Walt Disney Animation Studios shares early footage of ‘Wish’ and how Disney’s 100-year legacy inspired the new film

Amid the labor strikes of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA (both were still ongoing during the event, but the WGA strike has since ended), studios belonging to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, including Disney, have found alternate ways to promote their upcoming films while writers and actors take to the picket lines. This reporter supports these unions and acknowledges that movies like “Wish” would not exist without the dedication and talents of writers and performers, who are integral to bringing these stories to life.

To aim the spotlight on “Wish,” Walt Disney Animation turned to its Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee—who also served as executive producer and co-writer—to provide insights into the film, as well as directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn and producers Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones. Press members were also invited to view artwork from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, which was the visual inspiration for the animators.

The Story of “Wish”

The all-new musical “Wish” follows teen heroine Asha, voiced by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”), as she gathers the courage to confront King Magnifico (Chris Pine), the ruler of the magical land of Rosas. In exchange for the safety and comfort of Rosas, all citizens must give their deepest wishes to Magnifico, who promises to safeguard them until he determines the time is right for them to be granted.

But Asha discovers Magnifico is not the benevolent ruler he appears to be, and she must literally follow her own wishing star to set things right in her kingdom.

“Wish” Builds on Disney’s Animation History

“Wish” stands on Walt Disney Animation’s 100-year legacy of hand-drawn and CG animated shorts, series, and movies, and the filmmakers hope it will serve as a bridge to the next 100 years of creative work at the studio. Lee acknowledged the “privilege and responsibility” of leading the studio during such a significant anniversary year.

“We thought, what a wonderful way to celebrate a century of storytelling than to tell a joyful, original story with original characters and songs inspired by our legacy of films,” she said.

Samples of the studio’s storied legacy were displayed in the El Capitan’s lower level, occasionally used to exhibit props and costumes from films playing on the theater’s screens. For the press event, “Wish” concept art and a small collection of pieces from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library that served as key references for the film were available for viewing. Two representatives from the Animation Research Library, Manager of Research Fox Carney and Manager of Art Collections Tori Cranner, shared their knowledge with the group.

Press members were allowed to view original watercolor backgrounds, concept art, and oil paintings used in the Disney animated films “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Sleeping Beauty.” Carney noted the opportunity for the public to view such works is rare and usually only limited to touring museum exhibits. He also pointed out the watercolor techniques in a “Snow White” piece that helped guide Disney animators in creating the look of “Wish.”

Cranner highlighted the similarities of depth and detail in the village, forest, and kingdom scenes from “Pinocchio” and “Sleeping Beauty” to those in the “Wish” concept art and shared a Mary Blair painting from “Alice in Wonderland” that provided playful inspiration for the flowers in the new film.

Upstairs in the beautifully restored El Capitan Theatre, Lee and the filmmakers previewed nearly 30 minutes of select footage from “Wish,” which takes place on a fictional Mediterranean island during the Middle Ages at the dawn of European fairytale storytelling.

“In this story, we will come to understand the impact of wishing on a star as we have never seen before,” Veerasunthorn said. “Our film centers on one core belief: that there is no power greater than someone with a true wish in their heart.”

Though the movie is set in the distant past and is inspired by classic Disney animated films, “Wish” features a diverse cast of characters, contemporary dialogue and music, and cutting-edge animation techniques to bring the story to life for modern audiences. Drawing visual inspiration from the aforementioned archival pieces, as well as the work of early Disney illustrators Gustaf Tenggren and Kay Nielsen and the Disney animated shorts “Paperman,” “Feast,” and “Far from the Tree,” the production design team sought to blend the vintage Disney art style with innovative CG animation.

“Wish” production designers Michael Giamio, Lisa Keene, and David Womersley also created the look for the “Frozen” films.

“‘Sleeping Beauty’ set a standard in animation for beautiful compositions and is one of the main legacy films that we were influenced by for ‘Wish,’” said Buck. “We went with the same cinemascope aspect ratio that was last seen in this film, and everyone in visual development, environments, and layout rose to the challenge so beautifully.”

