The 1998 film adaptation of Alice Hoffman's enchanting 1995 novel Practical Magic has become a beloved cult classic. A romantic drama shimmering with magic, the film stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as Sally and Gillian Owens, sisters who come from a long line of witches. Raised by their aunts in a small town, the sisters react very differently to their magical heritage, taking opposite life paths. As adults, they must come together and use their magic to defeat an evil spirit threatening to kill them.
It was recently announced that a sequel to Practical Magic is in development. Bullock and Kidman will reprise their roles as Sally and Gillian, and the film will be based on Hoffman's 2021 novel The Book of Magic. In celebration of this upcoming release, as well as the beginning of spooky season, we're taking a deep dive into the differences between the original Practical Magic movie and Hoffman's novel. Here's everything you need to know about both the book and the film before the sequel arrives.
Where is Practical Magic set?
The film is set in a small Massachusetts town, where Sally and Gillian are being raised by their two eccentric aunts. While the book begins in a similar small town, large chunks of the novel take place elsewhere, as both Sally and Gillian leave home. Though the spooky, close-knit Massachusetts town—and the Owens family's long history there—is important in both the film and the book, it's more pronounced in the film.
One of the film's most iconic settings is the house where Sally and Gillian grow up, with its charming kitchen full of herbs, attached greenhouse, witchy decor, and cozy charm. While the house is present in the novel, it doesn't have quite the same gravitas, as there's less of a focus on both the aunts and Sally and Gillian's childhood as a whole.
What are the major plot differences between the Practical Magic book and movie?
Sally and Gillian's relationship
Much of the book's plot concerns Sally and Gillan's strained relationship. They have a falling out as teenagers and spend a good chunk of their adult lives estranged. This strain in their relationship is absent from the movie. In fact, before Gillian runs away from home, the two of them swear to always be there for each other, which doesn't happen in the book.
Sally and Gillian's relationship to magic
In the Practical Magic movie, the sisters face rumors and gossip about the mystical history of the Owens family far more than they do in the book. Because of this, Sally and Gillian embrace their magic much more quickly in the book. In the movie, the rumors are a lot nastier, and both sisters end up leaving home, hoping to distance themselves from their family curse.
Gillian's love life
In both the book and the movie, Gillian runs away from home and embarks on a series of failed relationships, ending with the abusive Jimmy. She returns home to ask Sally for help, and, in a dangerous situation, she kills Jimmy. His death and the subsequent return of his malicious spirit form the bulk of the movie's plot. Gillian is uninterested in finding love after Jimmy, focused instead on keeping herself and her sister safe. In the book, however, she does fall in love again, with a man named Ben. Both sisters get happy romantic endings in the novel.
Sally's love life
In both the book and the film, Sally's husband and the father of her children dies suddenly, due to the Owens family curse. Much of the film is about her grieving this loss while she's falling in love with Gary, the investigator working on the case. While the book follows this same basic plot, it's not as prominent, as Gary doesn't appear until close to the end of the novel.
Jimmy's storyline
Gillian returns home after years away with the dead body of her abusive boyfriend in her car, and begs Sally for help. From here, the movie and book diverge significantly. In the book, Sally helps Gillian bury his body, but his vengeful spirit comes back from the dead, threatening them both. Eventually, the aunts help them put his spirit to rest. The film version is a bit more dramatic and high-stakes: Jimmy's spirit returns to possess Gillian's body. Sally, the aunts, and the women of the town form a coven and, together, banish Jimmy from Gillian's body, breaking the curse forever.
How do the characters differ in the Practical Magic adaptation?
Gillian and Sally
Though their relationship with one another differs between the book and film, their personalities in the film are true to the novel. Gillian is the more wild, free-spirited of the two, and Sally is more even-tempered and risk-averse. The biggest differences between the characters in the book and the film have to do with their families, love interests, and attitudes toward magic.
The Aunts (Frances and Jet)
Gillian and Sally's aunts, Frances and Jet, play a much larger role in the movie. Played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, the two eccentric and lovable witches are almost synonymous with the Practical Magic movie—it's impossible to imagine the film without their humor, charm, and candor. In the book, the aunts have less developed personal backstories.
Sally's Daughters (Kylie and Antonia)
In the movie, Sally's daughters, Kylie and Antonia, are much younger than they are in the book, and they play a relatively small role. They get into some harmless trouble in their quest to set their mom up with her love interest, but they don't have much in the way of their own stories. In the film, they're much older (Kylie in her early teens and Antonia in her late teens), and have fully developed coming-of-age storylines, as well as their own love interests. In some ways, the book reads like a double coming-of-age novel, as readers witness both Sally and Gillian, and later, the next generation in Kylie and Antonia, wrestle with their magical heritage and come into themselves.
How does the movie differ in tone from the novel?
There's a reason the Practical Magic movie became the beloved cult classic that it is: It's lush, romantic, and full of cozy fall vibes with just the right amount of atmospheric spookiness. In general, the film is a lot lighter in tone than the book. There's an edge of danger, of course (the tension has to come from somewhere!), but at heart, it's a story about witchy sisters who live in a beautiful old house with their aunts. Quite a few humorous scenes scattered throughout offset the darker storyline about Gillian's abusive boyfriend.
The book is much darker and more contemplative, with a more intense focus on Gillian and Sally's tumultuous coming-of-age. There's less comedic relief and a more potent sense of danger. Adding to the novel's overall darker tone is Gillian and Sally's relationship, which is very strained. Their eventual reconnection is a large, emotionally significant part of the book, but it is entirely absent from the movie.
Is the ending of Practical Magic different in the book?
There are lots of small differences in the ending between the book and the film. In the book, Gillian ends up with Ben, who doesn't appear in the film. The sisters have an emotional reconciliation in the book that isn't in the film because their relationship hadn't frayed in the same way.
The biggest difference has to do with Jimmy's spirit and how the sisters end up putting it to rest. The film ends on a triumphant note, with the women of the town coming together in a coven to banish Jimmy's spirit. In the process, the Owens family curse is finally broken. The ending of the book is quieter: Sally and Gillian team up with the aunts and Sally's daughters to brew a potion that disappears Jimmy's restless body forever. There's no mention of whether the curse is broken, but everyone appears to live happily ever after.
