The Discovery Channel's Movie Magic - Hocus Pocus - Flying Effects (1993)

Movie Magic was a Discovery Channel TV series that ran from 1993-1997. It showcased how special effects in film were achieved in both classic and then contemporary films by all film studios.

This entire episode is about how the flying effects were achieved in the Walt Disney Pictures film Hocus Pocus. We also get to see a few examples from other Disney films such as The Absent Minded Professor, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs & Broomsticks, and Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. This documentary explores the different flying rig techniques as well as the use of puppets to create the illusion of flight in the analog days of film and it's fascinating.

Most Disney alum have said that across the board the year 1993 is when things at the company began the shift away from Walt Disney's values to the more PC culture. This was the year everything from traditional Independence Day celebrations and Nativity Christmas observances were removed as well as the insertion of political correctness, micro-managing, and other layers of bureaucracy throughout the company. Hocus Pocus was part of this shift.

1993 saw the release of two Halloween theme films from Walt Disney Pictures, Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. While both are now considered classics, both films were overwhelmingly rejected by audiences at the time and bombed at the box office. While originally intended to be a Walt Disney Pictures release, The Nightmare Before Christmas wasn't even originally released under the Walt Disney Pictures label due to backlash but was a Touchstone Pictures release. It only because a Walt Disney Picture decades later after it was "safe."

Hocus Pocus began as a proposed film in the 1980's called The Halloween House
conceived by David Kirschner, creator of the Childs Play horror franchise series. At the time, Walt Disney Productions was making a series of darker films that included titles like Watcher in the Wood, The Black Cauldron, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. These films were not a successful market for Disney and The Halloween House was shelved. (The Nightmare Before Christmas began around this time as well.) It kicked around the Walt Disney Studios for nearly a decade until Bette Midler, who was under contract to the studio, took interest in it. The film was then fast tracked into production.

In the original script, which was shot, there were several darker elements that were removed from the film in the editing. In one example, the reason the witch played by Kathy Najimy is able to sniff out children is because her biological father is a dog and she's the product of beastiality. This is why her nose resembles a dog's snout and she barks like a dog throughout the film. Similar occult elements were also removed as well as some of the sacred. The reason the witches could transform the boy into a cat in the prologue was because the crucifix around his neck fell off when he tumbled down a hill. This footage was shot but also removed.

Like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus lost money for the Walt Disney Company upon its initial release but both films became cult classics through decades of perennial Halloween airings. This later resulted in a sequel in 2022 where more woke elements were explored and Christians were made into a mockery. The witches who were villains in the original film were now also treated as heroes. Occult items tying in with the film such as tarot cards and ouiji boards have also been marketed as merchandise. While the original film is a great example of building a mythology, let's make no mistake on what this film has become; a bridge to the very real occult and to mock traditional values.

That's why this film is an important part of Walt Disney history. It not only demonstrates how things shifted at the Walt Disney Company but it also provides an example on how this has been built on to further move away from the ideals Walt had when he founded and built his company.

Original airdate 1993

Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.