Disney4me Posted 12 hours ago Report Posted 12 hours ago We’re just a few weeks away from the premiere of Disney’s newest animated feature Hexed, but the film has already attracted a fair share of criticism for production choices made before anyone has even seen it. A closer look at our main characters The film, out November 25th, stars Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones and revolves around “an impulsive and unconventional teenage girl named Billie (Steinfeld) who discovers secret magical abilities which, once unleashed, hurtle her into a spectacle-filled journey out of suburbia and into a vast witch realm called Hexe. Forced to team up with her cautious mother, Alice (Jones), they uncover family mysteries that could change the world of witches forever.” So, what are the issues people have found? It should be noted that Hexed is under a large amount of pressure, as Disney’s recent non-sequel film slate — including Elio, Strange World, and Wish — has underperformed at the box office. In addition, the film was already facing criticism for its similarity to other films being released at the same time, all before the film’s trailer was released. “Same Face Syndrome” Most of these Hexed controversies began when Disney released the first teaser trailer for the film earlier this year. One of the loudest was about character design. According to some viewers, the characters of Billie and Alice look “virtually identical,” with indistinguishable facial structures that don’t convey an age difference between the pair. This leads into a larger complaint that Disney’s films have “looked the same” since Frozen. ©Disney These stylistic complaints were echoed in the comments of an Instagram post we recently shared displaying some of the film’s concept art. As reader @books_ink_and_cafecito put it, “This looks so much more inspired and creative than the final product. I hate it when corporate thought tampers with creative vision.” View this post on Instagram “Framed for TikTok” Another heavily critiqued design element of the trailer was the perception that much of the action was framed in the center of the screen, likely to make it easier to be shared as potentially viral clips on vertical video applications like TikTok. Directors Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand spoke about the accusation, with the former saying, “We start the film from the place of limitation and rigidity, so those frames are done purposefully, and then we grow from there. So this philosophy is already baked into what we wanted to do. So the outside perception, we’re like, oh, when they see the movie, they’ll understand.” ©Disney “Story Changes” Beyond design choices, the trailer release also fueled an ongoing debate about story changes. When Hexed was first announced, the film’s synopsis called it “an all-new original film that follows a teenage oddball and his mom, who discover his weirdness is actually hidden magic, transporting them to a world where magic can run free.” In other words, the main character was swapped to a girl at some point in development, and the mother-son dynamic switched to a mother-daughter focus. ©Disney Certain fans were not happy about the change, with many attributing it to the aforementioned box office failure of Elio. Others took things a step further on our previously shared Instagram post. @WaltsApprentice wrote, “I wish that they kept it as a teenage boy instead of a girl. To have that son and mom relationship we never get in movies. But I get it, girls sell ..” while alexander_spamilton08 was even more blunt in their complaint, writing (capslock included), “WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A MALE LEAD. I’M TIRED OF THE ADORKABLE GIRL BOSSES.” ©Disney Will these “controversies” affect Hexed at the box office? We’ll find out when the film is released on November 25th! Stay tuned to DFB for further coverage. Speaking of Disney controversies, there are a lot of changes coming to Disney World, and some of them are looking to be better than others! How To Watch Every Marvel Movie and TV Show In Chronological Order Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Are you planning on seeing Hexed? Let us know in the comments below. View the full article Quote
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