The Magic of Disney Animation has a coming soon section between Olaf Draws and the gift shop, and Hexed is the first film to get a display there. This display is the first of many rotational displays that will feature upcoming animated films. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Hexed arrives in theaters on November 25th, so guests visiting Hollywood Studios can see its witch realm before the movie opens. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at the Hexed display, from the maquettes to the concept art.
Hexed Display at The Magic of Disney Animation in Hollywood Studios
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- What the Hexed display looks like inside the coming soon section
- Which characters have maquettes and what Disney says about them
- The concept art, color script, and storyboards on view
Hexed at Hollywood Studios
The Magic of Disney Animation opened on September 14th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the Hexed display fills a room just past Olaf Draws. Maquettes, concept art, a color script, and storyboards show how Walt Disney Animation Studios builds a film. Hailee Steinfeld voices Billie, a teenager who discovers her magic, and Rashida Jones voices her mother, Alice.
A Now Showing sign marks the entrance, with a framed Hexed poster that has the line “From the studio that brought you Frozen and Zootopia” across the top. Disney invites guests to explore “the magical world of the 2026 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Hexed.” Just inside, a mural of three arched panels shows a sun, a golden tree, and a crescent moon, all wrapped in ivy. Posters from past Walt Disney Animation Studios films line a nearby wall.
Two glass cases face each other across the room, with shelves of potion bottles, candle-topped decanters, and jars of herbs mounted above them. One case focuses on props and the world of Hexe. The other holds the character maquettes. We don’t know yet how long Hexed will stay on display or which film comes next.
The props case centers on Elias Quire, the magical journal voiced by Stephen Fry. An oversized open book with Hexe lettered on its page sits on a stand under a pair of brass eyes. Disney says Elias Quire and Ms. Quill greet Billie “at the entry to the witch realm of Hexe.” Entry Questionnaire cards with yes and no checkboxes sit beside the book, a hint at what that entry involves.
Scrolls, leather journals, and bundles of herbs with cinnamon and star anise cover the blue fabric around the book. Dripping candles sit in the necks of several bottles. The fall leaves tucked among the props match the orange and red trees in the concept art, so the case and the artwork feel like they’re of the same world.
Disney says Billie is “an impulsive and unconventional teenager” whose secret magical abilities “hurtle her into a spectacle-filled journey out of suburbia and into a vast witch realm called Hexe.” Alice joins her, and together they “uncover family mysteries that could change the world of witches forever.”
Character Maquettes of Billie, Alice, and Beef Roger Crummchuk
The second case holds the character maquettes. Disney says the sculptures help animators understand “a character’s physical look and shape.” Maquettes also provide “a handy reference for proportions, pose, and personality as a character develops from concept to animation.”
The case has three maquettes and four character plaques:
- Billie Doe (Hailee Steinfeld): The maquette shows Billie striding forward in a flowing cape with a hand on her hip. Disney describes her as a “misunderstood 16-year-old.”
- Alice Doe (Rashida Jones): Alice stands with her arms crossed and a wide smile, her hair in a bun. Disney says Billie’s cautious mother “can no longer protect her daughter from the mysteries that are uncovered on their journey through Hexe.”
- Beef Roger Crummchuk (Walton Goggins): The maquette shows a three-eyed cat sitting on a cauldron with a glass raised. Disney says he is “a reclusive, three-eyed cat who forges an uneasy alliance with Billie and Alice.”
- Bucket: This plaque sits next to Beef Roger’s. Disney says Bucket is an enchanted cauldron “who becomes Billie’s unexpected but loyal companion.”
Each maquette sits on a small wooden stand with leaves and bottles around it. Billie’s base has what appears to be a braided bracelet lying across it. That small detail shows these sculptures capture personality along with shape.
Concept Art, Color Script, and Storyboards From the Film
The Visual Development section explains how artists shape a film’s world. Disney says they use “sketches, paintings, and color studies” to form its architecture, landscapes, and textures. The “vibrant colors and unconventional shapes” of Hexe, Disney says, hint at “the realm’s mysterious nature and magical mysteries.”
Framed pieces back that up. One shows a town of pointed rooftops under a castle in autumn oranges and reds, and a black and white sketch of a similar skyline with arching bridges hangs nearby. Another shows a hooded figure in a red cape facing a dark creature covered in glowing eyes. A third shows Alice and Billie pressing their foreheads together on a bridge of vines.
Character sheets show how the designs developed. A page of 14 numbered cauldrons, some with eyes on the front, appears to show how the film’s enchanted cauldron took shape. Beef Roger gets turnaround drawings in a pink jacket, plus pose sketches with what look like notes about a crystal necklace and a club pawpad. A costume sheet breaks a hooded burgundy cloak into labeled pieces. Another frame gathers Hexe’s animals into one crowded group with a raven, a bat, an owl, frogs, an opossum, and a raccoon.
Two cork boards cover the color script and storyboards. Disney says a color script “maps how color, light, and mood shift and evolve” across a film. The color script board has small frames in oranges, yellows, and reds, while dozens of black-and-white sketch panels make up the storyboards. A few panels have a purple tint, and one shows a long creature with a row of yellow eyes.
Disney says the storyboard panels “show several in-development sequences from the film as Billie encounters the magical residents and creatures of Hexe.”
Keep Reading
- Disney announced the opening date and the full lineup of experiences in The Magic of Disney Animation opens September 14th at Hollywood Studios, which is the best place to start before a visit.
- The drawing lesson changes when the Audio-Animatronic is out of service, and what to expect at Olaf Draws during B-mode is covered.
- Our hard hat tour of the building layout shows the space before it opened, along with new concept art.
- If you are planning around characters, the full list of meet-and-greets at The Magic of Disney Animation shows who to look for.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!