Mannequin Two: On the Move

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Mannequin Two: On the Move is a 1991 American romantic comedy and the sequel to the 1987 film Mannequin. Kristy Swanson plays Jessie, a peasant girl who is frozen as a wooden mannequin by the evil sorcerer Count Gunther Spretzle’s magical necklace. She can only awaken if the necklace is removed by her true love.

In modern-day Philadelphia, Jessie is freed when Jason Williamson (William Ragsdale), a new employee at the Prince & Company department store and the reincarnation of Jessie’s original love, William, encounters her. Jason and Jessie fall in love while they try to outsmart Spretzle, who is determined to claim Jessie for himself.

Plot backstory and setup unfold: in AD 991, Prince William and Jessie’s romance is cursed by Spretzle, who transforms Jessie into a statue and says she will stay frozen for a thousand years unless a true love from another land removes the necklace. In 1991, Jason saves Jessie, they fall for each other, but Jessie is briefly frozen again when she wears the necklace. The two protagonists and a comic group of helpers race to stop Spretzle, who plans to use the fairy tale to control Jessie and flee with stolen jewels.

The story climaxes at a stage show in the Prince & Company department store. Jason removes the necklace on stage, bringing Jessie back to life in front of spectators. Spretzle kidnaps Jessie, but Jason and Jessie ultimately thwart him. In the end, Spretzle is defeated, and Jason and Jessie prepare for a new life together, while the store keeps the events as part of the Hauptmann-Koenig history.

Production notes: the film was directed by Stewart Raffill, with filming in Philadelphia at Wanamaker’s department store. The budget was $13 million, and it grossed about $3.8 million. Only Meshach Taylor and Andrew Hill Newman returned from the original cast.

Reception: Mannequin Two: On the Move was a box‑office bomb and received negative reviews. It holds a low approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a CinemaScore of B. Critics described it as clichéd and lifeless, with several outlets calling it weaker than the first film.

Release formats: the movie first came out on VHS and LaserDisc in 1992. MGM released a two‑disc DVD set with the first Mannequin in 2008, and Olive Films released a Blu‑ray edition in 2015.