| Divided | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Rebbeca Sugar |
| Produced by | Yvett Merino |
| Executive producer(s) | Rebbeca Sugar Jared Bush Chloe Bennet |
| Screenplay by | Rebbeca Sugar Victoria Strouse Danielle Iman |
| Story by | Rebbeca Sugar |
| Starring | Chloe Bennett Lauren Patel Sarah-Nicole Robles Michelle Jenner Michaela Dietz Ming-Na Wen Constance Zimmer Jon Bernthal Bill Farmer |
| Score by | John Powell |
| Songs by | Rebbeca Sugar Estelle |
| Edited by | Tim Mertens |
| Production company | Walt Disney Animation Studios |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date | May 22, 2029 |
| Country | United States |
Divided would be a 2029 animated psychological dramedy musical film directed by Rebecca Sugar from a screenplay by Sugar, Danielle Iman and Victoria Strouse, and a story by Sugar, while Yvett Merino would produce the film, with Nelson, Jared Bush, Smith, and Chloe Bennet serving as executive producers. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the film would star the voices of Bennet, Lauren Patel, Sarah-Nicole Robles, Michelle Jenner, Michaela Dietz, Ming-Na Wen, Constance Zimmer, Jon Bernthal and Bill Farmer. John Powell would compose the film's score, while Sugar would write songs for the film alongside Estelle.
Development on the film would begin in early 2026, with Sugar set to write and direct the film. Bennet and Strouse would join the film as its leads and co-writer, respectively, in early 2027, while Wen would join the cast in mid-2027. The film's animators would use several animation systems from previous Disney movies in order to potray uniquely each of the main character's personalities. The studio would form a "Psychiatrist Story Group" in order to potray Dissociative Identity Disorder more accuretly than several other films. The film would aldo be developed with a darker tone than most modern Disney movies, more akin to Disney Renaissance films.
Divided would be released in May 22, 2029, and would become a critical and commercial success, with critics praising the film's take on Dissiociative Identity Disorder compared to other films, direction, vocal performances (particularly Bennet and Zimmer), writing, animation, score, songs and visuals. Divided would also be positively reviewed by the mental health community for its positive potrayal of Dissiociative Identity Disorder. The film would earn 987 million dollars at the worldwide box office over a budget of 130 million dollars. The film would earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature and an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Voice cast[]
- Chloe Bennet as Sophie:
A girl with 4 alternative personalities, collectively known as "The Council". Director Rrbbexa Sugar said that "her alternative selves here work as an alegory for teamwork, coping with trauma, and self-acceptance", and that "while in other films somebody has to overcome his or her other personality, she has to embrace them here". Regarding her character's motivations, Bennet said "she wants to make her mother proud by being a good leader and is willing to fo anything to be that leader, but becayse of all the abuse she ges through she fails to realize she needs to be herself to do so". Sugar said she didn't wanted her abusive upbringing to be reflected merely througth her lack of self-steem, so she researched what other consequences psychological abuse has on its victims and incorporared them into the character.- Lauren Patel as Helen, a British alter in Sophie's system, with a passion for science. She fronts whenever Sophie feeld scared. According to Sugar, the character was inspired by Wallace from the Wallace & Gromit franchise; Patel previously worked in the film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Sugar also said that, "much like her character in Vengeance Most Fowl, she learns to trust her gut more than facts".
- Sarah-Nicole Robles as Peintre, a French alter within Sophie's system, with a passion for all forms of artistic expression. Sugar said she's "the heart of the system" and "the one keeping things together, and that brings her some stress". Soucie would base her performance on Jerry Orbach's performance as Lumiére in Beauty and the Beast (1991). Eric Goldberg and Bruce W. Smith would serve as Artist's supervising animators within the inner world.
- Michelle Jenner as Alejandra, a protective Spanish alter within Sophie's system. She fronts whenever Sophie feels vulnerable. Jenner said the character is "the big, protective sister of the system. And, because of that, she's made it her mission to protect her from Sarum. But she dosen't know how and that scares her". Sugar also said that "her biggest issue is communication. She struggles to confide in others because of their trauma and that complicates things".
- Michaela Dietz as Chungdol, a highly expressive Korean alter within Sophie's system. She fronts whenever Sophie feels extremely sad. Dietz said "Chungdol has a very childlike view if the wirld. And ks that ourity, that optimism, that lightheartedness that motivates her".
- Ming-Na Wen as Jessica, the queen of an alien kingdom and Jennifer's mother.
- Constance Zimmer as Sarum, Sophie's caretaker and abuser, who seeks to control the kingdom througth her. Zimmer said Sarum is "a classical, evil for evil's sake kind of villain", describing her as "a power hungry conqueror whose wish and anticipation for conquering the world also makes her very sadist" and "someone who wants power because she believes she deserves it, and has a deep-seated determination to get it". Director Rebbeca Sugar said she's "irredeemable" and that the character wouldn't "change and become a better person. Because some just don't".
