Things Only True Fans Notice In Hocus Pocus 2

It took nearly 30 years for the Sanderson sisters to be resurrected once again in "Hocus Pocus 2." Now that they've returned, an entirely new generation is able to enjoy watching them run amok around Salem.

While many young viewers are being introduced to these witches for the very first time, true fans of the original film have streamed the new one with watchful eyes. After all, the build-up to this momentous occasion has lasted almost three decades, and lucky for them, the true essence of the Sanderson sisters has stuck.

The sequel is filled with all sorts of memorable moments, some of which bring about a true sense of nostalgia for original fans. From the way the witches walk all the way down to the sets around Salem, there are many subtle (and not so subtle) nods to the original "Hocus Pocus," which may warrant a rewatch once you read about them here. These are a few of the things that only true fans of the franchise will notice in "Hocus Pocus 2."

A crooked smile, larger-than-life arm movements, and buck teeth are staples of the three Sanderson sisters. However, big fans of the first film may have noticed that something is a bit off with Mary's mouth in the sequel. Her exaggerated grin is on the other side this time around — and there's a reason for it, too. "It's on the other side mainly because it's so hard for me to do it on the side I did it on 30 years ago," actress Kathy Najimy admitted during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I'm sure the fans are going to go into deep detail about why it's on the other side."

In order to answer all of the fan questions she knew would soon be coming (something wicked this way comes!), Najimy has since come up with a perfect explanation for her new smile. "We can justify it because there's a scene at the beginning where Winnie slaps me, and my mouth goes to the other side," the actress explained. "And then she slaps me again and it goes to the other side, and sticks."

Seeing as the Sanderson sisters were born in the 1600s, it only makes sense that they have no idea what a bus is — or what any automobile is, for that matter.

In the original film, the witches are introduced to this mode of transportation after being resurrected for the very first time. As they are about to make their way onto the street, a public bus pops out of nowhere, making the three sisters pause as they come into contact with the driver. In the scene, he explains how the vehicle can take them to any destination they want, so the sisters happily hop on.

In the sequel, this moment is referenced while the witches are trapped in the Traskes' garage. When the mayor returns home and opens his garage door, the sisters' salt circle is flooded with the beam from his car light. The three initially believe it to be sunlight, but when they catch sight of the vehicle, Mary explains the situation. "It's just a very small bus," she says.

Just as Cassie is finally figuring out what is going on toward the end of "Hocus Pocus 2," true fans may be trying to figure out why her clothing looks so familiar.

Before the teenage trio all ends up in the forbidden forest in the sequel, Cassie is seen wearing a tie dye t-shirt and gray cardigan after her dad catches her throwing a party in their family home. Anyone watching the franchise for the first time may not notice her comfy clothes, but there's a special meaning behind each piece. "They're supposed to be callbacks to Max and Allison, when she's wearing that cardigan at the end, and he's wearing the tie dye shirt," actress Lilia Buckingham revealed to E! News.

Her character isn't the only one who resembles one of the teenagers from the original film. Izzy can also be spotted wearing a long red cardigan in those same scenes – which is another nod to one of Allison's outfits in the first film. "She has that hooded red thing that she wears on the first day," actress Belissa Escobedo explained.

As the Sanderson sisters leave Walgreens in the sequel, they have to find something to fly around on. There's only one broom available in the store, which Winifred quickly claims, leaving the other two witches forced to get creative: Sarah finds a Swiffer Wet Jet, and Mary has no choice but to attempt to fly on two Roomba Robot Vacuum Cleaners.

Anyone watching the enchanted sequel will get a kick out of seeing the witches fly on modern-day cleaning gadgets. Yet, fans of the franchise will get a sense of deja vu when they realize that the witches did something very similar in the original film: While the three witches are in a hurry to hunt down some children to eat, they grab the only things that they can find to fly on: a broom, a mop, and a vacuum cleaner.

