story to Disney, the writers led executives into a dark room with broomsticks and a vacuum cleaner hanging from the ceiling. They also scattered 15 pounds of candy corn throughout the room to invoke Halloween nostalgia.
- Omri Katz was very sick during his first audition and was initially rejected for the role of Max Dennison.
- Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly offered a lot of money to play Max, but he turned it down to star in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, a role that won him critical praise and nominations for both a Golden Globe and an Oscar.
- Leo had this to say about turning down the role: “I don’t know where the hell I got the nerve. You live in an environment where you’re influenced by people telling you to make a lot of money and strike while the iron’s hot. But if there’s one thing I’m very proud of, it’s being a young man sticking to my guns.”
- Rosie O’Donnell was initially offered the role of Mary Sanderson, but she turned it down because she didn’t want to play a “scary witch” and felt uneasy about playing a character who kills children.
- In a 2008 interview, Bette Midler said that this was her favorite role in all her movies.
- Thora Birch said recently: “The most fun I ever had on a film was Hocus Pocus.”
- Kathy Najimy has said she watches the movie with her family every year.
- Hocus Pocus was written as a Disney Channel Original Movie but eventually became a motion picture.
- Unlike most Halloween-themed horror movies, the movie was released in the summer of 1993 rather than the fall, which may have meant it didn’t perform as well at the box office as it could have.
- A major goof in the movie is that it takes place on Halloween 1993, which falls on a Sunday. School would not have been in session that day.
- A historical inaccuracy in the movie is that the Sanderson sisters were hanged on October 31, 1693, but the Salem Witch Trials ended in May 1693.
- Sarah Jessica Parker did sing “Come Little Children” for the movie.
- “Come Little Children” was written by James Horner, who co-wrote (and won an Oscar for) “My Heart Will Go On,” from Titanic, starring none other than Leo DiCaprio (how many degrees of separation?!)
- In the scene where the Sanderson sisters are to be hanged, SJP’s character laughs with her mouth open, and you can see fillings in her mouth where she’d had cavities. Witches didn’t have that advanced level of dentistry, plus, eww. Carrie Bradshaw would disapprove!
- A makeup artist on the film said they had to tone down the makeup as early tests showed it was “too scary.”
- In the scene where Billy cuts his stitches open, those were real moths flying out of his mouth. The crew used a dental dam–like device to keep them from going down his throat.
- A choreographer worked with all three witches to show them how to ride their brooms/vacuums properly.
- The cast took a trip to Salem, which fell on the 300th anniversary of the witch trials.
- “Satan” and his wife are played by real-life brothers and sisters Garry Marshall and Penny Marshall.
- Nine cats played Thackery Binx. Each cat was used for a different skill—swatting, sleeping, purring, etc.
- In many other countries, including France, Brazil, and Argentina, Hocus Pocus is called Abracadabra, which is equally cool.
- According to a writer and co-executive producer, Hocus Pocus was almost called Disney’s Halloween House. Not as catchy.
- The film rights almost went to Steven Spielberg, but Disney won.
