Ever since the first trailer for Hexed came out, I’ve been excited about the movie’s punk rock witch protagonist Billie. But did you know that when Hexed was first announced, its main character was a teenage boy? When CinemaBlend visited Walt Disney Animation recently, we learned why the filmmakers made the significant change behind the scenes.
Hexed follows Billie, a teenage girl who finds out she’s a witch. Her mother has been hiding the the secret from her for her entire life through an enchanted bracelet. Once the secret’s out, she goes on an adventure in the secret witch realm of “Hexe” to discover who she is, and her mom ends up tagging along with her. You can check out the latest trailer below:
I never would have imagined the story being handled differently, but when the movie was first introduced in August of 2025, its main character was described as an “awkward teenage boy”. This goes to show anything can change during the production of a Disney animated film. Here’s what Jared Bush, the co-writer of Hexed and CCO of Walt Disney Animation said about the switch up:
I mean, it’s funny. I think with any movie at Disney Animation, we are always constantly looking at it, and saying, ‘Is this the right story to tell?’ And, there was something about this world of witches that made us really, really excited. And, the second we kept on talking about, ‘Well, it’s a world of witches.’ And, looking at this through the lens of a mother-daughter story just felt like what this needed to be.
A lot of main characters in Walt Disney Animation have been young women, so I can understand the want to change things up. At the same time, in a world of witches, it definitely makes a lot more sense for the movie’s main hero to be one too. As Bush added in our interview:
And, I think the great thing about our process is it’s actually pretty common for us to make swings and to try things. And, we’re constantly taking these big swings to say, ‘Does this feel better?’ And, the second that we made that switch immediately [it felt like], ‘This is what it’s meant to be.’ Which is really, really exciting.
It sounds like the move was for the better. Of course, there is a very famous story about a young male protagonist who finds out he lives among witches and wizards called Harry Potter. That could have potentially drawn a lot of comparisons – especially as the new HBO series based on J.K. Rowling’s books soon arrive on the 2026 TV schedule – just a month after the release of Hexed.
Plus, now we get Billie, who’s unlike any character I’ve ever seen Disney animate before. Check out her character design:
Billie Doe is voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, who’s said that she felt closer to the story of Hexed after recently becoming a first-time mom herself. Plus her mother Alice is voiced by Rashida Jones. While at Walt Disney Animation, we got to see some of the scenes between Billie and Alice, and there’s definitely a very resonant and emotional story between them. It’s the kind of movie I’m going to want to see with my own mom. Co-writer Dana Ledoux Miller told CinemaBlend this about Billie’s character, too:
I think at her core, she's just a kid still trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be, which is something I think we can all relate to. But, that's a story that can go so many different ways. We see it in movies all the time, but this is so special because we've got a Disney hero who is not afraid to make really bold choices. Sometimes bad choices. Sometimes really bad choices. But, it's all in pursuit of trying to break free from what she feels like is this cage that's wrapped around her. She has no idea that there is so much more to her that's been hidden from her all this time.
Walt Disney Animation has certainly been telling stories about witches and magic for decades upon decades, but Hexed feels like a really modern and exciting approach to add to its legacy. There’s even a storyline about a retired cat familiar named Beef Roger (and voiced by Walton Goggins) who Billie seeks out from her mom’s past. He's a scene-stealer from what Disney showed us, too.
Plus, we can look forward to an intriguing villain played by Disney Legend Jodie Foster named Celeste. She’s the rosy-hued queen of witches who has her own minions of dark (and pretty scary) witches that have her back. I’ve also heard the movie was somewhat inspired by Chainsaw Man when it comes to some of its visual style, which blew my mind.
The more I learn about it, the more I can’t wait for it. I know Hexed is one of my most anticipated upcoming Disney movies on the way, now, and a big part of that is because of its female protagonist, Billie. Hexed hits theaters on November 25.