25 Years Later: 'Practical Magic' Returns with a Sequel
25 años después: el regreso de 'Prácticamente magia'
Sep 10, 2026·1 min read·Graded Spanish · word-by-word audio
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La nostalgia sigue trayendo títulos a la cartelera. 'Prácticamente magia 2' es una de esas novedades que hace regresar a su historia principal, estrenada hace más de 25 años y con Sandra Bullock y Nicole Kidman como protagonistas, ambas recuperando sus papeles de las hermanas Owen.
Una anécdota curiosa es que una bruja real amenazó con demandar a Warner Bros después de participar como asesora en los detalles de la película. Exigió el 3% de los beneficios porque se había sentido ofendida. El asunto quedó en un pago por parte de la productora.
Además, las localizaciones de la película gustaron mucho en Hollywood. Actores como Ben Stiller o Barbra Streisand buscaron la casa de la película para comprarla. La secuela será dirigida por Susanne Bier, una mujer, y promete mantener el espíritu de la original.
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Watch out, English speaker
English speakers often default to the passive voice with 'by' in Spanish, but Spanish uses 'por' and the passive is less common than in English. For example, 'The film was misunderstood by critics' becomes 'La película fue incomprendida por la crítica.' Remember that the agent is introduced with 'por', not 'by'.
In Spanish, the past perfect (había + past participle) is used similarly to English 'had + past participle', but English speakers sometimes forget to use it when sequencing past events. For instance, 'She had felt offended' is 'se había sentido ofendida.' Make sure to use it for actions that happened before another past action.
Spanish often uses the passive voice with 'ser' and a past participle, but English speakers might overuse it. In Spanish, the passive is more formal and less frequent; the active voice or 'se' passive is preferred. For example, 'The movie was criticized' can be 'La película fue criticada' or 'Se criticó la película.' Choose the passive with 'ser' when the agent is mentioned.
Key vocabulary
nostalgiaf.
nostalgia, longing for the past
“La nostalgia por los años 90 trae de vuelta muchas películas.”— Nostalgia for the 90s brings back many movies.
Pattern sentir nostalgia por (to feel nostalgic about)
Compare añoranza (f.)
Plural: nostalgias
💡 From Greek nostos (return home) + algia (pain), literally meaning 'the pain of returning home'.
carteleraf.
movie listings, billboard
“La nueva película ya está en cartelera.”— The new movie is already in theaters.
Pattern estar en cartelera (to be showing)
Compare programación (f.)
Plural: carteleras
💡 From cartel (poster), referring to the place where movie theaters post posters.
estrenarv.
to premiere, to release
“La película se estrenó hace 25 años.”— The movie premiered 25 years ago.
Pattern estrenar una película (to premiere a movie)
Compare lanzar (v.)
Past participle: estrenado
💡 Can also be used for 'to use for the first time', as in estrenar ropa (to wear new clothes).
protagonistam./f.
main character, protagonist
“Sandra Bullock es la protagonista de la película.”— Sandra Bullock is the protagonist of the movie.
Pattern ser el protagonista de (to be the protagonist of)
Compare personaje principal (m.)
Plural: protagonistas
💡 From Greek protos (first) + agonistes (actor).
críticaf.
critics, criticism
“La crítica no fue amable con la película.”— The critics were not kind to the movie.
Pattern la crítica especializada (specialized critics)
Compare reseña (f.)
Plural: críticas
💡 Note the difference from criticar (to criticize); crítica can refer to a review article.
chapuceroadj.
shoddy, sloppy
“El crítico llamó a la película una comedia chapucera.”— The critic called the movie a sloppy comedy.
Pattern trabajo chapucero (shoddy work)
Compare descuidado (adj.)
Feminine: chapucera; plural: chapuceros
💡 From chapuza (shoddy work), commonly used in colloquial speech.
cultom.
cult following, cult
“Con los años, la película se volvió de culto.”— Over the years, the movie became a cult classic.
Pattern película de culto (cult movie)
Compare adoración (f.)
Plural: cultos
💡 In film context, película de culto refers to a movie with a small but devoted fanbase.
demandarv.
to sue, to demand
“La bruja amenazó con demandar al estudio.”— The witch threatened to sue the studio.
Pattern demandar a alguien (to sue someone)
Compare denunciar (v.)
Past tense: demandó
💡 Note the difference from preguntar (to ask); demandar is a legal term.
asesoraf.
female advisor, consultant
“La asesora ayudó con los detalles de la película.”— The advisor helped with the details of the movie.
Pattern trabajar como asesora (to work as an advisor)
Compare consultora (f.)
Masculine: asesor; plural: asesoras
💡 From the verb asesorar (to advise).
localizaciónf.
location, setting
“Las localizaciones de la película eran impresionantes.”— The movie's locations were impressive.
Pattern localización de rodaje (filming location)
Compare ubicación (f.)
Plural: localizaciones
💡 From localizar (to locate); in film it refers to filming locations.
secuelaf.
sequel
“La secuela se estrenará el próximo año.”— The sequel will premiere next year.
Pattern rodar una secuela (to shoot a sequel)
Compare continuación (f.)
Plural: secuelas
💡 Also means 'aftereffects', as in secuelas de una enfermedad.
Grammar spotlight
Passive voice: ser + past participle
B1
Used to emphasize the receiver of the action rather than the doer. For example, “La película fue incomprendida” emphasizes that the film was misunderstood (by critics).
“La película fue incomprendida por la crítica en su día.”— The film was misunderstood by critics at the time.
⚠️ Don't forget that the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, e.g., fue incomprendida (feminine singular).
Past perfect: había + past participle
B1
Expresses the “past of the past,” i.e., an action that happened before another past action. For example, “se había sentido ofendida” means she had already felt offended before she demanded 3% of the profits.
“Exigió el 3% de los beneficios porque se había sentido ofendida.”— She demanded 3% of the profits because she had felt offended.
⚠️ Note the difference from the simple past: the past perfect emphasizes the sequence of events, while the simple past merely states that something happened in the past.
Sentence patterns to steal
La nostalgia sigue trayendo títulos a la cartelera.
Nostalgia keeps bringing titles back to the big screen.
La nostalgia sigue + gerund + a + placeThe gerund can be replaced with other verbs, such as atrayendo (attracting) or llevando (taking).
La película fue incomprendida por la crítica en su día.
The film was misunderstood by critics at the time.
ser + participle + por + agentThe participle can be replaced with other past participles, such as criticada (criticized) or elogiada (praised).
Con el paso del tiempo, se ha convertido en una película de culto.
Over time, it has become a cult film.
Con el paso del tiempo, + sentenceThe sentence can be replaced with other outcomes, such as la película ha ganado popularidad (the film has gained popularity).
Una anécdota curiosa es que una bruja real amenazó con demandar a Warner Bros.
A curious anecdote is that a real witch threatened to sue Warner Bros.
Una anécdota curiosa es que + sentenceThe sentence can be replaced with other interesting events, such as el actor se negó a rodar (the actor refused to shoot).
La secuela será dirigida por Susanne Bier, una mujer, y promete mantener el espíritu de la original.
The sequel will be directed by Susanne Bier, a woman, and promises to keep the spirit of the original.
será + participle + por + personThe participle can be replaced with producida (produced) or escrita (written).
Cult film (Película de culto)
A cult film is a movie that has a passionate fan base within a niche group. It is often initially rejected by the mainstream but later admired for its unique style or themes. Practical Magic is a typical example: it is based on Alice Hoffman's 1995 novel and was directed by Griffin Dunne.