On social media, people have had it in for Disney's Hexed from the beginning. First there was the disappointment when the Hexed character designs turned out not to look like the concept art. The main character's sex also changed somewhere along the way, giving us another Disney teen girl, and more allegations of Disney same-face syndrome, when some people thought a boy witch might have been more interesting.
Then there was the great Hexed vertical orientation theory that suggested Disney had composed every frame in the movie to ensure it looked good on TikTok (and this was before Disney even announced that it's bringing TikTok to Disney+).
We can expect to learn more about the movie at the D23 Disney fan event later this week. In the meantime, at least one one person has found something positive to say about the Hexed trailer, demonstrating how it respects some of the Disney principles of animation.
Posted by FramebyFrame on X, the short breakdown above analyses examples of classic animation principles at work in Hexed, from opposing directional movement to lead and follow. They point out that in just one short shot alone, the timing of the beats and holds keep the action readable and the movement feeling intentional.
Of course, technical excellence is one aspect of great animation, and one we should really expect considering Disney helped define many of these principles. Whether the film succeeds will depend as much on story and character.
What do you think? Have people judged Hexed too harshly before we've really seen what it has to offer?
The movie will be released on 25 November. If you're inspired, see our guides to the best laptops for animation and the best animation software.
