I have officially watched the Hexed trailer more times than I’d like to admit, and I’m not even sorry.
Disney Animation just gave us a fresh look at its newest original movie, and it packs in a surprising amount of story for such a short runtime. So grab your favorite beverage (mine is whatever’s already in my hand), because I want to walk through all of it.
Let’s start at the very beginning, because the trailer does too. We open on Billie as a baby, and she’s already discovering magic. Little glowing powers coming straight out of her hands. Adorable? Absolutely. Also, a little terrifying, because it’s very clear nobody planned for this.
Then things get tense. Her mom, Alice, has to fight off a raven that comes crashing through a magical portal to attack her. Yes, a portal. Yes, a raven. This movie does not ease you in, and I respect that completely.
To protect her daughter, Alice makes Billie a bracelet out of a small piece of stone, and it appears to suppress her magical abilities. That’s my favorite detail in the entire trailer, and I’ll tell you why in a minute.
Fast forward, and we meet Billie as a teenager, wandering the halls of her school, looking like any other kid trying to get through the day. A narrator tells us about a prophecy, one that foretold a normal girl with magical powers. Spoiler alert: I don’t think she’s as normal as she thinks she is.
Somehow, and the trailer doesn’t tell us how or why, Billie decides to take off the bracelet and discovers her powers for herself. From there, she’s transported to Hexe, where she meets supporting characters and animated objects. And then, plot twist, she runs into her mom there. Billie asks the question we are all thinking, which is why on earth her mom never told her they were witches.
I mean, same. If my mother had kept a magical secret like that from me, I’d have a few follow-up questions too.
Then the trailer closes with a montage of Billie going through the challenges and trials waiting for her in Hexe, all set to “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore, before we get the title at the end. I did not expect that song, and I am a little bit delighted by it.
Now, here’s what we know officially. Hexed is Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 65th animated feature and is a magical coming-of-age saga. In the film, Billie accidentally awakens secret magical powers and is pulled from suburban life into a magical realm called Hexe, where she uncovers family mysteries that could transform the world of witches. Hailee Steinfeld voices Billie, Rashida Jones voices Alice, Tracey Ullman voices Ms. Quill, an enchanted feather quill pen, and Stephen Fry voices Elias Quire, a magical journal. That would explain the animated objects in the trailer, which I suspect is where some of the film’s humor is going to come from.
Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand are directing, with Josie Trinidad as co-director, and Roy Conli and Yvett Merino are producing. The film is set to arrive in theaters around Thanksgiving. I’d say mark your calendar for Thanksgiving week, but do double-check the date for your location, since I saw slightly different dates in different places.
Okay, here’s where I land. I love that bracelet. It’s such a simple idea, a small stone made by a mother who is clearly terrified for her kid, and it immediately gives the story an emotional spine. Alice isn’t a villain for hiding the truth. She’s a parent trying to protect her daughter. But the trailer makes it just as clear that keeping Billie in the dark has a cost, and I can’t wait to see how the movie handles that.
I’ll also say that the teenager-learning-she’s-secretly-special storyline isn’t brand new, but Disney Animation is really good at making familiar setups feel fresh when they put the heart first. The raven and portal scene gives me real stakes, and the mother-daughter angle gives me something to care about. Add a feather quill and a talking journal, and I’m basically sold.
Will this movie end up in the parks someday? There’s been no announcement, and I’m not going to pretend there has been. But if you’ve ever watched a Disney Animation movie turn into a meet-and-greet, merchandise, or a nighttime show moment, you know I’m going to be watching closely.
So that’s my breakdown. What did you catch that I missed? Did you spot something in the trailer that makes you think the bracelet is more than it seems? Tell me your theories, and keep checking back with Theme Park Scope, because I’ll be covering everything Hexed as the release gets closer.
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