Wish (film)

Wish is an upcoming American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn (in her feature directorial debut), produced by Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes, and written by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore. The art style combines computer animation with the look of Disney's historical watercolor animation. The film stars the voices of Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillén, Ramy Youssef, Niko Vargas, Della Saba, and Jon Rudnitsky. The story focuses on a 17-year-old girl named Asha (DeBose) who makes a passionate plea to the stars in a moment of need when she senses a darkness in the Kingdom of Rosas that no one else does.

"Wish (Disney)" and "Disney's Wish" redirect here. For the Disney Cruise Line ship, see Disney Wish.

Wish
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release date
  • November 22, 2023 (2023-11-22)
Running time
92 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$200 million[3]

Development of Wish began in 2018 but was not publicly disclosed until January 2022, when it was revealed that Lee was writing an original film at Disney Animation. In September 2022, the project was officially announced, with the title being revealed alongside the involvement of DeBose and Tudyk. Buck and Veerasunthorn, who had worked with Lee on Frozen (2013) as co-director and story artist, respectively, were confirmed as directors the same month, with Moore later hired to join Lee in writing the screenplay. The film is inspired by Disney's centennial, which ties together a major theme across most Disney films—of wishes becoming reality. Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe were hired to write the songs for the film, while frequent Disney orchestrator Dave Metzger composed the score.

Wish is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 22, 2023, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Premise

In the Kingdom of Rosas, located off of the Iberian Peninsula, a 17-year-old girl named Asha senses a darkness that no one else does about the kingdom's ruler, King Magnifico. This eventually leads to her trying to make a passionate plea to the stars in a moment of need. Soon, an actual star from the sky named Star answers Asha's wish. After the star falls from the sky, it is revealed that the star has magical powers to grant wishes as well. Together, Asha and Star must overcome the evils rising in Rosas and fight for a better future for their people.[4][5][6]

Voice cast
Left to right:
Top row: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral and Victor Garber respectively play the roles of Asha, King Magnifico, Valentino, Queen Amaya and Sabino.
Bottom row: Natasha Rothwell, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillén, Ramy Youssef and Jon Rudnitsky respectively play the roles of Sakina, Simon, Gabo, Safi and Dario.
  • Ariana DeBose as Asha, a 17-year-old girl who wishes on a star to help save her kingdom by sensing a coming darkness.[7][5] Director Chris Buck says Asha is "energetic—an enthusiastic member of her community who proudly shows off this incredible place where she's grown up".[8]
  • Chris Pine as King Magnifico, Queen Amaya's husband and the king of Rosas who is the sole keeper of hundreds of wishes entrusted to him by people from all over the world. Writer Allison Moore says his motivations are not honorable by saying, "Magnifico seems to think wishes are just ideas. But they are a part of your heart—the very best part of your heart! Yet he's holding them inside these wish bubbles—hundreds of them—and most will remain there forever because that's how he controls the kingdom—by giving false hope".[8][9]
  • Alan Tudyk as Valentino, a goat whose wish to communicate comes true by gaining the ability to talk.[7]
  • Angelique Cabral as Queen Amaya, King Magnifico's wife and the queen of Rosas.[10]
  • Victor Garber as Sabino, Asha's 100-year-old grandfather who is waiting to be granted his wishes.[8][11][12]
  • Natasha Rothwell as Sakina, Asha's mother.[11]
  • Jennifer Kumiyama as Dahlia, Asha's disabled best friend who is the baker and unofficial leader of the group. She was inspired by Doc from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[12][11][8]
  • Evan Peters as Simon, a strong boy with a big heart. He was inspired by Sleepy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[8][11][12]
  • Harvey Guillén as Gabo, a boy who is cynical but with a heart of gold. He was inspired by Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[8][11]
  • Ramy Youssef as Safi, a boy who is plagued with allergies. He was inspired by Sneezy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[11][8]
  • Niko Vargas as Hal, a girl who is joyful and smiling. She was inspired by Happy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[11]
  • Della Saba as Bazeema, a girl who is very shy. She was inspired by Bashful from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[11]
  • Jon Rudnitsky as Dario, Asha's rosy-cheeked wiggly-eared friend. He was inspired by Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[11][8]

Production

Development
Co-director Chris Buck (left) and co-writer Jennifer Lee (right)

Wish began development in 2018, but it was not publicly disclosed until January 21, 2022, when it was reported that Jennifer Lee was writing an original film at Walt Disney Animation Studios.[13][14]

