Hocus Pocus 2 Can't Bring Back A Great Character (Without Ruining The Ending)

Hocus Pocus 2 is bringing back a lot of the original cast, but Thackery Binx shouldn’t be one of them — it would only ruin the ending of Hocus Pocus. Hocus Pocus 2 is finally happening, but the sequel shouldn't ruin the perfect ending of Hocus Pocus by bringing back every fan favorite character. The original 1993 Hocus Pocus follows the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches who are accidentally resurrected on Halloween night by a teenage boy. Their evil plan is eventually thwarted, thanks in no small part to a talking cat named Thackery Binx. While the character is easily one of the most memorable characters in Hocus Pocus, including him in the sequel would actually do a disservice to the original film.

Thackery spends most of Hocus Pocus as a talking black cat that goes by Binx, helping Max and Dani evade and defeat the Sanderson sisters. Thackery first encountered the Sanderson sisters in the late 17th century when his sister Emily is kidnapped and killed by them. When he confronted them, the witches cruelly transformed Binx into an immortal talking cat so that he could never reunite with his sister. In response, he then spent the next three hundred years guarding the Sanderson's cottage so that the sisters couldn't be resurrected.

Although Bette Midler has stated she's hoping more original cast members will return, Thackery's story has the perfect ending in Hocus Pocus and any attempt to bring him back would ruin that ending. When the Sandersons disintegrate into dust and he is finally allowed to die, the audience sees his spirit reunite with Emily. His life ending gave him closure, and undoing it in favor of bringing him back for Hocus Pocus 2 would ruin his arc and be a disservice to fans of the film. Hocus Pocus 2 has been rumored for years. Now that it's finally happening, Disney should find a way to continue the story without ruining the legacy of Hocus Pocus. The fact that so many cast members are interested in returning, which so far includes all three Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy), is a great sign that Hocus Pocus 2 is going to be true to the original film — and bringing back Thackery Binx would be a step in the wrong direction. Although it would give fans a chance to see their favorite character again, Disney would have to undo the closure he receives in the original. There's simply no way for Hocus Pocus 2 to bring Thackery Binx back without ruining the ending of the first film, since bringing the character back, even as a ghost, requires interrupting and/or disrupting his well-earned peace in the afterlife.

The series should leave Thackery Binx where he belongs, with his story ending in the last few moments of Hocus Pocus — and bring the Sanderson sisters into a brand new story in Hocus Pocus 2. The original Hocus Pocus remains as popular as ever, which suggests that the sequel should try and retain the charm of the original as much as possible — including its originality. Simply repeating the basic formula of the first movie will not please fans. Perhaps instead of bringing back Binx, a new talking animal can be introduced — or a new magical creature altogether.