Wish Trailer: Ariana DeBose And Chris Pine Make Disney Magic In Stunning Animation
"Let it Go" is about to be dethroned as the go-to jam for kids and Disney adults alike to belt their faces off to now that "This Wish" is in town. The 62nd film in the Disney Animated Canon and releasing during the 100-year anniversary of Disney Animation, "Wish" is the studio's first original fairy tale and features the vocal talents of Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine (my personal favorite Chris, for the record).
The story takes place in the kingdom of Rosas, where Pine's King Magnifico created a sanctuary for anyone looking to see all of their wishes come true. This credo is literal, as Magnifico is a magical king with the power of wish granting, and keeps the wishes of the citizens of Rosas safe in his castle. 17-year-old Asha (Debose) has some reservations about King Magnifico's approach to wish granting, but with everyone in town convinced he's the answer to all of their problems, she looks to the stars for guidance.
It's then that a wishing star (appropriately named Star) falls from the sky and gives Asha the ability to also grant wishes. One of the first? Asha's beloved goat, Valentino (Alan Tudyk), gets the ability to join the ranks of Disney's gallery of adorable, talking animals. We were fortunate enough to catch an extended preview of "Wish" at the Annecy Film Festival earlier this year, but now audiences all over are getting a better look at the animated musical with a brand new trailer that boasts stunning animation, an endlessly catchy song, and (FINALLY!) a bona fide baddie.
Watch the trailer for Wish
"Wish" sort of looks like what would happen if you smashed "Encanto," "Frozen," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Pinocchio" together, and I say this as a compliment. With 100 years worth of shoulders of Disney animation excellence to stand upon, seeing an animated film that blends together a century's worth of styles and techniques is pretty breathtaking to see. It's a collaborative marriage between old-school and new, without ever taking the stance that one side is "better" than the other.
It makes sense because the creative team behind the film is also representative of different generations of Disney creators with veteran Chris Buck co-directing alongside first-time director Fawn Veerasunthorn. The film comes from Allison Moore and Disney Animation's chief creative officer, Jennifer Lee, who also became the first woman to ever direct a Disney Animation film with "Frozen."
Joining DeBose, Pine, and Tudyk in the voice cast are Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillén, Ramy Youssef, Niko Vargas, Della Saba, and Jon Rudnitsky. "Wish" looks to be an adventurous delight with the first bonafide villain since King Candy in "Wreck-It Ralph." I only wish the release date was even sooner.
"Wish" opens in theaters on November 22, 2023.