Hocus Pocus Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Hocus Pocus Blu-ray Movie Review

Disney has gone back into the archives (though not too far) for a new 'Anniversary Edition' of the cult favorite 'Hocus Pocus.' The release adds two new supplements but recycles the same video and audio presentations. Along with the wide release, a Target exclusive, an FYE exclusive, and a Disney Movie Club exclusive, there is this highly sought-after Best Buy exclusive SteelBook. A little creepy but a lot of fun, chances are most collectors will gravitate towards this prized collectible as the best way to own the film, particularly considering the very aggressive price point compared to other, and often lesser, SteelBook variants.

Hocus Pocus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a full video review, please click here; note that this link points to the original 2012 Blu-ray release.

Hocus Pocus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full audio review, please click here; note that this link points to the original 2012 Blu-ray release.

Hocus Pocus Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The fun thing about SteelBook isn't necessarily the more durable casing but the opportunity for studios to have a little fun, to gravitate away from the floating heads and generic Photoshop covers that plague so many home video releases anymore and make something that stands out a little more from the crowd. That's what Disney has done with Hocus Pocus. The SteelBook takes on the appearance of Winnie's fleshy patched-together spell book, which really doesn't look all that dissimilar from The Evil Dead's Necronomicon. Hocus Pocus is obviously a more family-friendly film but there's still a certain "creepy" factor with one, considering the embossed/debossed eyeball and curled snakes that dominate the front cover and appear along the right-hand side. It's obviously not as dense or "alive" as the book in the film, but it's the perfect home for the movie on home video. The left hand side features another snake, one that stretches longways with head at the bottom. The rear side largely replicates the front cover, but the eye is replaced with a beastly paw. The spine carries over the predominant color, a leathery brown, with the film's title and the words "anniversary edition" emblazoned across the middle. "Disney" appears at the top and "Disney Blu-ray" appears at the bottom.

Inside, buyers will find the digital copy code tucked under the tabs on the left-hand side and the disc, which disappointingly just shares the same artwork as the wide release, is situated in the hub on the right. The inner print maintains the "book" feel by including two panels worth of text: the recipe for a witch's brew, of course in blood-red lettering against a lightly colored beige background that gives the impression of aged paper.

For full coverage of the new supplemental content available on this disc, please click here.

Hocus Pocus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's creepy, it's cool, it's the Hocus Pocus SteelBook. In what has become one of the most popular releases of the year, the SteelBook seems the most sought-after of the variants, and for good reason. While Disney failed to really jazz up the disc beyond the addition of the PiP track, fans will certainly want to make room in their collections for this SteelBook, assuming availability of course. Recommended.