Walt Disney Animation is sending a teenage girl straight into a world of witches for Thanksgiving. “Hexed,” the studio’s new original animated feature, opens exclusively in theaters Wednesday, Nov. 25. Hailee Steinfeld voices Billie, a teen whose odd streak turns out to be hidden magic.
The film arrives on one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year. It gives families a brand-new story, rather than a sequel, to see together over the holiday.
Hexed release date and Disney+ timing
“Hexed” opens exclusively in theaters on Nov. 25, 2026, according to The Nerds of Color’s report on the first trailer, which also notes it is Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 65th animated feature. Fans who like to debate Disney storytelling can warm up with the site’s list of Disney villains who actually had a point.
Streaming will come later. JoBlo reported that a Disney+ release is planned for early 2027, so families who want to see it over Thanksgiving will need a theater. Parents planning a full holiday weekend around the movie can pick up ideas for the kids from frenzhub’s list of simple cozy crafts for a hygge winter.
The first teaser arrived in June and was set to Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen,” The Nerds of Color reported. The outlet compared the trailer’s mood to Disney Channel’s “Halloweentown,” which should ring a bell for anyone who grew up in the late 1990s.
Inside the Magic described the film as an original story rather than a sequel, which makes it a rarity among the big holiday family releases. For parents, that means no homework: nobody needs to rewatch an earlier film before buying tickets.
Hailee Steinfeld, Rashida Jones and a mother-daughter story
Steinfeld voices Billie Doe, the teenage lead, and Rashida Jones voices her mother, Alice Doe, according to Inside the Magic’s report from D23 2026. The outlet said Steinfeld and Jones were announced in April at CinemaCon.
JoBlo described Billie as an impulsive, unconventional teenager who discovers magical abilities that take her from suburbia into Hexe, a realm of witches. Her cautious mother comes along as the two dig into family secrets tied to that world.
The Nerds of Color reported that Billie feels “miscast” in her own life, and that the story centers on her self-discovery and a family mystery that could change the magical world of witches forever. Hexe is the place where Billie finally begins to feel seen, and characters with magic can travel between the ordinary world and that realm.
Inside the Magic summed up the premise in similar terms: Billie and her mother learn that Billie’s unusual traits are hidden magical powers, and the discovery takes them from the suburbs to a world where magic runs free.
Jodie Foster, Walton Goggins and a talking quill
The supporting cast grew in August. Inside the Magic reported that Jodie Foster joined as the witch queen, Queen Celeste, and Walton Goggins as a green cat named Beef Roger Crummchuk, announced at D23.
Tracey Ullman voices Ms. Quill, an enchanted feather quill pen, and Stephen Fry voices Elias Quire, a magical book, JoBlo reported. JoBlo also listed Jim Hanks, CeeLo Green and Emilie-Claire Barlow in the voice cast.
Ullman and Fry were attached early. The Playlist’s report on the first trailer already listed Ullman as Ms. Quill and Fry as Elias Quire, described there as a magical journal, alongside Steinfeld and Jones at the top of the cast.
That is a lot of talking objects and animals, even by Disney standards. A witch queen, a green cat with a three-part name and a chatty quill pen suggest the film is leaning hard into comedy alongside its family mystery. Families who love a good spooky-but-friendly story can pair it with the site’s picks of classic Halloween movies to watch with the grandkids.
How the story changed from a boy to Billie
“Hexed” was first unveiled in 2025 with a different setup. Cartoon Brew reported in August 2025 that the original story followed a teen boy with unusual traits who discovers real magical powers, with his highly driven mother pulled into the discovery.
The Playlist also described the official setup as “an awkward teenage boy and his Type-A mom.” The Nerds of Color reported that the film shifted to a mother-daughter story after Steinfeld was cast as Billie.
Reports have listed different filmmakers over the course of development. Cartoon Brew named Josie Trinidad and Jason Hand as directors at the 2025 announcement, with Roy Conli and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones producing, while JoBlo’s later report names Fawn Veerasunthorn as director and Hand as co-director.
The holiday weekend will be crowded at theaters, with “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” opening Nov. 20 for older viewers. Families heading out after the turkey can get in a nostalgic mood with frenzhub’s list of little rituals from the ’80s and ’90s that disappeared, including a few movie-night habits, and its ranking of the longest movies of all time for anyone who prefers a marathon at home.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Gage Skidmore – CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons
