When a major studio drops a trailer, the internet usually argues about plot or casting. Rarely does shot composition become the controversy.
Yet that is exactly what happened after Walt Disney Animation Studios released the first teaser for Hexed on June 16. Sharp-eyed viewers quickly noticed something off about the way the trailer frames its action, with several fans pointing out that the film appears deliberately staged to keep focus in the center of the screen. Many assumed the choice was made so clips could be shared effectively on vertical platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Hexed is an animated coming-of-age fantasy comedy directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand, starring the voices of Hailee Steinfeld, Rashida Jones, Tracey Ullman, and Stephen Fry. It follows a teen girl named Billie who discovers magical abilities that transport her from suburbia into Hexe, a realm of witches. The film is Disney Animation's first original title since Wish in 2023.
One widely shared post on X called the trailer "bizarrely center-focused," arguing it was "made with the assumption people would crop in on the middle of the video, in order to make it vertical." Another user tested the theory directly, converting the trailer to a 9:16 ratio to see if key details survived the crop. Critics argued that the choice felt "un-enchanting," making the film appear generic in a way that contradicts its own message about the value of being unique.
Comparisons quickly surfaced with DreamWorks' upcoming Forgotten Island, whose trailer uses more of the screen space to tell its story. Some observers noted this trend isn't entirely new for Disney, pointing out that Elio, Pixar's underperforming sci-fi film from last year, also centered its characters and action, which fans theorize was an influencer-focused shift aimed at generating free viral marketing.
Not everyone agrees. Defenders pointed out that centered, symmetrical framing is an established aesthetic choice that long predates social media, used by filmmakers as varied as Stanley Kubrick and Wes Anderson. Creative Bloq questioned whether Disney would really compose an entire film for social media, noting it wouldn't be difficult for the studio to create separate teasers reframed for each platform.
Director Veerasunthorn offered her own perspective on the film's vision in a statement accompanying the trailer. "A wonderfully strange phenomenon is happening all around Billie, something she can't explain," she said. "She's someone who has felt miscast in her own life, and it takes leaving her normal world behind and entering a hidden world of wild, unhinged magic to begin to understand herself."
The framing debate arrives just weeks after Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey trailer reignited discussion about the ideal aspect ratio for theatrical films. Both conversations reflect a deepening tension between how movies are made for theaters and how they circulate on phones.
Hexed is scheduled to arrive in U.S. theaters on November 25, 2026. It will join Pixar's Hoppers and Toy Story 5 as one of three Disney animated features expected to compete for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. Whether its framing holds up on the big screen may ultimately matter more than how it looks as a Reel.
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