Disney’s “Hexed” hits theaters this Thanksgiving, and there will be a lot of pressure on the movie to do well. While Disney’s recent sequels, such as “Moana 2” and “Zootopia 2” have performed well at the box office, their original stories haven’t been huge successes in recent years. “Strange World” and “Wish” underperformed both critically and commercially, so now it’s questionable whether or not “Hexed” will deliver in today’s franchise-centered Hollywood.

The “Hexed” Teaser Trailer

The trailer opens with a purple-haired high school student named Billie telling us, “My whole life, I’ve felt like there was something wrong with me.” Yeah, how many times do we have a protagonist who feels like a freak and a misfit only to discover that they have special powers? Even though this is an original story, it still feels like familiar territory reminiscent of “Harry Potter” or “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” 

After the required scene of everyone muttering about what a freak Billie is, we see her in the bathroom, trying to get something done on a laptop while the teacher yells from outside. She drops her bracelet in the adjacent stall, and when she’s trying to reach it – lo and behold – the bracelet magically flies to her. This leads to Billie’s powers going out of control, and she is expelled from school. 

Of course, when Billie tries to use her powers at home, she finds herself unable to do so – until she opens a portal to another world. This is where the “Hexed” trailer starts getting interesting. Billie finds herself in a magical forest, hearing a voice saying, “We’ve been waiting for you.” She sees an intriguing old book – and it turns out that the book was the one talking to her. Nintendo fans (like me) might automatically be reminded of the talking book Mr. E from the recent game, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. There’s also a talking quill who turns the book’s pages. Now fans might be getting some “Beauty and the Beast” vibes.

The World of Witches

The world is called Hex, and the book describes it as “the world of witches.” Here, Billie can float off the ground (and ram into buildings while doing so). Stepping stones across water turn out to be giant eye creatures. Evil-looking witches corner Billie. As Stevie Nicks’ eternal classic, “Edge of Seventeen” plays, we hear Billie concluding that “maybe there’s nothing wrong with me at all. Maybe I’m meant for something more.” Yeah, how many protagonists are “meant for something more”? Again, we’re in familiar territory. 

So, does the “Hexed” trailer get me excited for the movie? Well, it looks like there will be some coming-of-age cliches that we’ve seen over and over. We’ve seen plenty of stories about outcast protagonists who discover that they were meant for something greater than their mundane lives, and when Disney’s original stories have been faring poorly in recent years, lazy-looking storytelling won’t win them favors with audiences. 

However, what little the trailer shows us of the world of Hex does look intriguing. The talking book looks like he will be an appealing character, and there are some clever visuals, such as the stepping stones turning into eye monsters. I love a good fantasy story, and I’m hoping that “Hexed” will provide creative worldbuilding to balance out the cliche-looking story. 

Can “Hexed” Bring Back the Disney Magic?

Disney has been in something of a slump in recent years. They’ve been relying heavily on sequels and live-action remakes. This year, we’re even getting a remake of “Moana,” a movie that doesn’t turn ten until this Thanksgiving. Disney needs a great original movie to shake them out of this slump. Will “Hexed” be that movie? I’m rooting for it to do well, but as much as I hate to say it, the trailer left me underwhelmed. “Hexed” comes to movie theaters this Thanksgiving.