Hocus Pocus: The Halloween Hit That Left Spielberg Feeling Betrayed (Ep. 272)

Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor

In this episode of Fine Tooning, Jim Hill and Drew Taylor take you behind the scenes of Disney’s beloved Hocus Pocus and its unexpected connection to Steven Spielberg.

Discover the untold story of how the Halloween classic was pitched, nearly lost, and ultimately stolen away from Spielberg.

Tune in as we explore:

• The Spielberg-Kirschner Drama: How did the An American Tail creator’s decision to pitch Hocus Pocusto Disney instead of Spielberg create tension in Hollywood?
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• Disney's Billion-Dollar Halloween Gamble: What convinced Jeffrey Katzenberg to greenlight Hocus Pocus after an unconventional pitch?
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• South Park Hiatus: Why Trey Parker and Matt Stone are putting South Park on pause until 2025 and how the Paramount-Skydance merger affects its future.
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• The Wild Robot World Premiere: DreamWorks’ adaptation of The Wild Robot hits the Toronto International Film Festival, and Jim & Drew dive into the excitement leading up to its wide release, including a sneak peek at The Art of DreamWorks The Wild Robot.
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• The Animated Opener of Joker: Folie à Deux: Learn how Sylvain Chomet brings a Looney Tunes-style sequence to life for the Joker sequel’s Venice Film Festival debut.

Join Jim and Drew for an inside look at one of Halloween’s most iconic films, plus the latest in animation news and commentary.

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