On September 9, 2022, during the 2022 D23 Expo Presentation, Disney Animation announced the film's title, as well as that the directing team would consist of Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, and Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes as producers. It was also announced that the art style would combine the look of Disney's traditional watercolor animation and computer animation, which the company utilizes in its modern period.[7][15] Veerasunthorn said that she was "excited about honoring Walt Disney with the feature. Our art and technology team would come together to figure out how to combine the 20th century illustration look that inspired Walt [Disney] with the CG technology we have now."[16]

The film's animation was originally intended to be fully traditional, but it was later decided to be blended with computer-animation when 2D alone had too many limitations in terms of camera movements and characterization.[17]

Casting

On September 9, 2022, during the 2022 D23 Expo, Ariana DeBose and Alan Tudyk were announced to have been cast in the leading roles of Asha and Valentino, respectively.[7] On April 26, 2023, at CinemaCon, it was announced that Chris Pine would voice King Magnifico.[9] Lee said of Pine "As the most powerful person in the kingdom, King Magnifico needed to be played by someone who could give all the charm, cleverness and charisma to this magnanimous character, and Chris is beautifully bringing all of that and then some."[9] On September 18, 2023, Angelique Cabral was announced as the voice of King Magnifico's wife, Queen Amaya.[10] The rest of the cast was announced with the release of the full trailer.[11]

Music
Wish (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Recorded2023
Genre
LabelWalt Disney
ProducerJulia Michaels
Benjamin Rice
Walt Disney Animation Studios chronology
Strange World
(2022)		 Wish
(2023)
Songwriters Julia Michaels (left) and JP Saxe (right)

Julia Michaels was announced to write original songs for Wish at D23 Expo in September 2022.[18] By April 2023, Dave Metzger was confirmed to compose the film's score, while Benjamin Rice joined Michaels to write the songs.[19] At CinemaCon in April, Disney showed a clip of Asha singing the song "This Wish", which reporters from Deadline Hollywood described as "a very pretty, powerful anthem."[20] On October 18, 2023, it was revealed that JP Saxe had also joined the songwriting team.[1]

On Good Morning America on October 16, 2023 (the official 100th anniversary of the Disney studio), it was announced that songs from the soundtrack would be releasing every Wednesday beginning on October 18, 2023, with "This Wish". The soundtrack will be released on November 17, 2023 by Walt Disney Records.[21]

Wish (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)[22]
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."Welcome to Rosas"
 
2."At All Costs"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
 
3."This Wish"
DeBose3:25
4."I'm a Star"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
Wish cast 
5."This Is the Thanks I Get?!"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
Pine3:14
6."Knowing What I Know Now"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
 
7."This Wish (Reprise)"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
  • Saxe
 
8."A Wish Worth Making"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
Julia Michaels 
9."This Wish (Instrumental)"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
  • Saxe
  • Michaels
  • Rice
3:25
10."I'm a Star (Instrumental)"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
  • Michaels
  • Rice
 
11."This Is the Thanks I Get?! (Instrumental)"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
  • Michaels
  • Rice
3:14
12."A Wish Worth Making (Instrumental)"
  • Michaels
  • Rice
  • Michaels
  • Rice
 

Release

Wish is scheduled to be theatrically released on November 22, 2023.[23] On February 16, 2023, following the commercial failures of the company's Strange World and Pixar's Lightyear (both 2022), Disney reportedly considered extending the theatrical windows for both Wish and Pixar's Elemental in hopes of bringing families back to theaters.[24][25] On June 15, 2023, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, twenty minutes of footage from Wish were screened.[13] Early access screenings of the film will take place on November 18, 2023.[26]

In July 2023, it was reported that Disney was considering postponing some of their 2023 releases, including Wish, due to the ongoing Hollywood strikes.[27]

Marketing

Lego released three sets based on scenes from the film on October 1, 2023. Funko and Mattel also released toys and figurines based on the film's characters on October 4, 2023.[28][29] On September 29, 2023, Disney reported that the official trailer for the film became the most viewed trailer for any of their animated films since Frozen II (2019), earning over 66.5 million views globally on all online platforms, surpassing the 20 million views of the teaser trailer released earlier in the year and becoming the most viewed trailer for a Disney film on TikTok. The film's originality, characters, music and King Magnifico's position in the story as the film's villain were praised on social media.[30]

On October 4, 2023, Disney announced a "Wish Together" campaign in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, in which Disney would donate 10% of the sale price of each individual item of merchandise from the film up to $1 million to the foundation.[31] At Destination D23 in September 2023, it was announced that Asha would appear as a character meet-and-greet at the Disney Parks throughout November to promote the film. Throughout the entire marketing campaign, the film's cast was unable to take part in these events due to the restrictions imposed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[32]

