Disney has announced Hexed, its next original movie coming in 2026. All the studio has unveiled so far is a logo and a single piece of concept art, but these are enough to make the upcoming animated movie look intriguingly different – for now.
The vibrant and magically atmospheric concept art recalls the classic Disney artwork of Mary Blair and looks a world away from the company's more recent 3D animation style. It seems a shame the final movie is unlikely to look like this (see our pick of the best animation software and the best laptops for animation if you're inspired to bring the magic yourself).
Disney's Hexed will revolve around the story of an awkward teenage boy and his 'Type-A mom'. They discover that the boy isn't simply odd – he has magical powers that transport them to a secret world of magic.
The movie was announced by Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush during Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney at the animation giant's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida. It will be directed by Josie Trinidad and Jason Hand, with Roy Conli and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones producing.
It's great to see Disney working on a new original movie rather than more reboots and sequels. My first thoughts are that I love the hand-drawn style of the concept art, which is the work of the Spanish artist Lorelay Bove.
With interesting shapes and ultra-saturated colours, it looks like portal to a fairytale world with an almost Marc Chagall-like folk-inspired magic. The colours are so bright, you might need sunglasses to enter the cinema.
But will any of this make it into the movie, or will it get massaged away in the usual Disney 3D animation machine? The comments on social media are full of people commending the art style and welcoming the use of non-CGI, but I fear they might be disappointed.
In the absence of any suggestion otherwise, we have to presume that the new movie will stick to Disney's contemporary 3D animation style, which makes me think the colours will be toned down and the atmosphere won't be anything like what we see in this early concept (see our piece on the best animation styles).
We've seen plenty of cases of Disney concept art not surviving to the final movies (see the Lilo & Stitch Pleakley controversy and the Disney live-action character designs). A lot of fans already fear the same fate for Hexed. "I need to remind myself the likelihood this movie retains any sauce from this concept is incredibly slim based on Disney’s track record," one person wrote on X.
Given the Hexed story, it could be interesting if Disney combined different animation styles for this one. The normal world could be rendered in 3D CG animation and the magic world is classic 2D animation – something like Sony's The Mitchells Vs. The Machines. Disney experimented with this combination in the short Paperman over a decade ago. But would it ever try this for a major release? Let me know what you think.
We've have a while to wait to fine out. Hexed is slated for release on 25 November, 2026.
In the meantime, check out our practical guide to the Disney principles of animation and our roundups of Disney animation secrets and Disney character design conspiracy theories.
