Hexed Footage Reaction: Disney Casts A Promising Spell In The New Witchcraft Adventure

The spooky season will be long over by the time Disney's "Hexed" hits theaters on November 25, 2026, but Halloween vibes started a little early at Disney Animation Studios this past September, when I attended an early press day for the upcoming fantasy adventure from directors Jason Hand ("Moana 2"), Fawn Veerasunthorn ("Wish"), and co-director Josie Trinidad (story artist and head of story for "Zootopia" and "Ralph Breaks the Internet").

In "Hexed," our story follows 16-year old Billie, who struggles to fit in with all the other kids. Everyone whispers behind her back as she strolls down the hall with her alternative style, featuring magenta hair and combat boots, which is a footwear first for a Disney heroine. But Billie is about to find out why she feels like an outsider, when she discovers that she's actually a witch. Unfortunately, that discovery comes when she accidentally opens a portal to the magical world of Hexe, a haven for witches and wizards. This sends her over-protective mother Alice (Rashida Jones) into a panic, as she ventures into Hexe to find her. 

Oh, did I mention that Billie's mother is the one who kept her daughter's powers at bay with a little purple crystal bracelet? It sets the stage for a familiar but touching story where an overbearing parent's limitations threaten to ruin their kid's true potential, and what they see as nurturing and love is actually suppression that doesn't let them be themselves. 

After seeing 30 minutes of "Hexed" footage at Disney Animation Studios, I'm certainly much more interested in this magical journey than I was after the teaser trailer debuted back in June, and that's largely thanks to a green, three-eyed cat and the dazzling new magical world that is Hexe.

"Hexed" begins with a nice throwback to Disney's animation history by delivering a table-setting prologue introducing the world of witches, wizards, and Hexe with hand-drawn animation done by Disney animator Tyler Pacana. 

The world of Hexe was created by a flying witch who was trying to give all witches and wizards a place where their magic, powered by the light of the moon, could thrive without being feared by non-magical people. But the witch behind this spell died before it could be completed, and the people of Hexe have been waiting for someone to complete the spell so the realm could live up to the magical potential it was supposed to have. 

That person might be Billie, but ever since she was a baby, when she accidentally opened a gateway to Hexe and crows tried to take her away, her mother Alice has kept Billie's powers secret, blocking them with some kind of purple crystal bracelet that she must always wear. Why? We're not entirely sure, but it probably has something to do with Alice's past.

Alice isn't eager to have their lives uprooted by the magic in their family, but that's also made her fiercely protective of Billy. She won't let her get a driver's license or even have a pet cat or tend to plants in her room. Billie worries that Alice has all these rules because her mother thinks there's something wrong with her. There's a divide that Billie keeps pushing, and Alice can't bring herself to be honest with her daughter... until she's forced to.

When Billie's bracelet comes undone, she realizes her magical abilities, but unable to control them, she opens a portal to Hexe and gets sucked into the fantasy world.

If there's one thing that Disney knows how to do well, it's building a world that you immediately want to get lost in. As soon as we enter Hexe, it feels like the kind of place that could easily be brought to life in a Disney theme park. Free from her boring home in Plainsville, Billie is ecstatic when she both finds herself in Hexe and realizes that she is a witch, even if she's not exactly good at it yet. 

Billie excitedly darts around Hexe to see everything she can, witnessing all sorts of different witches and wizards doing magic, from familiar green-skinned, warty witches voiced by Rachel Dratch to an amusing callback to "The Little Mermaid" villain Ursula. There are undoubtedly many Easter eggs to be found here, so keep an eye out.

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An instrumental version of Dua Lipa's hit pop song "Levitating" provides the upbeat soundtrack for the delightful sequence, but there's a reason for that beyond the fact that it's a catchy tune for the youths to enjoy. After Billie learns that all spells start with the Three I's: Intention, Ignition, and Inwitchification, she haphazardly tries some magic, prompting her to blow up a pumpkin and create a bit of chaos while still having some fun. But she catches too many eyes with another surprising magic trick: Billie can fly.

You might think that a witch flying is no big deal, but in the world of Hexe, Billie is only the third witch in history to display that ability. This puts her on the radar of Queen Celeste (Jodie Foster), who is on the verge of supposedly completing that all-important moon spell for the Haven Moon Festival. She isn't too pleased to hear about another witch with the ability to fly entering the world of Hexe. 

With Billie in Hexe, her mother is left with no choice but to track her down. She rescues Billie after authorities want to detain her after the flying incident, but we didn't see how their escape pans out after that. The 30 minutes shown to myself and other members of the press also didn't reveal how Alice gets caught, but they had a fantastic character to reveal instead. 

With her mom in the custody of Queen Celeste, Billie has to venture out on her own to get help, and she's been told that a Beef Roger Crummchuk is the one who can help her. Again, we didn't see how she got this information, and we didn't see how she was able to turn a cauldron into a walking companion that she's nicknamed Bucket, but we did get to see what happens when she meets Beef.

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This character is played by Walton Goggins. He's a short, green-furred, three-eyed cat who can elongate his body, and you don't want to call him a pet. He's a familiar, and he used to be Alice's familiar, until she apparently left him behind and got him banished to this dark, scary forest. There he lives in a camper with a couple stories of creepy house stacked on top of it. But don't worry, because the scariest thing about Beef is his grumpy attitude. 

Based on the footage screened, this is undoubtedly the best character in the movie. With a little "Big Lebowski" energy and Goggins' signature Southern voice, this surly familiar is hilarious. "Hexed" was already engaging before, but Beef makes it even more entertaining. We only got a taste of his burgeoning mentorship with Billie, but I already can't wait to see more. 

Keeping in mind that this is only based on 30 minutes of "Hexed," I think Disney's forthcoming fantasy adventure has plenty of heart, charm, and humor to at least be significantly more interested in seeing how the full movie plays out. 

The first act of the movie has a lot of table-setting to do with Billie's relationship with her mother, but it's all in service of letting Billie's arrival in Hexe feel like that much more of a relief. It's a place where she feels like she belongs. Plus, the fact that Billie is so excited about the mere potential of her magical abilities that she doesn't care how many times she fails to succeed is a testament to just how desperate she was to find a place like this. Surely, plenty of kids and even adults will relate. 

For me, the best part of the footage was Walton Goggins as Beef Roger Crummchuk, as well as the design of the world of Hexe itself. It's full of life, color, and that special kind of Disney magic that immerses you in a place you've never been before. 

"Hexed" hits theaters on November 25, 2026.