- Jon Bernthal as Jack, Sarum's second-in-command and enforcer.
- Bill Farmer as Fluffy, Sophie's pet dog. The character would be depicted as a silent comic relief character in a similar vein to Pascal and Maximus.
Additionally, Lin-Manuel Miranda voices Wrae, a friend of Jennifer's. Corey Burton appears in a minor role as the Captain of the Guards. Don Hall and executive producer Jared Bush voice two guards. Alan Tudyk and Liza Koshy voice Tariu and Heria, two young teens who unknowingly are friends with Chungdol under the assumption they're friends with Sophie.
Production[]
Development[]
In January 2026, Rebbeca Sugar would reveal that she is writing and directing an animated film at Walt Disney Animation Studios "that takes a concept that Hollywood has used for years, and uses it on a way that audiences never expected, but still leaves them very impressed". In June 2026, it would be announced that the film Sugar would working on would be titled Divided. It would also be announced that the film would center on a princess with 4 other different personalities facing a threat to her kingdom. Sugar would state that, while "[she] was aware of how Hollywood loves to use Disssociative Identity Disorder for horror and thriller movies, [she] feels that the concept has potential for a more emotional and sincere story".
In January 2027, Victoria Strousse would reveal that she joined the film as a co-writer alongside Sugar. Strousse would say that "[she] wants the film to have a little bit of Finding Dory's sensibility towards those with mental struggles", while Nelson would say that "Finding Dory is the exact reason [she] hired Strousse in the first place". Danielle Iman would later be hired as a writer; she was previoisly a staff writer on the Disney+ series Moon Knight, whose lead character also has DID.
Writing[]
In order to "avoid the mistakes of past movies", Disney would hire several psyschiatrists and therapists to form a "Pyschiatric Story Group", similar to Moana's "Oceanic Story Group". The filmmakers would consult with the group on Divided's potrayal and sensivity towards DID, with Nelson pitching them scenes and concepts, to which the group would provide her with feedback and notes. They would also be consuted for the film's humor, which Sugar would explain would be because "[she] dosen't want to paint DID as something to be laughed at. This is a serious mental illness, it comes from painful experiences, but [she] also want[s] the film to have the scenes that can make the audience cheer. So the Psychiatric Story Group was very involved with how to approach that humor". Additionally, Disney would hire therapist Paula McHugh, psychiatrist Garrett Marie Deckel, and psychologist and psychoanalyst Sheldon Itzkowitz to serve as co-producers on the film. According to Nelson, the investigation and support from the Psychiatrist Story Group "really helped to concieve the story and what kind of story [the filmmakers] wanted to tell".
Sugar would cite The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Toy Story 3 as inspirations for the film's tone, wanting a film that "was dark for Disney but still lighthearted", as well as The Fantastic Four: First Steps for the dynamic between Sophie's alters. She would also describe Your Name for the handling of Sophie's interactions with her alters before she gains access to the inner world. Sugar was particularly interested in the alters alivienating the film's darker moments "not through silliness, but with warmth interactions between each other". The duo also wanted the relationship between Sophie and her alters to be more in line with family dramas such as Superman & Lois, and how families deal with knowing somebody in them is going through an abusive relationship. An inspiration for the film's humor would be Ghostbusters and "its humor rooted on characters rather than situations. Where the situations are played seriously but the characters deliver some levity that fits with their personality".
Casting and recording[]
In December 2026, it would be reported that Chloe Bennet would be in talks to voice Sophie, a girl with 4 alternative personalities, in the film as its lead. Bennet would be confirmed to have joined the project the following month. In July 2027, it would be reported that Ming-Na Wen has joined the film's voice cast as Sophie's mother, Jennifer.
Animation[]
Two different animation teams would be made for Divided: one that works on scenes set on the physical world and one working on scenes at Sophie's inner world. Director Rebbexa Sugar would explain that the different teams would be made in order to catch the "different feels" of each scenario. Sugar would describe the work of comic book artist and Disney Legend Jack Kirby as "a big influence" on the design of Sophie's inner world.
Different character models would be made for each of Sophie's personas when they are in their inner world, with producer Yvett Merino explaining that Disney "wanted to take advantage of the medium of animation and make sure the personas really incarnate visually the aspect of Sophie that they are meant to represent" while in their mind. Hand-drawn animation would be used to create Chungdol, with Eric Goldberg serving as hand-drawn animation director. A hand-drawn animated sequence at the beginning of the film would also be used in a montage where Sophie develops her DID, with Sugar explaining otvwas "to prepare audiences for when the alters show up".
A new animation software, named Transition, would be created in order to animate scenes in which Sophie changes from one persona to another. Sugar would explain that, based on declarations from the Psychiatric Story Group that a person's body has slight changes according to which persona is in control, the animators would create the Transition software in order for Sophie's body to "change slightly, but at the same time noticeably" when another of her personas takes control.