Reception

Box office projection

In October, Boxoffice Pro projected Wish to earn $45-$65 million on its opening Thanksgiving weekend in North America, culminating in a $185-$289 million domestic total.[33]

References
  1. "First Song from Disney's 'Wish' Soundtrack Released | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  2. Freitag, Lee (September 15, 2023). "Disney's Wish Movie Gets a Surprisingly Short Runtime". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  3. Fuster, Jeremy (June 19, 2023). "The Flash and Elemental Flops Send Red Alerts for 2 of Hollywood's Biggest Box Office Brands | Analysis". TheWrap. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  4. Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys; Odman, Sydney (September 10, 2022). "Ariana DeBose to Star in Disney Movie Wish from Frozen Team". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  5. Whitten, Sarah (September 9, 2022). "Everything We Learned at D23 Expo's Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Panel". CNBC. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  6. Petski, Denise (April 27, 2023). "'Wish' Trailer: Ariana DeBose & Chris Pine Star In Disney Animated Musical". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  7. Valentine, Rebekah; Kim, Matt (September 10, 2022). "Disney's 2023 Animated Film Is Called Wish". IGN. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  8. "Disney's Wish Characters Explained". mamasgeeky.com. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  9. Lang, Brent (April 26, 2023). "Chris Pine to Play Ruler of Magical Kingdom in Walt Disney Animation's 'Wish'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  10. Cordero, Rosy (September 18, 2023). "Disney Animation's 'Wish' Adds Angelique Cabral As Chris Pine's Queen". Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  11. Walt Disney Animation Studios (September 27, 2023). "Wish". YouTube (official trailer). Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  12. "Walt Disney Animation Studios Unveils Wish Trailer". The Walt Disney Company. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  13. Taylor, Drew (June 16, 2023). "Annecy: Disney's 'Wish' Revealed in 20 Minutes of Footage From Animated Musical". TheWrap. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  14. Keegan, Rebecca (January 21, 2022). "The Magic Maker: Jennifer Lee's Plan for Walt Disney Animation — and Finding the Next Frozen". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  15. Romano, Nick (September 25, 2023). "'Wish' will be loaded with 'legacy nods' to classic Disney films". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  16. Soliman, Michelle Anne P. (December 13, 2022). "Disney to release Ant-Man, Elemental, Wish and more in 2023". BusinessWorld. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  17. Bennett, Tara (September 27, 2023). "Wish Filmmakers Considered Going Full 2D for Disney's 100th Anniversary - Here's Why They Didn't". IGN. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  18. Pedersen, Erik; Grobar, Matt (September 10, 2022). "Ariana DeBose Leads Disney Toon Musical Wish from Frozen Team – D23". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  19. "Dave Metzger Scoring Disney's Wish". April 26, 2023. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  20. D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy; Goldsmith, Jill (April 26, 2023). "Disney At CinemaCon: 'Marvels', 'Wish', 'Little Mermaid', 'Haunted Mansion' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  21. MouseSteps (October 16, 2023). "Disney Animation's "Wish" Tickets Now on Sale; "Wish Wednesdays" Music Rollout Revealed". MouseSteps. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  22. "Disney's Wish Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. October 18, 2023. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  23. Chapman, Wilson (September 10, 2022). "Ariana DeBose to Star in Disney's Wish, with Songs by Julia Michaels". Variety. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  24. Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (February 16, 2023). "How Much Is Too Much Marvel and Star Wars? Disney Rethinks Franchise Output". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  25. Crowley, Liam (February 16, 2023). "Disney Reportedly Considering Longer Theatrical Windows for Upcoming Animation Releases". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  26. https://collider.com/wish-movie-early-screenings/
  27. Buckley, Thomas (July 24, 2023). "Disney Considers Delaying Some 2023 Movie Releases Over Strikes". Bloomberg. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  28. "All the best toys from Disney's 'Wish,' Marvel and more featured at the New York Toy Fair".
  29. "Three new LEGO Disney Wish sets officially revealed". Brick Fanatics. September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  30. Kit, Borys (September 29, 2023). "Disney's 'Wish' Trailer Is Most Watched for the Animation Studio Since 'Frozen 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  31. Francis, Katie (October 4, 2023). "Disney Announces New 'Wish Together Sweepstakes' Giving Away Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line Vacation". WDW News Today. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  32. "FIRST LOOK: 'Wish' Asha Meet and Greet Character Appears at Destination D23 Before Theme Park Debut - WDW News Today". wdwnt.com. September 10, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  33. Robbins, Shawn (October 26, 2023). "Long Range Box Office Forecast: Disney's WISH and Ridley Scott's NAPOLEON". Boxoffice Pro. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
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