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 Halloween television rotation. Directed by Kenny Ortega, it paired family-friendly scares with a cast willing to commit fully to broad, theatrical performances. The film's afterlife on home video and cable turned it into an annual October ritual, and that slow-burn devotion is what now drives demand for physical artifacts tied to its cast and characters.
This cell preserves Sarah Sanderson, one of the three Sanderson sisters and a favorite among collectors for her breezy, mischievous energy, played by Sarah Jessica Parker in a performance that helped define the character's cult appeal. A cell bearing her name alone suggests a moment built around her presence in the frame, the kind of isolated character study that 35mm collections favor when highlighting a specific performer's contribution. For fans of the witch trio, a solo Sarah cell represents a direct, personal piece of the character's screen identity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Hocus Pocus (1993).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
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-tinted Dolby Digital data stripe is also visible in the same edge zone.
Edge print
SAFETY FILM printed along the lower edge, reading in reverse, indicating emulsion-up orientation.
Base & colour
Base appears warm amber-yellow at the stock edge; the dye image reads as a colour positive with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
No splices or cue marks are visible; faint longitudinal lines are present in the picture area consistent with a projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a 1993 live-action fantasy feature.
Era check
The combination of a dual-bilateral optical track, Dolby Digital data blocks, and safety base stock is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early-to-mid 1990s, matching the 1993 release date of Hocus Pocus.
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 000063381
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
