Filmmakers Talk Disney Animation Studios’ New Movie WISH: “Magical Things Happen”

Desde Hollywood was invited to the Roy O. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, CA, to attend a Press Conference for WISH, a movie that celebrates Disney’s 100 years of magic.

The talented creators in attendance included directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, screenwriter Jennifer Lee, producers Peter del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones, and songwriter Julia Michaels—made.

The film stars the voices of Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, and Jon Rudnitsky.

Read below some of the most interesting highlights from the press event!

Veerasunthorn on how Wish pays homage to the legacy of classic Disney films.

“When we were figuring out the look of the film, we thought, ‘Let’s look back to the very beginning. What inspired Walt himself?’ And that’s where we came upon the look of Snow White and Pinocchio, with their beautiful watercolor storybook illustrations. We thought, ‘How awesome it would be to walk right into that scene and be immersed in that world?’ We then decided to bring in CGI techniques. The combination of the nostalgic and the modern live on screen together.”
“Our goal was to make an original story, with original characters and songs. Once that was in place, we felt very confident. Then the fun really began. Everyone who works here grew up on Disney films; they were inspired by them and have a deep love for the characters. So, when scenarios presented themselves, we just couldn’t help ourselves!”

Lee on the rebellious nature of the young protagonist.

“Now remember, we really wanted to talk about that time in life – Asha’s 17 turning 18 – where you have big aspirations. And then the world shows you its flaws, and you go, ‘This isn’t acceptable.’ And you fight, and you ask yourself, ‘Can you fight?’ And we all relate to that time in our lives. We have a lot of folks who take that ‘It’s a part of life,’ and that’s a part of it like, ‘What does that feel like?’ That moment when you don’t even ask, but you know something is wrong, and you know there should be more, and [Julia] just hooked onto that beautifully.”

“What I love is the rawness of she doesn’t even know exactly what she’s asking for. She’s looking for help. But there’s a generosity in her. People tease that teenagers only care about themselves, like no they don’t. They have the courage to ask for a better world and she is so vulnerable in that and truly caught all of that and gave back to us something more inspiring than what we weren’t even thinking about.”

Julia Michaels on co-writing seven original songs for the film.

“I grew up watching Disney films and loving Disney music, so that was ingrained in me throughout this process. It’s obviously a huge weight, the legacy of Disney music; that does not go over my head. But I had a really beautiful support system through the collaborative process of making music with these beautiful people. And I’m grateful that this was my first deep dive into it. I’ve always wanted to make a Disney film.”

Veerasunthorn on the film’s main song, ‘This Wish.’

“And that song was actually the very first song that Julia wrote for this film. We didn’t quite have the whole story at that point. What was fascinating about it was that we gave her some of the brief story. She wrote an incredible song. And that’s what inspired us so much that like, ‘There’s this girl who didn’t know where to turn and she looked up at the sky and have magical things happen.’”

Lee on the power and universality of a story about wishes.

“Your wish is yours to fulfill, and that journey is important. It isn’t just, ‘Wish upon star and maybe great things will happen.’ It’s, ‘Wish and make great things happen.’ I hope Asha shows them that it’s a journey. It’ll be hard, and that’s OK. There will be little helpers along the way. We’re all connected. We’re all made of stardust. We’re all the same.”

WISH opens in theaters Wednesday, November 22.

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Wish” is an all-new musical-comedy welcoming audiences to the magical kingdom of Rosas, where Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, 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 confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.