The Witches (2020)
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12-month trend
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2025-09 to 2026-08
The story
Young Charlie Hansen lives with his grandmother Agatha in Demopolis, Alabama, after a car accident killed his parents in Chicago. Agatha, who believes she is being hunted by witches, takes Charlie to stay in the Grand Orleans Imperial Island hotel. There, she teaches him how to identify witches, who hide their true forms behind wigs and gloves. While staying at the hotel, Charlie discovers a sinister plot by the Grand High Witch of All the World to use a magical potion to turn all children into mice. Charlie and his pet mouse, Daisy, must navigate the dangers of the hotel to protect the children and uncover the witches' secrets.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a car accident, young Charlie Hansen lives with his grandmother, Agatha, in Alabama. Agatha, who believes she is being hunted by witches, takes Charlie to the Grand Orleans Imperial Island hotel. She teaches him to identify witches by their physical traits. While at the hotel, Charlie and his pet mouse, Daisy, discover that the Grand High Witch is planning to use a potion called Formula #86 to turn all children into mice. During a confrontation in the ballroom, the Grand High Witch transforms a man named Bruno into a mouse. Charlie and Daisy are also turned into mice but manage to escape. They learn that Daisy was once a human girl named Mary. They eventually confront the Grand High Witch in her room. After a tense standoff, the mice manage to force the Grand High Witch to consume the potion, turning her into a rat. Agatha captures the witch's stash of money and potion. The film ends with Charlie, Agatha, and the mice traveling the world to hunt witches and share their knowledge.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- Mexico; United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Zemeckis
- Writers
- Robert Zemeckis · screenplay; Kenya Barris · screenplay; Guillermo del Toro · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Anne Hathaway · Grand High Witch; Octavia Spencer; Stanley Tucci; Kristin Chenoweth; Jahzir Bruno
- Genres
- dark fantasy; children's fantasy; horror
- Themes
- bravery; protection of children; good vs. evil
- Tone and mood
- dark; fantasy
- Premise and plot tags
- witchcraft; transformation; grandparent-grandchild relationship; hidden identity
- Source material / true-story basis
- Roald Dahl's novel The Witches (1983)
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising the performances and special effects but criticizing the writing and finding the tone potentially unsuitable for children.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Production trivia
- The film was the ninth-most watched straight-to-streaming title of 2020 up to November.; The film collaborated with a Roblox game named Islands.; The film is the second adaptation of the novel.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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