The Sanderson sisters are back in Disney’s new,“Hocus Pocus II.” The sequel highlights the power of sisterhood and its unwavering support when men and society fail you.

Director Anne Fletcher emphasized the importance of women being there for one another.

“It’s about even when you have a fight or confusion, or you’re not speaking, to make sure you connect and communicate and stick with each other and have each other’s back,” Fletcher said. “That is true friendship and that’s true sisterhood.”

The film follows high school friends Cassie, Becca and Izzy. What brings them all together is their joint interest in spirited magical activities.

The trio’s moments remind the audience of times spent with their own girl friends.

The film also explores the trio’s separation as a result of Cassie’s latest relationship, as the decision to choose between friends and a boy arises.

The plot’s progression through Cassie’s choices is gratifying. She is grounded as a result of the party she throws, demonstrating that her actions have consequences. She is not shielded by the storyline as she moves closer to her boyfriend she drifts further from Izzy and Becca.

The film sees the pleasant return of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters. Fans have been wanting this from their first appearance in the original film back in 1993. Now 29 years later, we get a look into how Sarah, Winifred and Mary became witches.

Although it seems like the Salem village that we have pictured in our heads where men and women each have their prescribed roles to perform, Winifred surprisingly paves her own way.

Unlike the ladies in her village, she does not want to marry the reverend pick as she turns sixteen. Instead, she looks to achieve her own love.

She expresses discontent to the reverend and the crowd behind him. She claims her desire to marry her crush Billy Butcherson, who she shared a kiss with. “She thrives in her petulance,” a voice from the audience comments, earning the crowd Winifred’s approval.

Her relationship with Billy is complex and imperfect, not what a 16-year-old might conventionally dream of. It’s harsh, filled with awkwardness and undeniable truth.

Marrying out of love rather than convenience or responsibility was a radical idea in the 1600s. According to Stephanie Coontz of The Sun magazine, individuals have sought love outside of marriage throughout history. Marriages were reserved for political ties, economic mobility, and childbearing.

Winifred’s progressive ideals alongside her assertive demeanor causes her to appear as a villain. Women who ignore their traditional roles in the village are, for the most part, cast away as witches.

Future installments in the series would do good to continue to explore the sister’s unique identities as they relate to the world around them.