Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Hocus Pocus arrived from Walt Disney Pictures in the summer of 1993, a modestly budgeted comedy that found its true audience only after years of holiday season replays on television. Directed by Kenny Ortega and set in Salem, Massachusetts, the film paired family friendly scares with a witch coven premise, and its endurance owes much to word of mouth passed between generations rather than to its initial box office reception. Over time it became a fixture of autumn viewing, cementing its place in Disney's catalog of cult favorites that grew stronger with age rather than fading.
This 35mm cell preserves the Sanderson Sisters, the trio of witches whose resurrection drives the entire story and whose chemistry as performers turned the film into a repeat viewing staple. Collectors seek this grouping because it represents the ensemble at the center of the picture's identity, the three names most associated with its lasting appeal. A frame built around them stands as a compact record of the coven itself, a single physical fragment tying the reel back to the characters who made the film worth remembering.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Hocus Pocus (1993).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even and the punched corners look clean throughout the strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip occupying the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release.
Edge print
Not fully legible in this capture; partial characters are visible along the lower edge but cannot be quoted with certainty.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight warm-amber tint typical of processed colour print stock; the dye image reads as rich and not visibly faded.
Projection history
Light vertical lines consistent with projection are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks are seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the content is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital data blocks in the perforation gaps is consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1993 production date of the film on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063350
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