Nearly thirty years later, the team thought it would be hilarious to upgrade these appliances and incorporate them even more deeply into the sequel. After all, it's the two Roomba Robot Vacuum Cleaners that end up setting the Sanderson sisters free from their salt circle, propelling the thrilling plot forward.

For each resurrection in the film franchise, the Sanderson sisters fit in perfectly running amok amongst other residents of Salem in Halloween costumes. Though no one else may notice that their witch gowns are actually their real clothes in "Hocus Pocus 2," there is one other costume that may have fans of the original film doing a double take.

In the sequel, the sisters cast a spell on a large group of costumed festival goers. Their mission is to track down the mayor in order to complete their Power Spell. As the group is making their way down the street, one woman's red cone bra stands out from the crowd.

True fans will realize that they've seen this outfit once before. In the original movie, Dani and Max's mother wear this same costume to celebrate Halloween — complete with an earpiece and microphone, just like Madonna herself.

As the three sisters are searching for the mayor in the sequel, Winifred happens upon some unique entertainment. While flying by the window of one couple's home, she notices that they're watching a Halloween movie. It turns out to be a special one that's pretty familiar to the witches.

The scene playing out on the television screen is from the original "Hocus Pocus," when fans are first introduced to a husband and wife in costume as the devil and Medusa. "I always knew I wanted to put some scene from [the] original movie on the TV," the sequel's director Anne Fletcher told Entertainment Weekly. "Because I thought it would be fun and true to modern day Halloween, with fans always watching 'Hocus Pocus.'"

The inclusion of the first film makes a lot of sense when it comes to the sequel's plot, too. As the sisters make their way around Salem on Halloween night, they are recognized many times by residents who are fans of their costumes. Making a movie about the witches' lives for the other characters to enjoy is truly a treat — and it's a special moment for fans of the original film as well.

"Hocus Pocus 2" wouldn't be the successful sequel it is if it weren't for all the original catchphrases scattered throughout the film. For starters, actor Sam Richardson, who plays Gilbert, was excited whenever he heard Sarah Jessica Parker get back into her original character. "Sarah gets to say, 'Amok! Amok! Amok! Amok!'" He gushed to E! News. "I'm like, 'Oh, yes!'"

Mary also drops a few fan-favorite lines throughout the film as well — one of which is the iconic "shishka baby," (as a spin on the word "shish kabob"), while referring to a delicious child she hopes to soon devour.

Perhaps one of the most telling lines from the franchise, however, is when Winifred always refers to one of the young girls as a "clever little witch." In the sequel, this Sanderson sister seems to know that Becca is a magical being even before she does.

In the first film, Winifred also refers to Allison in the same way, which has stirred up many fan theories saying that the young girl from the original movie was most likely a witch as well. Though this theory has never been confirmed by the original creators, the actress who played Allison thinks the fans may be on to something. "It was intentionally implied, for sure," actress Vinessa Shaw told The Wrap.

We've already discussed how anyone watching the sequel can spy the devil and Medusa from the original movie on a couple's television screen. However, the devil and Medusa can also be seen in Salem at the Halloween festival in "Hocus Pocus 2."

The two are first seen while the mayor is waiting in line for a candy apple from Sandy Candy's Cauldron. The company has traveled all the way from Boston to attend the festival in Salem, and Mayor Traske is bound and determined to enjoy one of these delicious treats.

Unfortunately, the line getting there is long. Once Mayor Traske finds out that his daughter is throwing a big party at their house, he decides to ask the costumed attendees behind him to hold his place in line as he hurries home. The mayor may not know these two townsfolk, but true fans of the franchise will. They are dressed in similar devil and Medusa costumes from the original film.

In "Hocus Pocus 2," a young Winifred, Mary, and Sarah hear the song "Come Little Children" for the very first time. However, fans of the franchise will realize that they've heard this familiar tune before.

