^{Credit: Hexed (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Hoppers (Pixar Animation Studios), Toy Story 5 (Pixar Animation Studios)}

At CinemaCon 2026, Disney unveiled new details about their upcoming animated feature, Hexed. Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones star in this original fantasy about an awkward teen girl and her Type-A mother who are transported to a magical realm. Previously, it was suggested that the teen protagonist would be male, but the film apparently underwent some behind-the-scenes changes, as is customary for most Disney animated films. Hexed will hit theaters on November 25, 2026, with awards season in full swing. It’ll come out on the heels of two Pixar features: Hoppers and Toy Story 5, the latter of which arrives on June 19. Assuming all of these films stick the landing, could Disney get three Best Animated Feature nominations at the 99th Academy Awards?

Hoppers is the only one of these three films to have been released thus far. Daniel Chong’s original comedy delivered a much-needed win for Pixar, earning strong reviews and more than doubling its budget at the box office. In a year that’s also brought us Sony’s GOAT and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Hoppers seems like the safest bet for a Best Animated Feature nomination. Of course, the year is still young. By the time we get to awards season, Hoppers might not even be Disney’s frontrunner for an Oscar.

While several sequels have been nominated for Best Animated Feature over the years, Toy Story 3 and 4 are the only ones that’ve managed to win. This bodes well for Toy Story 5, which Andrew Stanton is directing. The film will undoubtedly give The Super Mario Galaxy Movie a run for its money at the box office. Even if Toy Story 5 grosses over a billion dollars, reviews will largely determine whether or not it’s an Oscar player. The Toy Story franchise could very well go three for three in this category. If Toy Story 5 falls below the 90% threshold on Rotten Tomatoes, though, the Academy’s Animation Branch may prioritize originality.

Hexed remains the biggest question mark. There have been conflicting reports on who’s directing Hexed. Cartoon Brew credits Fawn Veerasunthorn, who co-directed Wish with Chris Buck, and Jason Hand, who co-directed Moana 2, while Josie Trinidad (head of story on Ralph Breaks the Internet) will serve as co-director. However, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Wrap, and IMDb all say that Hand and Trinidad are the film’s directors, with no mention of Veerasunthorn. Hand seems to be the one consistency throughout these reports. While Moana 2 made over a billion dollars, reviews were mixed at best, and the sequel didn’t factor into the awards conversation.

Moana 2 still had quality animation, especially considering that it was originally going to be a Disney+ series. For many, Moana 2’s main issues were in the storytelling department. The quality of the script will likely make or break Hexed. As of now, it’s unclear who the film’s credited writers are. It also remains to be seen if Hexed will be a musical. Whispers online claim it won’t be, although Disney hasn’t officially confirmed this yet. With Hailee Steinfeld attached, they've gotta at least give her an end credits song to sing, right?

Optimistically speaking, Hexed could follow in the footsteps of Encanto, a holiday release that proved to be a late-breaking Oscar player. Encanto won the Best Animated Feature Oscar, beating out two other films under the Mouse’s umbrella: Raya and the Last Dragon and Pixar’s Luca. This was arguably the first time that three Disney films got nominated for Best Animated Feature. I say arguably because in 2003, Lilo & Stitch and Treasure Planet were nominated against Spirited Away. Disney handled the English dub for Spirited Away, although Studio Ghibli retained the rights. So, it’s debatable if that truly counts as a Disney film. In any case, Disney has proven that it can get three films nominated, but it remains a rarity.

In 2017, Zootopia and Moana were nominated for Best Animated Feature, but voters overlooked Finding Dory. It’s not like Finding Dory was a poorly received film. Aside from being a billion-dollar hit, its Rotten Tomatoes score exceeded 90% positive. That said, Toy Story 5 could meet a similar fate this year, even if it does prove to be a critical and audience favorite. If Hexed performs as well as Hoppers has, voters may favor Disney’s two original offerings over a sequel. At this point, though, it might be unwise to underestimate a Toy Story movie. Despite what trolls spew on Film Twitter, the franchise has yet to fail critically or commercially (Lightyear notwithstanding).

Even if Disney does have three bangers, 2026 is proving to be a stacked year for animation. Several international features have been announced for the Cannes Film Festival. On the U.S. front, we have Laika’s Wildwood, DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island, Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, and Brad Bird’s long-awaited Ray Gunn. It’ll also be interesting to see if Coyote vs. Acme is eligible. As much as some argue that there’s a “Disney/Pixar mafia” in the Academy, the Mouse has its limits. Can Disney get three films into Best Animated Feature? Absolutely, especially if Hexed and Toy Story 5 are on par with Hoppers. With so many other animated features in play, though, one or even two Disney films could fall by the wayside. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how the public responds to each of these films as the year unfolds.

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!