In 'Wish', Asha makes a wish so powerful, it’s answered by an actual star. — Photos: Walt Disney Studios Malaysia
How do you make a Walt Disney animated movie that celebrates 100 years of Disney animated movies? How do you live up to the legacy of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Frozen, The Lion King, Pinocchio, Beauty And The Beast, and so many, many more classic animated features over the past century?
Well, you could wish upon a star. Or, like the filmmakers of Wish say, draw inspiration from that legacy and make a movie that pushes Disney into the future.
According to Wish co-producer Juan Pablo Reyes, when they first started to think about what this movie could be, they looked at what Disney means to all of them.
“We were very inspired by all the classic Disney stories and at the same time we didn’t want to create a completely original story that stood on its own,” he said during a virtual interview with StarLifestyle.
“We printed out the classics that came before Wish to put around us as inspiration towards the creation of the story.
“Because it celebrates the 100-year legacy of Disney, in terms of the style and illustration, we looked at the past – especially the watercolour look of some of our first fairy tales like Snow White and Pinocchio, while also pushing into the future with our technology teams.”
Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, and starring a voice cast including Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, and Angelique Cabral, Wish is set in the kingdom of Rosas, where its king, a magician named Magnifico (Pine), collects and safekeeps his subjects wishes, and then grants them to those he deems worthy.
DeBose voices Asha, a 17-year-old girl who learns a terrible secret about Magnifico’s powers and intentions.
However, no one believes her when she tells them, so she decides to wish upon a star, and ends up literally calling down a star named, well, Star, which, of course, causes all sorts of bother in Rosas.
Ana DeBose voices Asha (right) while Chris Pine Voices King Magnifico.
When asked about the inspiration for the story, Reyes pointed out that many of the classic Disney movies had one thing in common – they always had a hero with a true wish in their heart.
“Then in Pinocchio, Princess And The Frog, The Lion King, and many other movies, they literally look up at the stars!" Reyes said.
"Looking at the stars and having a wish in your heart has always been there in every Disney movie. So that was our true North (when it came to developing the story).”
Reyes says that at the end of the day, Wish is a movie about hope and overcoming obstacles to make your wishes come true.
However, it’s one thing to wish upon a star, but whose lens are you doing it through?
To that, Reyes says that the character like Asha had to be someone relatable who could represents us all, and DeBosa embodied her perfectly.
“Everyone was just blown away by Ariana from the moment we met her. Her singing voice, of course, but also her attitude, being so approachable – there’s a lot of Ariana in Asha,” he said.
Thanks to DeBose's performance, Asha is someone who's relatable. - AP
Having Pine as Magnifico was another inspired piece of casting.
“We definitely lucked out with him! Magnifico had to be someone you would willingly give your wish to. Chris can be very charismatic, and we had also seen in other projects that he could go to the villain side of things. He’s got such a range, and is an amazing actor,” Reyes said, adding it was great to have a classic Disney villain in the film, with all the green magic energy that is so evocative of past villains.
Reyes says that at the end of the day, Wish is a movie about hope and overcoming obstacles to make your wishes come true.
“This movie was done by people who absolutely love Disney, and we did it with all our hearts and all of our respect. And we hope people come out of this movie knowing that in every wish, there is hope and imagination; and that it encourages them to make their own wishes come true,” he concluded.
Wish is now showing in cinemas nationwide.
