Have you ever wondered how the Wishing Star, the one that so many Disney characters wished upon, came to be? Well, the Magic Kingdom attempts to explain that eternal question in its newest animated musical, “Wish.”
“West Side Story” Oscar winner Ariana DeBose voices the main character Asha, who, along with her helpful goat named Valentino, finds out one day that their wishes can literally come true. The film is set in the fantastical kingdom of Rosas, which is ruled over by a king voiced by Chris Pine.
Disney, once the gold standard of family films thanks to Pixar and Disney Animation, has recently struggled to score at the box office with its animated offerings. “Encanto,” which was released earlier in the pandemic, was a modest hit given the circumstances, but other releases, like “Lightyear” and “Strange World,” massively flopped in theaters and lost money for the studio. So, Disney needs “Wish” to connect with kids and their parents when the film debuts in theaters on Nov. 22.
There’s plenty of pedigree behind “Wish,” like “Frozen” masterminds Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, who wrote and directed the film. Plus, there’s original music from Julia Michaels, the singer of “Issues” and songwriter of Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” Selena Gomez’s “Love You to Lose Me” and dozens of other popular tunes.
Needless to say, theater owners are crossing their fingers for a “We Don’t Talk about Bruno”-esque earworm, one that will drive family audiences to multiplexes en masse around Thanksgiving.
Watch the first trailer for “Wish” in the video below.
