Ariana DeBose Leads Disney Toon Musical ‘Wish’ From ‘Frozen’ Team – D23

There’s a new toon musical coming to town. Disney revealed Wish, about how the iconic Wishing Star came to be, at D23 today.

West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose will star along with Encanto‘s Alan Tudyk. The Disney Animation Studios pic will be directed by Oscar-winning Frozen helmer Chris Buck and Raya and the Last Dragon alum Fawn Veerasunthorn.

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Wish will feature songs by Grammy nominee Julia Michaels. DeBose performed a song from the film titled “More for Us.”

DeBose stars as Asha, the 17-year-old heroine who’s driven, incredibly smart and an optimist, a sharp-witted leader in the making who sees darkness that others do not. She’s navigating a Kingdom of Wishes, where wishes can literally come true. Asha makes an impassioned plea to the stars, wishing for guidance and help, and ends up bringing an actual star — a cosmic force that’s a literal ball of energy and communicates through pantomime — down from the sky.

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Tudyk voices Valentino, a goat.

They’ll face a villain described as one of most formidable foes in Disney history.

The filmmakers said the pic blends timeless watercolor style with 3D CG animation.

“Fawn and I both grew up on Disney classics and fell in love with them,” Buck said. “Truly is no greater power in the universe than someone with a true wish in their hearts.”

Jennifer Lee, who heads up Disney Animation, is co-scripting, with Peter Del Vecho & Juan Pablo Reyes producing.

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“The film means so much to all of us at the studio and has been an incredible collaboration across all the generations,” Lee said onstage.

An animation test was shown to the room, which featured animators experimenting with character movement.

MORE TO COME…

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