Disney Is Back with Another Brand-New Animated Musical

Everyone knows what happens when you wish upon a star, thanks to the famous Walt Disney tune, but not many people know why you wish upon a star. Disney’s latest animated movie, Wish, attempts to unpack the famous legend.

“They had me at the origin story of the Disney star,” Wish star Ariana DeBose told Entertainment Weekly. “At the beginning of every Disney movie, there’s a star.” In addition to the opening studio logo at the start of Disney movies, the wishing star has been seen or referenced in films including Pinocchio (1940), Peter Pan (1953) and The Princess and the Frog (2009).

Wish comes in the wake of a successful decade of animated Disney movie musicals, following the releases of Frozen (2013), Moana (2016) and Frozen II (2019), among other animated hits. The film is the brainchild of several longtime Disney names, including Jennifer Lee. Lee, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios and one of the writers behind Wish, said that the movie is meant to “celebrate a century of storytelling,” according to The Wrap.

From the anticipated release date to details surrounding the original music, here is everything we know so far about Disney’s Wish.

When will Wish be released?

Wish will be released on Nov. 22, 2023, right before Thanksgiving.

Where to watch Wish?

Wish will be released only in theaters. Disney movies typically end up streaming on Disney+ after their initial theatrical release and video-on-demand rental period.

What is Wish about?

Wish follows 17-year-old Asha, who lives in Rosas, a land located off of the Iberian Peninsula. People travel from far away to give their wishes to King Magnifico, the ruler of Rosas, and only he gets to decide when (and if) those wishes are eventually granted. When Asha makes a powerful wish, she meets a cosmic bundle named Star. Asha and Star must work together to go up against Magnifico. According to Disney's official description, she must “save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.”

Related: All Your Fave Animated Movies That Are on Disney Plus, and the 15 We Are Most Excited For

Who is in the cast of Wish?

Only three cast members have been officially announced: DeBose, Chris Pine and Alan Tudyk. Check out their roles below:

Ariana DeBose

Ariana DeBose plays Asha. DeBose won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Anita in West Side Story (2021). She has also appeared in Schmigadoon! (2021-present). Prior to her on-screen work, she was an original cast member of Hamilton and received a Tony nomination for her work in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

Chris Pine

Chris Pine plays Magnifico, the king. Pine is best known for his work in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), Star Trek (2009), Wonder Woman (2017), Don’t Worry Darling (2022) and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023).

Alan Tudyk

Alan Tudyk plays Valentino, Asha’s favorite goat. Tudyk came to fame for his role in the TV series Firefly (2002-2003) and its follow-up movie Serenity (2005). Tudyk is also known for his voice work in Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Moana and Zootopia (2016).

Related: What New West Side Story Star Ariana DeBose Learned from Rita Moreno

Who is the director of Wish?

Like many animated films, two directors are credited for Wish: Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn. Buck is a longtime director for Disney’s animated projects. He is the co-director of Tarzan (1999), Frozen and Frozen II. This is Veerasunthorn’s film directorial debut. She has worked on Frozen, Moana and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).

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Who made the music for Wish?

Wish features original music from Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice. Michaels is best known for her hit song “Issues” and has written for Selena Gomez, Britney Spears and Justin Bieber, among other artists. Rice won a Grammy for his work on A Star Is Born (2018). Dave Metzger is credited as composer.

Is there a trailer for Wish?

A teaser trailer for Wish was released in April. In the video, Asha is seen making a wish alongside Valentino. Star travels down and begins to show off its powers. Valentino drinks some liquid from Star and gains the ability to talk. Glimpses of Magnifico can be seen, along with a voiceover wherein he urges people to give him their wish, but the trailer is mostly snippets and doesn’t reveal too many plot details. DeBose can be heard singing "The Wish," an original song, in the background.

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