After years of telling tales about what happens when characters wish upon a star, Disney is finally exploring how the iconic wishing star came to be in the first place.
During Disney's D23 expo on Sept. 9, 2022, the studio announced the production of its upcoming animated musical, Wish. The film follows 17-year-old Asha, voiced by West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, and centers on the legend of the wishing star. In the story, Asha makes an impassioned plea to the sky, which is answered by a ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star work to save her community.
Chris Buck, who is directing the film along with Fawn Veerasunthorn, spoke about the film's inspiration during the D23 presentation. "Fawn and I both grew up on Disney classics and fell in love with them," he said. "Truly is no greater power in the universe than someone with a true wish in their hearts."
During the announcement, Walt Disney Animation Studios' Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee said, "The film means so much to all of us at the studio and has been an incredible collaboration across all the generations."
In an interview with Deadline later that day, Debose spoke about her character Asha. "I'm really excited that little girls can identify with this character and have a character that, she's not one thing, she's many, many things, like many of the Disney characters," the actress said. "But how cool is it that she can sort of be created in an image like mine? I think that's amazing."
From the cast to the release date, here's everything to know about Disney's Wish.
What is Wish about?
During the film's D23 announcement, Lee said that the upcoming animated musical asks the question: "How did the wishing star, upon which so many characters wished, come to be?"
The story, set in the fictional kingdom Rosas, follows an optimistic young woman named Asha. When the heroine makes a wish, she's answered by a cosmic force named Star. Together, Asha and Star work to defeat a villain that Deadline described as "one of [the] most formidable foes in Disney history."
DeBose spoke about her role in the film during D23. "I am voicing the character, an original character mind you, named Asha who is kinda like me in some ways. She's got many parts to her, she's so smart, she's got a great sense of humor and she's trying to take care of people she loves most in the world," the actress shared. "She's a leader and doesn't realize it. She's just living and doing, and learning along the way, she doesn't always get it right, which is the definition of being human."
In addition to adventure, DeBose said that viewers can expect "a lot of singing."
"I think audiences can be excited about original songs, an original story," she added. "It's all the Disney magic you know and love, but it looks like us, and that's really exciting."
Who is in the cast?
So far, only DeBose and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story alum Alan Tudyk have been announced as cast members for the upcoming film.
While DeBose will star as the main character Asha, Tudyk will voice a goat named Valentino. When asked about his character, Tudyk simply said, "He's a cool guy."
Who is directing Wish?
Wish will be directed by Oscar-winning Frozen helmer Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, who worked on animation for Raya and the Last Dragon. According to Disney, the film will blend a "timeless watercolor style with contemporary 3D CG animation" to pay homage to the watercolor illustrations that inspired Walt Disney.
When will Wish be released?
The film will be released in theaters on Nov. 22, 2023.
