Hocus Pocus star explains why Binx the cat doesn't just talk to his dad at the beginning
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More perplexing than the root of the word "yabbos," fans of Hocus Pocus have long pondered the answer to one question: If poor Thackery Binx can talk in his feline form, why doesn't he just tell his dad that he's now a kitty instead of lightly brushing against his calves at the Sanderson Sisters' 1693 execution at the start the film?
"What a great idea for a prequel this would be, to find out how he does figure all of this out," actor Jason Marsden — who voiced the black cat in the 1993 Disney classic — exclusively tells EW. "My guess is: It's a new spell, a new forum. You try being a cat for an hour and learn how to walk, use a tail, and talk! It's probably something that Thackery had to learn or evolve in the hundreds of years that he had to deal with being an immortal cat."
Disney (2) Jason Marsden reveals why Binx doesn't talk to his father in 'Hocus Pocus'
Marsden reveals the information in a new conversation with costars Vinessa Shaw (Allison) and Omri Katz (Max) — the latter of whom said that he, too, was confused by the scene, given that Thackery-in-cat-form communicates with Allision and Max en route to defeating the resurrected witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) when they return to wreak havoc on Salem.
"We were all watching it together last weekend," Katz explains. "I said the exact same thing. As soon as he's crawling around his dad's legs, rubbing and meowing, it's like, why is he not saying anything?"
Another surprising development for Katz? The fact that none of the OG child actors who fronted the first movie returned for September's Anne Fletcher-directed sequel on Disney+. Thora Birch was originally intended to return as a schoolteacher but had to drop out due to the production schedule for Netflix's Wednesday series.
"I would have loved to be involved. I feel bad for the original fan base saying we aren't because I'm sure they wanted to see us reprise our roles," Katz previously told EW in a statement. Still, he expressed excitement over the "new direction" of the sequel, saying, "I think it'll be good for everyone who loved the original! I hope fans will go see it. I know I will."
Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are now streaming on Disney+. Read EW's full interview with the OG stars here.
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