Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Hocus Pocus arrived in 1993 through Walt Disney Pictures, a Halloween comedy that underperformed on release but found its true audience through years of television reruns and home video. Directed by Kenny Ortega, it became a seasonal perennial, its reputation growing steadily until it stood among the studio's most requested catalog titles for October viewing, a fixture of family and nostalgia collecting.
This cell centers on Mary Sanderson, played by Kathy Najimy, one of the three Sanderson sisters whose resurrection drives the film's plot. Mary is the group's more excitable, sensory member, often functioning as comic support to her siblings, and she remains a favorite among collectors drawn to character-specific ensemble witches. A cell bearing her name alone points to a moment built around her presence in frame, distinct from the trio shots that dominate most surviving 35mm material from this production, making single-character Sanderson cells comparatively scarce.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of Hocus Pocus (1993).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the perforations, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern consistent with a stereo optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer codes.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-yellow tint along the lower margin; the image area reads as a colour positive with no obvious red shift or significant fading apparent.
Projection history
Faint vertical lines are visible running through the image area, consistent with projection wear on a release print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames of a single continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of Hocus Pocus (1993).
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive base, and warm stock tint are all consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1993 production 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 000063392
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
