It’s true: Chainsaw Man was a major inspiration for the upcoming Disney movie, Hexed. Hexed tells the story of a young girl named Billie Doe who, after years of feeling like an outcast in her world, finally finds herself when she’s whisked away to the magical world of Hexe and discovers that she’s a witch. Hexed will be Disney’s annual Thanksgiving release to close out the year, and even with just a teaser trailer to its name, it looks to be another fun film to go along with Disney’s recent turnaround in quality.
Hexed is all set to be a standout Disney film, and, surprisingly, it owes credit to Chainsaw Man, of all stories, for looking like so much fun. In an interview with Hexed directors Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand via Cartoon Brew, they said they pushed for Hexed to be cartoonier than other animated movies, and Hand specifically cited Chainsaw Man as a reason they went in that direction.
Veerasunthorn: When you look at Billie, we wanted to evoke the feeling that this girl has the potential to be a witch, but we didn’t want to be too on the nose about it, so we put little clues everywhere.
Hand: I have a 15-year-old son, and we were watching Chainsaw Man. They do all kinds of crazy things with the eyes that I felt like we could totally do, but in a much subtler way.
Veerasunthorn: Because this is an original film, we took it as an opportunity to think differently and get cartoonier.
Hand: Being cartoonier was a big thing we’ve been pushing across the board. The color in the production design is really insane, and so are the proportions of our characters.
-via Cartoon Brew
Chainsaw Man being referenced for a Disney movie is crazy, but in addition to making a lot of sense, it highlights a major shift in the animation industry as a whole.
Why Chainsaw Man’s Disney Connection Makes More Sense Than You Think
Despite how out of nowhere Chainsaw Man’s ties to Hexed might sound, there is some sense of logic to it. While Hexed obviously isn’t as violent and sexual as Chainsaw Man, the teaser trailer for Hexed suggests that the world of Hexe is one filled with danger at every turn from monsters and people with supernatural powers, and that can easily be seen as a kid-friendly take on Chainsaw Man’s narrative.
More than that, of course, is the tone. Befitting the directors’ cartoony vision, Hexed is filled with bright colors and goofy, eccentric designs for even the humans, which not only contrasts with the inherent danger of the world, but is also perfectly complemented by Billie’s chaotic energy once she gets accustomed to it all. As dark as the Chainsaw Man anime can get, the series works because its darkness is contrasted by a gorgeous color palette and a cast that’s eccentric in both design and personality, especially Denji, and it’s great to see that aesthetic being used for Hexed.
What Disney’s Chainsaw Man Inspiration Means For The Animation Industry
Hexed taking inspiration from Chainsaw Man is great, and it’s another highlight of an ongoing trend in Western animation: the constant integration of anime. With anime becoming more mainstream, it’s become increasingly common to see Western animation that takes inspiration from anime; sometimes it doesn’t go further than random references, but stories like KPop Demon Hunters and My Adventures with Superman show a clear love for anime and succeed by structuring their stories in that style, and even Robert Kirkman of Invincible fame said that anime played a major part in the franchise’s modern-day success.
Disney’s Major Hexed Movie Change Signals A Huge Shift For The Studio
Disney’s Hexed looks to tell a compelling story, but the film looks strikingly different from the movie that was announced last year at D23.
In recent years, Western animation has been playing around with anime to a degree never seen before, all of which has been in earnest and to great effect, and if it’s gotten to the point that a Disney movie is doing the same, then that says a lot about just how big anime has become. Chainsaw Man inspiring a Disney movie is great to see for the animation industry, and hopefully, Hexed will more than live up to that to be a great addition to Disney’s library.
- Release Date
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November 25, 2026
- Director
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Jason Hand, Fawn Veerasunthorn
- Producers
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Roy Conli, Yvett Merino Flores