Hailee Steinfeld covers The Cars' "Magic" for Disney's Hexed, out now

Hailee Steinfeld has released her version of "Magic", the synth-pop favourite by The Cars, for Disney's animated film Hexed. The single reached Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music on Friday 23 October 2026.

The timing is deliberate. Hexed opens in cinemas on 25 November 2026, so the cover lands about a month ahead of the film, and a Hexed playlist went up on Spotify the same day with the cover alongside several needle drops used in the movie.

Who is in the film

Steinfeld also stars in Hexed. She voices Billie, a teenage oddball who is a poor fit for her organised mother Alice, played by Rashida Jones, until Billie discovers that her weirdness is really hidden magic. The film is directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand, with Josie Trinidad as co-director.

For anyone meeting Steinfeld through the film rather than the charts: she started as an actor (an Oscar nomination at 14 for True Grit) and built a second career in pop with songs like "Love Myself" and "Starving". Her ADMC artist page collects our coverage.

About the song

"Magic" is a 1984 single from The Cars' album Heartbeat City, written and sung by Ric Ocasek and one of the band's biggest US hits. The title fits a film about a teenager who finds out she is a witch, which is presumably why Disney reached for it.

Steinfeld's version is the film's headline cover, and it will also close out the full release. Disney's Hexed Official Soundtrack arrives on 20 November 2026 with an original score by Kris Bowers, the composer behind The Wild Robot, plus this new recording.

The dates to know

• 23 October 2026: "Magic" (Hailee Steinfeld) released, plus the Hexed Spotify playlist
• 20 November 2026: Disney's Hexed Official Soundtrack
• 25 November 2026: Hexed opens in cinemas

Details of who produced the cover were not given with the release, so we are not guessing. We will update this story if Disney or Steinfeld share more.