Disney’s Hexed directors explain why the film became a mother-daughter story

When Disney chief creative officer Jared Bush announced Hexedat the D23 fan event in 2025, the movie’s plot was described as “an awkward teenage boy and his Type A mom discover that what makes him unusual might just be magical powers that will turn their lives — and a secret world of magic — upside down.” But by the time the teaser trailer was released in June, the film had changed to following a teenage girl. At a roundtable interview at the Annecy Festival, directors Jason Hand and Fawn Veerasunthorn explained the change.