'Hocus Pocus 3' In Development At Disney As Layoffs Mercifully End
Pixar was especially hit in that final round
Nothing ever truly fades away completely. Hocus Pocus 3 has been greenlit at Disney+ which means more chaos is coming from the Sanderson sisters.
The witches indeed will be back after quite a triumphant return with the release of the previous film released exclusively on the streamer, setting a record with 2.7 billion minutes of viewing following its September 30 premiere. The film starred Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, and the trio are expected to return.
Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, confirmed the news. The previous film was directed by Anne Fletcher, with a screenplay by Jen D’Angelo and a story by her, David Kirschner who contributed to the story of the 1993 original film, and Blake Harris. The Kenny Ortega-directed original film was not a box office hit but would achieve cult status through airings on Disney Channel and ABC Family.
The news comes as many of its Disney+ original film brethren, such as both Stargirl films, The One and Only Ivan, Artemis Fowl, the Cheaper by the Dozen remake, Timmy Failure, Flora & Ulysses, Better Nate Than Ever, Magic Camp, and Clouds have been removed from the service for impairment money. The removals came amidst a three-stage process of 7,000 layoffs that in its final round hit Pixar. Lightyear director Angus MacLane, a 26-year animator who was previously of the Senior Creative Teams for films like Coco, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4, was cut from the studio, among 75 jobs that were made redundant on May 23. Galyn Susman, who had been at the studio since the first Toy Story, where she was lighting supervisor and modeling artist, was also part of the cuts.
It’s the first layoffs at the studio since 2013 and they are therefore otherwise rare. That period was when The Good Dinosaur was delayed and 5% of Pixar’s 1,200 employees were affected, including director Bob Peterson. It comes ahead of the studio’s next release, Elemental, happening on June 16. International layoffs are expected to be the next move.
