Disney’s next original animated movie is less than two weeks from theaters, and the studio is starting to pull back the curtain. Hexed, a witchy mother-daughter adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios, opens Wednesday, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving. Ticket seller Fandango lists the film as rated PG with a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, making it one of the main family options for the holiday weekend.
This week, producers Roy Conli and Yvett Merino gave ABC’s “On the Red Carpet” a behind-the-scenes look at the studio in Burbank, California, explaining how the film came together and why they believe it will work for both kids and grown-ups. Here is what families should know before buying tickets.
What the movie is about
Hexed follows Billie Doe, an impulsive teenager voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, who discovers she has secret magical abilities. Those powers pull her out of the suburbs and into Hexe, a hidden realm of witches. Billie teams up with her more cautious mother, Alice, voiced by Rashida Jones, and together they uncover family secrets that could change the witch world.
The voice cast also includes Jodie Foster as Queen Celeste, the ruler of Hexe; Walton Goggins; Tracey Ullman as Ms. Quill, an enchanted feather pen; Stephen Fry as Elias Quire, a magical journal; and Henry Winkler, along with Dan Stevens, Jimmy O. Yang, Ron Funches and others. Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand direct, with Josie Trinidad as co-director. Cartoon Brew reported when the first trailer arrived in June that it is the studio’s 65th animated feature.
A mother-daughter story at the center
In the ABC interview published November 10, the producers said the heart of the film is the complicated relationship between Billie and her mom, more than the spells and creatures. Merino described drawing on the familiar teenage feeling of believing you know everything while your parent knows nothing. Conli said the team reviews the work about every 12 to 14 weeks, building from still drawings to full animation one piece at a time.
Conli was direct about the intended audience:
“Parents and kids are going to love this equally.”
Producer Roy Conli, to ABC’s “On the Red Carpet”
Bonus: a new ‘Lilo & Stitch’ short comes first
Families who see Hexed in theaters will also get a short film. Disney announced in June that Lilo & Scratch will screen exclusively before Hexed. In it, Lilo brings home a mischievous cat named Scratch, and things go badly when she leaves Stitch in charge while she runs errands. Chris Sanders returns as the voice of Stitch and Maia Kealoha voices Lilo. ABC7 reported that the short keeps the look of the 2002 original, mixing hand-drawn and computer animation over watercolor backgrounds.
Content rating: what parents should know
Hexed is rated PG. The family media guide Screenwise reports the rating is for “action and some rude humor.” Based on that guide, parents can expect:
- A villain with real menace. Queen Celeste is described as a ruthless ruler who will go to great lengths to keep her power.
- Magic action. Spells that go wrong and threatening magical creatures.
- A few mild jump scares. These may feel more intense on a big theater screen.
- Suggested age. Screenwise recommends the film for ages 7 and up and notes it may be too intense for some preschoolers.
One practical tip from the same guide: searching “Hexed” online can turn up an unrelated adult novel with the same name, so parents may want to search for “Disney’s Hexed” instead when kids are looking up the movie.
Why it matters for families
Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year, and the 2026 lineup includes several titles that are not aimed at young children. Universal’s Focker-in-Law, which opens the same day, is rated PG-13, and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives November 20. That makes a PG animated original with a family story at its center an easy choice for a group outing with kids, grandparents and cousins. It is also a chance to talk with older kids about the push and pull between growing independence and trusting a parent, the theme the filmmakers say drives the story.
For more family viewing this season, see our parents’ guide to ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and our look at Disney+’s ‘A Proud Family Wizmas’ stop-motion special, which arrives November 14.
What to watch next
Full reviews are expected closer to opening day, and box office forecasts will firm up during Thanksgiving week. Upstormed News will follow Hexed through its opening and report how it performs against the other holiday releases.
Read more: ‘Cat in the Hat’ opens soft at $20.5M; PG-13 ‘Ebenezer’ arrives Friday
Will Hexed be your family’s Thanksgiving movie, or are you waiting for the reviews? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Sources: ABC13, “Inside Disney’s ‘Hexed’: Producers reveal how the movie came to life” (November 10, 2026); Fandango, “Disney’s Hexed (2026)” movie overview (accessed November 12, 2026); Screenwise, “Is Disney’s Hexed OK for Kids? A Parent’s Guide” (updated November 6, 2026); ABC7, “Disney announces new animated short ‘Lilo & Scratch’ to debut in theaters this November” (June 26, 2026); Cartoon Brew, “‘Hexed,’ WDAS’s 65th Animated Feature, Gets Its First Trailer Ahead Of Thanksgiving Release” (June 16, 2026); Box Office Watch, “November 2026 Preview” (October 19, 2026)
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