Disney’s cult classic movie “Hocus Pocus” has transformed into a novel that features a teenage lesbian love interest.
“Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel” is a two-part young adult novel that retells the original spooky story and adds a new sequel to the mix. The continuation of the story gives the Sanderson sisters the opportunity to enchant the next generation of Salem teenagers.
The book was released on the 25th anniversary of the original movie and takes place on Halloween night in 2018.
Max Dennison — who resurrected the trio of witches in the 1993 movie — is married to his love interest, Allison. They still live in Salem, Massachusetts, and have a 17-year-old daughter named Poppy.
Poppy doesn’t care about magic, witches or the legend of the Sanderson sisters. She’s embarrassed by her parents’ over-the-top superstition.
But there is one thing Poppy is interested in: Isabella, the most beautiful and popular girl in school, according to Autostraddle, an online queer women’s media outlet.
An excerpt from the book reads: “‘Well, I wouldn’t miss it.’ Isabella gives me a smile that makes my stomach flip a little. ‘There’s no way I’d leave you hanging.’”
A high-school crush can change anything. Isabella’s keen interest in the Sanderson sisters causes Poppy to study up.
Autostraddle praises the LGBTQ and racial diversity of the revamped Salem squad. Isabella and Travis, who is the third member of the gang, are both black.
Poppy, Isabella and Travis must face the Sanderson sisters and defeat their sinister scheme in order to save all of Salem.
Disney Channel is also working to re-imagine “Hocus Pocus” as a TV movie that gives a fresh take on the reawakening of the Sanderson sisters, according to Deadline. The movie is being written by Scarlett Lacey and worked on with David Kirschner as the executive producer. It will feature a new cast and director. It isn’t clear if the TV movie will have the same LGBTQ love interest as the book.
There is no release date for the new “Hocus Pocus” movie, so fans will have to get their fix with the new novel.
While the book takes place in modern day, it makes references to the original story that will bring feelings of nostalgia to anyone reading.
The book is available on Amazon for Kindle and as a hardcover for around $10.
Image courtesy of Amazon.
