Hocus Pocus (1993 film) impressive cast." "The Miami Herald" called it "a pretty lackluster affair", adding this comment: "Despite the triple-threat actress combo, "Hocus Pocus" won't be the "Sister Act" of 1993. There are a lot of gotta-sees this summer, and this isn't one of them." "The New York Times" Janet Maslin wrote that the film "has flashes of visual stylishness but virtually no grip on its story". Ty Burr of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a C-, calling it "acceptable scary-silly kid fodder that adults will find only mildly insulting. Unless they're Bette Midler fans. In which case it's depressing as hell"; and
Walt Disney Animation Studios became the highest-grossing first-issue animated film to that point. Katzenberg, Schneider, and Roy Disney set about changing the culture of the studio, increasing staffing and production so that a new animated feature would be released every year instead of every two to four. The first of the releases on the accelerated production schedule was "Oliver & Company" (1988), which featured an all-star cast including Billy Joel and Bette Midler and an emphasis on a modern pop soundtrack. "Oliver & Company" opened in the theaters on the same day as another Bluth/Amblin/Universal animated film, "The Land Before Time"; however, "Oliver" outgrossed