In the original film, "Come Little Children" becomes Sarah's go-to song while luring children to their demise. The sequel portrays the story that explains exactly how this came to be: Back in the 1600s, the young Sanderson sisters are escaping their town when they find themselves lost deep in the forbidden forest. Frightened and confused about what to do next, their imaginations begin to go wild before hearing a haunting tune play out amongst the trees. Mother Witch turns out to be the one singing a song called "Come Little Children" to enchant the young girls before eating them. Sarah is the first one that the elder witch goes after, and it's clearly a moment that the young girl will never forget, as it's the song she sings as a grown woman in the original film.

Whenever the Sanderson sisters run into moments of stress, they turn to a calming circle. This helps them to come together and reassess their next move — something they often do in the sequel during times of despair.

True fans know that this ritual was something Mary first suggested to her sisters in the original film. However, it wasn't initially received with much excitement in the first movie. Aside from Mary, the other witches weren't all about it.

The calming circle (or technically a triangle) has since become second nature for the sisters in the sequel, helping them to navigate all the stresses that the modern-day world brings. However, we do think it would be entertaining to watch these three witches turn to yoga poses and deep breathing instead — you know, just as an idea for the potential third installment that was teased after the sequel's ending credits.

Blink during "Hocus Pocus 2" and you might miss it, but Billy Butcherson brought something familiar with him to Salem (in addition to his severed head). Fans who pay close attention to the trolley may notice this special, subtle detail from the first film. "[Our production designer Nelson Coates] used the headstone from Billy Butcherson's grave on the back of the trolley," actress Whitney Peak, who plays Becca, revealed during an interview with E! News.

The red trolley is on full display in "Hocus Pocus 2" when Cassie is snatched away from the girls and sent flying into the air along with the Sanderson sisters. With the adrenaline rush that comes with watching the scene (along with our subtle disappointment in her boyfriend for not running after her), Billy Butcherson's headstone can be easy to miss on the back of the trolley. "I mean, if anybody noticed that, I'd have to commend them," Peak added.

There are a few brand new characters introduced in the sequel. However, true fans of the first film will realize that Gilbert's narrative is actually weaved into the original story.

As Gilbert explains in "Hocus Pocus 2," he was trick-or-treating in 1993, dressed as a warlock, when he witnessed the Sanderson sisters first soaring across the sky. He also mentions that his candy was stolen by two bullies that night, who we can only assume are Salem's Jay and Ice from the first film, since they also attempted to steal Dani's candy that same night.

In addition to that, Gilbert explains how he witnessed the witches' shenanigans in the cemetery while they were resurrected the first time around. That means he was a part of the scene that unfolded at the end of the first film when the witches have to say goodbye — though viewers never get to see the young boy hiding out behind the other gravestones.

Throughout "Hocus Pocus 2," the teen girls realize that Gilbert has given them a lot of great advice over the last few years. One thing he always said is that salt is the greatest defense against any kind of dark magic.

While the Sanderson sisters are busy eating beauty products at Walgreens, Becca and Izzy take Gilbert's advice — with a grain of salt. They surround themselves with all sorts of it in an attempt to protect themselves from any curse. It turns out, it actually works — and fans of the first film will have known this all along.

In the original movie, Allison is the first to use a salt circle in order to shield herself from the witches' spells. As she explains, salt actually protects people from a lot more than just dark magic. "It says to form a circle of salt to protect from zombies, witches, and old boyfriends," her character famously reveals.

Cobweb may seem like any ordinary black cat in "Hocus Pocus 2," but true fans will think twice before making this assumption. That's because in the first film, a boy named Thackery Binx was cursed by the Sanderson sisters, causing him to turn into an immortal cat.

When the three witches come across Gilbert's cat in the sequel, they even question whether or not he is actually a feline at first. As soon as Sarah sees the black cat, she says, "The Binx boy! He lives?" Even after Gilbert assures her that Cobweb is simply just his cat, Sarah whispers, "I know 'tis really thee, Thackery."

Though Thackery was released from his curse and reunited with his sister in the first film, fans can't help but wonder if Cobweb really is another boy who has also been cursed for all of eternity. Alas, we'll have to wait patiently for a third installment in order to get an official answer.