25 fun facts about about ‘Hocus Pocus’ on its 25th anniversary

“Hocus Pocus” celebrates its 25th anniversary today.

But how well do you know the Disney cult movie hit which stars  Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy? Here are 25 things you may not have known about “Hocus Pocus”:

1. “Hocus Pocus” was set on Halloween and is a go-to movie to watch in October, but it was actually released in theaters on July 16, 1993.

2. Actor Jason Marsden voiced the cat, Thackery Binx. Right after the movie came out he landed the role of DJ Tanner’s boyfriend, Nelson, on “Full House.” He’s since had a successful career as a voice actor, landing roles in “Invader ZIM,” “House of Mouse,” “Kim Possible,” “The Fairly OddParents,” “The Legend of Korra” and “Transformers: Rescue Bots.”

3. Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the role of Max before Omri Katz landed the part. DiCaprio turned it down to appear in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

4. Rosie O’Donnell was linked to the role of Mary Sanderson before Kathy Najimy was cast.

5. Thackery’s little sister Emily was portrayed by a young actress named Amanda Shepherd. “Hocus Pocus” is her only acting credit. She’s now a real estate agent in Malibu, California.

5. “Come Little Children” was originally believed to be a poem written by Edgar Allen Poe. It was actually written by songwriter Brock Walsh.

7. Sarah Jessica Parker actually sand the “Come Little Children”  for the movie.

8. Alison’s home is actually a museum that you can enter. The building is called The Ropes Mansion, and it’s located at 318 Essex St. in Salem, Massachusetts. It was originally built in 1768.

9. Max and Dani’s house isn’t actually in Salem. The real house is located in Beverly, Massachusetts. It’s about 10 minutes away from Salem.

10. A lot of the exterior shots were filmed in Salem, where the movie takes place. However, the interior shots were filmed on a backlot in Hollywood.

11. The moths that came out of Billy Butcherson’s mouth were reportedly real. They used a dental dam–like device to keep them from going down his throat.

12. Nine different cats played Binx. Each cat had a different skill set that was needed for the film.

13. “Hocus Pocus” was originally written as a Disney Channel Original Movie.

14. October 31st, 1993 was a Sunday, but the film has the kids in school on Halloween.

15. During filming, Midler had two people running around behind her with dictionaries of old curse words.

16 .The original makeup in the movie was deemed too scary by Disney and needed to be toned down.

17. In many other countries, Hocus Pocus is called “Abracadabra.”

18. The baby commercial that is on at “Satan’s” house is a real DuPont Stainmastercommercial from 1991.

19. “I Put a Spell on You” is a 1956 song written by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.

20. Film producer David Kirschner said he came up with the idea for the film one night. He and his young daughter were sitting outside and his neighbor’s black cat strayed by. Kirschner invented a tale of how the cat was once a boy who was changed into a feline 300 years ago by three witches.

21. Billy was supposed to call Winifred a “bitch” when he finally cut his mouth open, according to the script. The actor, however, thought it over the top and changed the world to “wench.”

22. Bette Midler said in a 2008 interview that out of all her movie characters, Winifred Sanderson was her favorite.

23. The Sanderson sisters were hanged on October 31, 1693. However, the Salem Witch Trials ended in May 1693.

24. There are a few scenes in a trailer for the movie that have never shown up in any version of the movie, whether it be on TV or VHS/DVD.

25. “Hocus Pocus” originally made only about $40 million at the box office on a $28 million budget. It was not considered successful and received a lot of negative reviews.