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 received studio comedy that found its true audience years later through cable reruns and word of mouth. Directed by Kenny Ortega, it leaned on practical effects and a game cast to tell its tale of resurrected witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. Over the following decades it became a Halloween perennial, embraced by generations who grew up timing their October viewing around it, and its ephemera now carries a nostalgic weight far beyond its initial box office performance.
This cell preserves Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson, the eldest and most theatrical of the three Sanderson sisters, the role most closely tied to the film's lasting identity. Played with commanding relish, Winnie is the character collectors chase first, since her presence anchors the film's tone and marketing alike. A 35mm cell bearing her name may come from a trailer, title sequence, or credits reel, the kind of surviving strip meant to introduce or announce her rather than narrate a scene, making it a fitting artifact for the character who carries the picture's reputation.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Hocus Pocus (1993).
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds three frames, each showing four perforations per frame on both edges.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean throughout the visible length.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-bilateral (two-track) waveform pattern; a blue stripe is also present adjacent to it, consistent with a Dolby-encoded release print.
Edge print
Partially legible along the lower edge; the characters '▲▲+' are visible; remaining edge text is not fully legible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-gold tint along the lower edge strip; the picture area dye image appears warm with strong reds and browns, consistent with a colour positive print.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible running through all three frames, consistent with evidence of a projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the subject matter is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The dual-bilateral optical track, blue Dolby stripe, and warm amber base stock are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the early-to-mid 1990s, matching the 1993 release date 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 000063355
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
