Looper's Exclusive Survey Uncovered Hocus Pocus Fans' Favorite Character

"Hocus Pocus 2" premiered to streaming service Disney+ on September 30, 2022, picking up the story of the first "Hocus Pocus" for the first time since its 1993 premiere. This second film in the series immediately became a big hit for Disney, earning the distinction of the most successful Disney+ film premiere in the US.

Pretty much inevitably, given the gap in time between their respective releases, "Hocus Pocus 2" differs from the first film in a number of ways. For example, a somewhat larger budget means that "Hocus Pocus 2" includes more magic use and a features a bigger musical number than its predecessor. The sequel also includes plenty of reverence for the first film, including a costume detail that connects the first and second "Hocus Pocus" movies in a perhaps unexpected manner.

The success of this sequel suggests that, in spite of the property laying dormant for most of three decades, fans remain interested in its particular brand of Disney-fied, witchy comedy. With this recent resurgence in mind, Looper asked "Hocus Pocus" fans which of its characters is their favorite, revealing that one particular character just barely beat out the competition as survey participants' number one pick.

Looper surveyed more than 600 "Hocus Pocus" fans in the United States, and determined that, of its main cast, Sarah Sanderson (Sarah Jessica Parker) is fans' number one favorite character, earning 21.98% of all votes. Sarah is the youngest of the film and its sequel's trio of witch sisters. Personality-wise, Sarah is defined by her obliviousness and is often distracted by her interest in men.

Although Sarah came out on top in this particular fan poll, the other two Sanderson sisters were not far behind — middle sister Mary Sanderson (Kathy Najimy) earned 20.83% of votes, while 19.50% of voters named older sister Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler) as their favorite. So, with such close margins, fans of the quasi-villainous trio of witches seem to be divided relatively evenly between all three sisters, even if Sarah may have won out.

Of the human characters in "Hocus Pocus," protagonist Max Dennison (Omri Katz)'s crush Allison (Vinessa Shaw) is fans' favorite, netting 14.71% of the vote total. Max himself trailed closely behind, with a 13.55% share. Finally, Max's younger sister Dani Dennison (Thora Birch) was the pick of 9.42% of fans in total.

The Sanderson sisters ultimately return in "Hocus Pocus 2," whereas the first film's human protagonists barely factor into its story. This is unsurprising, then, given that fans appear to be considerably more interested in the witches of "Hocus Pocus," and Sarah in particular, than any of its other characters.