The 'Hocus Pocus' Cast Looks So Different Today, 30 Years Later (2024)

When October comes rolling around, one holiday immediately comes to mind for many people: Halloween. In honor of the spooky season, many might be in the thick of planning their Halloween costume or organizing entertaining activities for kids after going trick-or-treating. But amid all the hype surrounding the themed-snacks at Halloween parties, there are some holiday-loving folks who bank on holding what could only be described as the ultimate Halloween movie marathon.

There's nothing quite like the 1993 Disney Halloween favorite Hocus Pocus, which celebrated its 30th anniversary over the summer. The movie follows Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary Sanderson (Kathy Najimy), a trio of 17th-century witch sisters who strive to stay immortal after being unexpectedly resurrected by a group of teenagers in their hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. Between the performances, scenery and hilarity, it's no surprise viewers keep returning to it each fall. What's more, Disney listened to those begging for a sequel, releasing the equally joyful Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+ in September 2022. To put a cherry on top, a third flick is officially in development.

While it's been three decades since fans first met the Sanderson sisters, it's likely some may be wondering whatever happened to the women who made the magical family so fantastical. Come to think of it, inquiring minds are probably thinking where the actors portraying the Dennison Kids and even Thackery Binx are today. Luckily, it's not hard to put a spell on them to see what they've been up to since we met them long, long ago.

WATCH HOCUS POCUS 2 ON DISNEY+

Although it doesn't seem like Amanda is in the acting industry anymore, she still acknowledges the major role Hocus Pocus had in her life. Her Instagram account not only reflects her character (@the_real_emilybinx), but she often goes to conventions and meets fans who love her role from three decades earlier. On the professional side of things, she released the book Becoming Multidimensional in January and has a reiki business called Shekinah Speaks.

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Since Hocus Pocus, Sarah’s career continued to soar, with her most iconic role being Carrie Bradshaw in HBO’s Sex and the City, its two films and the spin-off And Just Like That. Sarah also acted in movies like Failure to Launch and The Family Stone, and shows like HBO's Divorce. Apart from acting, she also has her own popular shoe label now. Four years after Hocus Pocus debuted, Sarah married actor Matthew Broderick and they have three children together.

Kathy’s career in the 1990s was definitely booming before starring in Hocus Pocus. Apart from making everyone laugh as Mary Sanderson, she scored many parts in films, TV shows and animated projects. Among the more notable roles, Kathy worked on Sister Act, It's Pat: The Movie, Topsy and Bunker: The Cat Killers, King of the Hill, Chicago Hope and The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story.

Three decades later, Kathy continues to act while also taking on more roles behind the camera. In 2012, she worked on the film These Girls. Four years after that, she served as a consulting producer for the TV series The Jamz. Among her other roles, she portrayed Wendy in Veep, Judge Gayle Eno in The Good Fight, Mayor Jen in Duncanville and Denise in Younger. In 1998, she married singer and actor Dan Finnerty.

When Sean Murray got the role of Thackery Binx (a.k.a. Emily's heroic older brother) in Hocus Pocus, he technically was only 16 years old at the time. Due to his young age, he technically only had secured a few credits to his name by 1993. Among some of his earlier projects, he scored roles in the short film Too Romantic, the TV series Civil Wars and and the Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro-led film This Boy's Life.

After Hocus Pocus, the acting jobs kept coming in for Sean. Aside from appearing in various roles on major TV series of the 1990s like Touched By an Angel, The Random Years and Harts of the West, his most popular role came on the hit CBS drama NCIS. Throughout the show's two decades on the air, fans have come to known him for portraying Timothy McGee. In his personal life, Sean married Carrie James in 2005.

Just like Sean, Omri was only a teen (17 years old to be exact) when he was cast as Max Dennison in Hocus Pocus. Even though it seems early for an actor to start his career, Omri actually started acting when he was seven as John Ross Ewing in the TV series Dallas. He also had a number of roles, including the 1991 drama Zorro and the show Eerie, Indiana.

In a surprise move by the actor, Omri's IMDb shows that he hasn't acted since the 2018 TV series Childhood Thoughts, and instead has taken up hairdressing. Over the years, he's kept a relatively low profile, though he does occasionally make an appearance at different events, like Freeform's Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash in 2018 (which is where this picture is from!). As for whether he'd star in Hocus Pocus 3, he told Entertainment Weekly he's "excited for the new film."

When Hocus Pocus was released in 1993, Vinessa was 17 years old when she appeared as Allison in the popular Disney flick. Prior to starring in the film, she appeared in two other notable projects in the 1980s: a slasher film titled Home Sweet Home and a sports comedy called Ladybugs.

After Hocus Pocus debuted in theaters, Vinessa continued to take on various projects, including CSI: NY. She later scored bigger roles in Ray Donovan, Vegas, Those Who Kill, Family Blood, The Blazing World, We Need to Do Something and 12 Mighty Orphans. On a personal note, Vinessa tied the knot with Kristopher Gifford and welcomed a son named Jack.

Though Hocus Pocus was a big deal to the then 11-year-old actress, Thora had already been discovered when she appeared in Patriot Games as little Sally Ryan. Before that, Thora made her movie debut in the 1988 film Purple People Eater, portraying a character named Molly Johnson when she was only the age of six. The role also earned her a Young Artist Award that year for "Best Actress Under Nine Years of Age."

Doug Jones is a man of many talents. Not only was he an actor when he played the sympathetic zombie Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus, but he was also a well-known contortionist. Besides his role as Billy, his IMDb page shows that he had only priorly worked on the TV series McDonaldland, Batman Returns, Night Ken, and In Living Color.