Disney is preparing to reinvent the visual identity of its animated films once again. The studio that launched its legacy with 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has continually evolved its animation techniques, most notably shifting toward CG animation in the 2000s and 2010s with major hits such as Tangled, Frozen, and Zootopia.
A Walt Disney Animation Studios executive suggested that another stylistic transformation is on the horizon. Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Jared Bush, recently joined Matt Belloni on The Town podcast. While mainly discussing the success of Zootopia 2 and some other Disney Animation topics, Belloni brought up anime, which eventually led to Bush teasing "a really exciting evolution in the way that [Disney] movies look."
Belloni initially brought up anime to Bush, insinuating that maybe Disney could start producing anime-style films. The Disney creative executive emphasized the inspiration anime has had on their artists; he particularly called out "[Hayao] Miyazaki's work." He also clarified how anime is merely a "medium," similar to how "CG animation is a medium:"
"Oh well, for sure. I mean, so many of our artists here are really inspired by anime. Obviously, [Hayao] Miyazaki's work is something that I study myself. I think when people hear anime, it means a lot of different things. It's a medium, just the same way that CG animation is a medium. And so I think there's a lot of different ways to tell stories in my experience."
Adding to the conversation, Bush said that his favorite anime movies are "epics" that have "amazing, beautiful world-building:"
"I'd say that a lot of the anime movies that, at least for me, excite me are sweeping, they're epics. You're looking at this amazing, beautiful world-building..."
To clarify what this evolution will (and will not) look like, Bush explained that Disney Animation is not planning a direct pivot into anime, "That's not exactly the way that we do things," but is instead exploring how elements of that style could influence its future storytelling and visuals:
"It's a very specific pipeline to do that. A lot of the times, anime is either 2D artist or a very specific way of doing things. That's not exactly the way that we do things. That said, inspired by anime is something different, and that's something that we're looking to the next several years of how we tell stories and the visual style of our stories."
Looking further ahead, Bush teased that "things can change quite a lot," confirming that over "the next five years" fans can expect "a really exciting evolution in the way that [Disney] movies look:"
"Those things can change quite a lot, and that's something I'm very excited about. Over the next... even the next five years, there's going to be a really exciting evolution in the way that our movies look. I think people are excited about that."
These comments come a few months after Bush revealed Disney Animation's upcoming film, Hexed, which is set to release on November 25, 2026. Its animation style has already been a topic of discussion for fans, despite no footage having been revealed yet.
Disney only revealed a logo and a single piece of concept art, which features a vibrant, hand-drawn look with bold colors and a fairy-tale atmosphere that feels very different from the studio's recent CG-heavy films. With fans hopeful that the film could incorporate more 2D or mixed-style elements, for now, the striking concept art could be the first step towards the evolution that Bush has teased.
Will Disney Change Its Animation Style?
Following the release of 2023's Wish, many viewers could argue that Disney is already changing its animation, despite Moana 2 and Zootopia 2 (two billion-dollar films) having very familiar CG visuals.
Wish used a hybrid animation style that blended modern 3D CGI with Disney's classic storybook aesthetic, inspired by hand-drawn and watercolor techniques from the studio's early films. Characters were rendered with visible line art, while detailed watercolor backgrounds gave the world a painted, fairy-tale quality reminiscent of classics like Sleeping Beauty.
This intentional fusion was designed to honor Disney's 100-year history. Wish included numerous Easter eggs and references to past Disney films, incorporated them naturally, but received mixed responses from fans.
Hexed could be the next big swing toward a design shift at Disney Animation, but sticking with 3D models seems likely to lead to commercial success, especially with Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 coming soon.