Speaking over animated footage of the kingdom of Rosas, Veerasunthorn added, “‘Wish’ has a look and feel unlike any feature film our studio has created. Soaring through our fairytale kingdom, we feel the magic and elegance of classic fairy tales, but it also feels fresh and alive with a new sense of spirit.”

The Music in “Wish”

Music is another essential element of Disney’s most beloved animated movies. Disney Animation chose Grammy-nominated composer and artist Julia Michaels to create seven original songs for “Wish” in collaboration with producer Benjamin Rice. Michaels is known for her work on the films “A Star Is Born” and “Ghosted” and has written hits for Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, Pink, and Selena Gomez, among others.

 “Julia is the perfect songwriter for this film, not only because she is a huge fan and is in love with the classic Disney animation films, but she also brings a contemporary sound to the mix,” Del Vecho raved. “And here’s a fun fact: Julia is the youngest person ever to write all of the songs for a Disney animated feature film, and her story is inspiring. Exactly ten years ago, she was one of the backup vocalists for the Demi Lovato cover version of ‘Let It Go’ for the ‘Frozen’ soundtrack. Here she is, exactly a decade later, writing all the songs for our 100th-anniversary film.”

The powerhouse ballad “This Wish,” sung by DeBose and featured in the film’s trailer, was written by Michaels even before the script was finalized.

“We gave her some of the brief storyline, and then she wrote that incredible song,” shared Veerasunthorn. “There’s this girl who didn’t know where to turn, and then she looked up at the stars and poured her heart out. And magical things happened.”

Added Reyes Lancaster-Jones, “I’m totally in love with all the songs that [Michaels and Rice] wrote. It’s hard to pick a favorite, honestly. And their songs, along with the score by Dave Metzger, are really phenomenal.”

The Next 100 Years of Disney Animation

Lee and her team of filmmakers, animators, and artists appear thrilled and ready to celebrate the studio’s 100th anniversary. Still, they also have a keen eye on the future, reflected in the selection of Michaels as the film’s songwriter and the choice of Veerasunthorn to co-direct “Wish” with Buck.

“To me, this is one of the most special things about Walt Disney Animation Studios, how one generation of artists teaches the next, a connection that stretches all the way back to Walt Disney himself,” said Reyes Lancaster-Jones, who added that they are “always looking ahead to who will be tomorrow’s leaders at our studio.”

Del Vecho echoed this goal, praising Veerasunthorn, who started as a story artist on “Frozen” and worked on “Zootopia” and “Moana” before becoming head of story on “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

“She’s an incredible talent, and she’s really leading the next generation of filmmakers at the studio,” Del Vecho said.

Buck, who directed Disney’s “Tarzan” and co-directed “Frozen” and “Frozen II” with Lee, also reflects the generational transfer of knowledge at Disney Animation as he was trained by Eric Larson, one of Walt Disney’s so-called “Nine Old Men,” a core group of animators who worked on projects from the 1920s up through the 90s.

Unsurprisingly, each of the presenters at the press event could point to classic Disney films that inspired them in their younger years, but Buck had the clearest connection between his childhood inspiration and “Wish.” He recalled seeing his first Disney film in theaters, a re-release of “Pinocchio.”

“When I saw ‘Pinocchio’…I did fall in love with it that very day,” Buck confessed. “And having animated and directed both hand-drawn films as well as CG, Fawn and I and the whole team talked about how we could honor the legacy of the studios, rooted in the stunning visuals from our earliest films, as well as celebrating the innovations that we’ve made in the last 15 years. That was how we arrived at the look of ‘Wish.’”

Added Veerasunthorn, “This style, created by our incredible artists, is so special to us, and we have created an entire world full of color, charm, and, most importantly, wonderful characters.”

“Wish” opens exclusively in theaters nationwide on Nov. 22, 2023.