Disney Animation officially unveiled new look at its next original feature, Hexed, during its Annecy Animation Festival presentation, introducing audiences to a magical coming-of-age adventure centered around family, identity, and witches.
Directors Josie Trinidad and Jason Hand joined the Annecy stage to reveal new footage from the film, alongside producer Yvett Merino, producer Roy Conli, and production designer Lorelay Bové, while also confirming the film’s impressive voice cast and sharing new story details.
Hexed is a Mother-Daughter Story at Its Core
Unlike Disney’s recent fantasy adventures, Hexed is first and foremost a mother-daughter story.
The film follows Billie Bell Dawn, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, an opinionated and scrappy teenager who feels trapped by the rules of her ordinary life.
Her mother, Alice, voiced by Rashida Jones, is a single parent working a dull office job in what the filmmakers jokingly described as “the most boring town imaginable.”
During the presentation, the filmmakers explained that Billie longs for something more, while Alice desperately tries to keep her daughter safe. “At the heart of the story is a mother and daughter who must work through some issues, lift each other up and unlock their true potential.”
Disney also revealed the film’s central fantasy premise.
Years before the main story begins, Alice accidentally opens a portal into another magical world while Billie is still a baby. To prevent it from ever happening again, Alice gives Billie a magical bracelet that suppresses her powers. Her one rule? “Never remove the bracelet.” Of course, that doesn’t last.
When Billie begins experimenting with magic, she unknowingly opens the doorway back into the hidden magical realm known as Hexe, launching the adventure. The directors also revealed that magic becomes increasingly unpredictable the farther characters travel from the world’s center.
Once inside Hexe, things quickly spiral. Billie reunites with Alice before her mother is captured by the realm’s magical police, forcing Billie to rescue her while being pursued by powerful witches. Along the way she’ll uncover long-buried truths about her own family, with the filmmakers teasing that the story ultimately revolves around unlocking “her family secret.”
Perhaps the biggest laugh during Disney’s presentation came from the reveal of one of the film’s strangest new characters. Billie owns an unusual pet named Bucket, but she’ll also enlist the help of Beef Roger Crumchuck, an eccentric green three-eyed cat that the filmmakers affectionately described as “an acquired taste.” Despite his rough personality, Billie eventually convinces Beef to join her quest.
Stephen Fry and Tracee Ellis Ross Join the Cast
Disney also confirmed two additional voice cast members. Stephen Fry will voice a magical book, while Tracey Ullman will play a magical quil. The studio has yet to reveal the rest of the ensemble.
The filmmakers also spent time discussing Hexed’s visual identity. Production designer Lorelay Bové explained that the film draws inspiration from Disney’s mid-century illustration era while combining handcrafted design with modern animation techniques. Like every recent Disney Animation project, the team emphasized that every frame is being crafted specifically around the story rather than following a predetermined visual formula.
Annecy Gets the First Look
Attendees were treated to an extended work-in-progress presentation combining finished animation, storyboards, layout work and early animation tests. The footage introduced Billie and Alice’s relationship before showcasing Billie’s first journey into Hexe, where strange magic, bizarre creatures and powerful witches await.
While Disney has yet to release any footage publicly, Hexed looks to be another ambitious original feature from the studio, mixing supernatural fantasy with an emotional family story in classic Disney Animation fashion.
Disney’s Hexed will release in theaters on November 25.
