Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, is back in a Disney Animation movie, and this time she is playing a witch who looks an awful lot like Ursula. Benson voices Cursula in Hexed, and the first look at the character arrived Thursday, less than two weeks before the film opens in theaters on November 25.
NEW: Jodi Benson voices Cursula in Disney Animation’s Hexed.
— Drew Smith (@DrewDisneyDude) November 12, 2026
Meet Cursula
The resemblance is hard to miss. Cursula has a swoop of white hair, heavy blue eye shadow, a dark purple cloak and the same wide grin Ursula flashes when she has a deal to offer. In the first-look image she holds her cloak open like a peddler’s coat, with odds and ends pinned inside it: a fork, a red glass orb, a little mallet and what looks like a spider.
Casting the voice of Ariel as a witch with a sea witch’s look is a wink only Disney could pull off. Benson has voiced Ariel since The Little Mermaid in 1989 and has stayed with the character through sequels, TV, video games and the parks for more than 35 years.
What Hexed Is About
Hexed follows Billie, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, an impulsive teenager who discovers she has secret magical abilities. Once they are unleashed, she is pulled out of the suburbs and into Hexe, a huge witch realm, where she has to team up with her cautious mother, Alice, voiced by Rashida Jones. Together they uncover family secrets that could change the world of witches for good.
The voice cast also includes Tracey Ullman as an enchanted quill pen named Ms. Quill and Stephen Fry as the magical journal Elias Quire. Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand direct, Josie Trinidad co-directs, and Roy Conli and Yvett Merino produce.
Hexed Is Everywhere Right Now
Disney has been ramping up the Hexed push all week. The film’s art is riding on top of New York City taxis, new clips keep arriving, and D23 Gold Members can catch advance screenings on November 23 at Disney Springs and in Orange, California. Billie Doe also starts meeting guests at Disneyland on November 20 and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on November 25.
Disney has not said how big Cursula’s role is, so whether she is a quick cameo or a real player in Billie’s story will have to wait until opening day. Hexed opens in theaters on Wednesday, November 25, 2026.
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