Walt Disney Studios has been making animated classics for almost 90 years, can Disney's Wish join those ranks? The new 2023 movie looks to serve as an origin story for the magical wishing star that so many Disney characters have wished to over the years.
Wish is the 62nd animated movie from Disney, but the studio is not simply resting on its laurels. The movie looks to employ a different kind of animation style than recent Disney entries, which looks like a blend of computer graphics and traditional animation (reminiscent of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). But you can bet that the movie is going to highlight Disney's trademark magic and have a few catchy original songs to go along with it.
Here is everything that we know about Disney's Wish right now.
Disney's Wish release date
Disney's Wish is going to be a holiday treat for moviegoers, as its release date is set for November 22, the day before Thanksgiving in the US, and just at the start of the holiday season everywhere else.
The movie is going to be playing exclusively in movie theaters upon its release.
Disney's Wish plot
Again, Wish is said to be an origin story for the iconic wishing star, but while the star is a character, Wish is set to tell an empowering story of a young girl who sets out to do something truly courageous. Here is the official synopsis from Disney:
"Wish introduces Asha, a sharp-witted idealist who makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force — a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star set out to prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen."
Frequent collaborators Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee wrote the script. Original songs for the movie were written by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice.
Disney's Wish trailer
The first trailer for Wish has arrived, which introduces audiences to Asha, her goat Valentino, the sinister King Magnifico and Star. It also provides a snippet of the new original song "This Wish," sung by Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose. Watch the trailer right here:
Disney's Wish cast
As of right now, there are only three confirmed voice actors for Wish, but they are an impressive trio of names.
First is Ariana DeBose voicing Asha. DeBose is best known for her Oscar-winning role in West Side Story, but has also starred in Schmigadoon, Westworld, The Prom and was part of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. In addition to Wish, DeBose is slated to star in the 2023 movies Argylle and Kraven the Hunter.
Chris Pine lends his voice to King Manifico, the ruler of Rosas, a magical land where wishes truly do come true. Pine is coming off the recent hit movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, while he is well known for past roles in Wonder Woman, Star Trek, Hell or High Water and the musical Into the Woods (so we know he can sing if called upon).
Rounding out the voice cast for Wish is a Disney veteran, Alan Tudyk. Tudyk has voiced characters in popular Disney movies like Encanto, Raya and the Last Dragon, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Though you've also probably seen Tudyk on screen at least a few times, as he starred in Firefly, A Knight's Tale and the TV series Resident Alien.
As additional names for the voice cast are announced we'll share them here.
Disney's Wish directors
Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn are sharing co-directing duties for Wish. Buck has previously worked with Disney as the co-director for Frozen and Frozen II, as well as for the '90s Disney movie Tarzan and the 2007 movie Surf's Up.
Wish serves as the feature directing debut for Veerasunthorn, though she has worked as part of the animation team for a number of Disney movies, including Raya and the Last Dragon, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Zootopia.
