Disney's new animated adventure Hexed had its world premiere at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre on Thursday night, drawing stars Hailee Steinfeld, Rashida Jones and Jodie Foster to celebrate a film built around a teenage girl who discovers she has magical powers. The movie follows Billie Doe, voiced by Steinfeld, as she befriends a three-eyed cat and journeys into another realm after her abilities emerge, all while learning long-hidden truths about her own mother, according to ABC7 San Francisco.
A Mother-Daughter Story Years in the Making
According to StockTitan, the premiere brought together Steinfeld, Jones, Foster, and directors Jason Hand and Fawn Veerasunthorn, along with co-director Josie Trinidad, for what was described as a spellbinding evening at the historic theater. Jones voices Alice, Billie's mother, and told reporters the film highlights mother-daughter relationships in a way animation hasn't often explored, per ABC11. Steinfeld added that her character, Billie, is ultimately searching for her place in a larger world, according to the same report.
Producer Roy Conli said that truthful, grounded family dynamics were central to the project from the start. “we wanted to have a really truthful, emotional relationship between a parent and a teen,” Conli told TheWrap. The film took years to complete, as reported by ABC7 San Francisco, and writer Dana Ledoux Miller told ABC11 that it includes elements not previously seen in a Disney animated film, ones she believes may surprise audiences.
Foster Finds New Territory as a Villainous Queen
Foster takes on the role of Queen Celeste, described in the film as a sinister mother and grandmother figure, and she told ABC11 that playing the character was a new kind of challenge for her. Foster said she enjoyed leaning into Celeste's diabolic, snooty, dishonest and hypocritical qualities. Co-director Jason Hand said Foster brought substantial evilness to the role and appeared to genuinely enjoy the experience, per the same report.
Writer and Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jared Bush pointed to a smaller but deliberate design choice woven throughout the film: Billie's eyes carry crescent moon reflections in every single shot, a detail Bush said was built in on purpose. Yvette Nicole Brown, who voices a character called Scared Tea Cup, told ABC11 she would have shown up for the press tour regardless of how many lines her role included.
Early Reactions Mix Praise With Pointed Critiques
Hexed's mother-daughter storyline has already drawn strong early praise, according to a reaction roundup from Laughing Place. Critic Drew Taylor compared the central relationship to Back to the Future, framing it as the emotional backbone of the film, the roundup noted. The Nerds of Color offered a more mixed take, writing that “Billie Doe can be annoying. There's a deus ex machina I didn't love, & unnecessary needle drops,” and adding that the film borrows from what the outlet called stronger movies like Turning Red.
Disney has set Hexed, rated PG, to open exclusively in theaters on November 25, the day before Thanksgiving. With the Hollywood premiere now behind it, the film heads into its Thanksgiving-week release carrying both the buzz from its star-studded debut and the more skeptical notes from early reviewers.
