Disney's latest Hexed announcement is causing even more controversy

With just six weeks to go until the release of Hexed, Disney's revealed a new detail that's reignited an old controversy – one of many to have followed the animated movie. Meanwhile, people aren't letting those same-face syndrome accusations go.

After the great Hexed vertical orientation conspiracy theory and the character design disappointment, the latest issue concerns an unexpected addition to the cast. It's reminding some people of where they think Disney took the movie's concept from.

Throughout the build up to the release of Hexed, some fans of The Owl House, Dana Terraces' Disney Channel animation that was cut short, have insisted that they think the cancelled show inspired the movie. Disney chief creative officer Jared Bush denied the idea at D23, but it's come up again now that Disney has named Sarah-Nicole Robles as part of the voice cast. The actor previously voiced Patience in Knights of Guinevere and Luz Noceda in The Owl House.

"They're not even trying to hide it any more," one person complains.

I'll point out that Sarah-Nicole is a fine actor and previously voiced Señora Ozma in Encanto. I don't think Disney is trying offend anyone here. But it shows the sense of grievance that remains among TOH fans.

Meanwhile, people continue to dissect the Hexed character designs and to diagnose an acute case of Disney same-face syndrome. Attention has turned to the question of why mother and daughter Alice and Billie Doe look the same age.

Disney has a 'rule' that makes it almost impossible for its animations to show a mother who looks a believable age, one person believes. It all goes back to a 1943 paper by Konrad Lorenz "about why babies look cute", apparently: large eyes, a high forehead, small nose and chin and round cheeks.

"Disney will even draw an old woman with real wrinkles when the role calls for it, like Gramma Tala in Moana. The mom in her forties is the one who falls through the cracks, and Disney Animation hasn't had to solve that much, because it almost never puts a mom at the center of the story," they suggest, writing on X.

The movie's directors, Josie Trinidad, who was head of story on Ralph Breaks the Internet and Zootopia, and Jason Hand, co-director of Moana 2 head of story on Encanto, have said that Billie is very different from Disney heroines like Moana or Mirabel, with a sharp and more dangerous personality.

The ensemble voice cast also includes Henry Winkler, Dan Stevens, Rachel Dratch and Ariana Madix.

Hexed will be released on 25 November.

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.