I remember the summer of 1993 fondly. It was the year I went to see the “Coneheads” movie and recall thinking back to the release of “Hocus Pocus” wondering why it wasn’t slated for an October release. Disney is usually smart with release dates, and “Hocus Pocus” ended up becoming one of the most revered holiday classics of all time. For Disney-philes, “Hocus Pocus” has enough menace to be considered a horror movie, but not so much where it’s impossible for the kids to watch. Twenty years later, “Hocus Pocus” is that classic horror film for kids that has yet to show its age at all, even when you consider adorable Thora Birch turned in to a gorgeous woman many years later. “Hocus Pocus” hearkens back to the most entertaining element of the Halloween season: the threat of witches.
“Witch of Deadwood” is an animated short film very much in the tradition of Bakshi and fantasy works from Tolkien, where it’s easily accessible to all ages. “Witch of Deadwood” is a peak in to a very dangerous and complex world that is brought to life with rich animation by Raymond Kosta, along with wonderful direction by Larry Longstreth. Short but sweet, “Witch of Deadwood” is set on a family of dwarves traveling through a harrowing wooded area.