The design of Sophie's kingdom would be inspired by Tokyo, Japan, as the filmmakers would want a "100% futuristic style" for the kingdom. Star Wars and Star Trek would also serve as inspirations for the design of Sophie's kingdom. The animators would also use the animation for the "Short Circuit" short Downtown (2020) for the background in order to further convey a futuristic feeling. The animators would aim for a more photorealistic look in order to "give it a different feel than Sophie's inner world". The filmmakers would consult with inventors and mechanics in order to "create machines that felt they could exist in a few years".
Music[]
John Powell would compose the film's score. Powell would create a score that "didn't focused a lot on the psychological concept, but more on the heart in the story. And with a little bit of the psychological stuff because it still plays a role in the movie", and that "it would have a very philosophical and tragic feel to it". Powell would describe Sophie and her alters' theme as "super dynamic", as he has to change it in order to represent each personality "yet still keeping a same vibe in order to make clear that they are part of the same being". Powell would compose an "strict yet warmth" theme for Jennifer.
In addition to directing the film, Sugar would serve as songwriter alongside Estelle, with whom she previously worked in Cartoon Network's Steven Universe. Sugar decided to make the film a mysical after hearing the soundtrack for Mufasa: The Lion King, and feeling a musical would help the film's character-driven narrative, as well as having a particular interest in having a "villain song". Sugar worked closely with the rest of the writing team on determining what points in the film were best suited for a song, not wanting to include them unless they had a purpose. Sugar noted the film's tone demanded "a more flexible musical language" than previous Disney films; she particularly noted how songs involving needed to be "dramatic and emotional", while the rest of the system's numbers had to be "warmer, more cozy, and sometimes more silly" in order to provide a sense of comfort for both Sophie and the audience. She described Sophie's number, "Step Up", where sheembraces her alters and rallies them to stop Sarum, as the film's "emotional conclusion", as she "uses what she learnt through the film, which is to accept her alters, and uses that to become the queen she always feared she'd never be".
Disney would also produce and release Divided Music, a curated soundtrack featuring covers of 9 pop culture songs performed by artists such as Kesha and SZA. According to Sugar, the soundtrack would be created due to "a desire of Disney to find ways to promote the film througth its concept. And when the studio found pop culture songs that matched the main characters here, they choose to create a soundtrack with songs like those being featured".
Reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film would have an approval rating of 89%, with an average rating of 8/10, based on 227 reviews. The website's critical consensus would read, "Thanks to a light-hearted tone and a great story about self-acceptance and teamwork, Disney's Divided manages to tackle the theme of split personalities in a stye that distinguish itself from other movies thanks to its wonderful voice acting, awesome visuals, charm, and timeless appeal". On Metacritic, the film would have a weighted rating of 79 ot of 100, based on 44 reviews, indicating "generally positive reviews".
Franchise[]
Animated series[]
An animated television series set after the events of the film, also titled Divided, would be produced by Disney Television Animation, and created by Rebbeca Sugar. Bennet and Wen would reprise their roles from the film, while Russo would return to compose the score. The series would center on the individual lives of Sophie and her slters, and how those lives affect the other personalities and their relationships. According to Sugar, the series would be created because she would feel that, while the film explored well the friendship between Sophie's personas, it mostly told "Sophie's story", while a TV show would allow the other personalities to be further explored, and to tell stories from each persona's point of view.
Shorts[]
A series of shorts, titled Divided Mind, would be released in late 2032 on Disney+. Set between the animated series' first and second seasons, the shorts would show the mishaps of Sophie's personas while inside their inner world. Rebbeca Sugar would return as writer and director, while Bennet, Jenner, Ostel, Robles, and Dietz would reprise their roles, and Powell would return to compose the score.
A second short series, titled Helen's Guide Througth DID, would be released througth 2033 alongside several Disney-distribuited films. The short series would consist of public service announcements in which Helen explains to the audience about real-life Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Sequel[]
In January 2034, it would be reported that a sequel to Divided is in development, with Rebbeca Sugar set to return as director and co-writer alongside Victoria Strousse, and Yvett Merino returning as producer, while Bennet, Jenner, Ostel, Robles, Dietz, and Wen would be set to reprise their roles, whike Alice Krieg andvsongwriter Estelle would join the cast as the main villain and a new alter, respectively. The story would focus on Sophie and the system as a new threat causes them to realize the true extent of their trauma and "how defeating the one responsible for the trauma dosen't mean the trauma is gone". The film would also put firther emphasis on Sophie's relationship with her mother and how "whatever her intentions where, she's been absent for a lot of her life".
Trivia[]
- This would be Disney's first animated film to star a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
- This would also mark the first time a Disney Princess wears glasses, with Sophie mostly using contact glasses, except for when her Genius persona takes control, to which she takes off her contact glasses and instead uses regular glasses (which she would claim she would do because "hitting [herself] softly with them helps [her] think").
- This would be the first Disney animated film to be directed by a Jewish director.
- This would also ne the first Disney theatrical animayed film where the director also serves as songwriter.