The newest film to enter the Walt Disney Animation Studios canon is Wish, directed by Chris Buck, who previously ran Tarzan and Frozen, and Fawn Veerasunthorn, the head of story for Raya and the Last Dragon. In addition to a new trailer, Disney has released a poster and image from the film that looks like concept art. Through the trailer, the audience meets seventeen-year-old Asha and her goat Valentino as they confront King Magnificio of the magical land of Rosas. According to Buck, Rosas is “known as the kingdom of wishes. People come from everywhere to give their wishes to a magical king who promises to grant their deepest desires—someday. Only he can decide which wishes will come true and when.”
The trailer heavily emphasizes the company’s legacy by noting that it is the same studio that created the likes of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, etc. The significance of this marketing is not lost when one remembers that Disney is celebrating its 100th anniversary and that many of the Animation Studios’ films revolve around wishes; as Veerasunthorn notes, “We have been inspired by so many iconic films over Disney Animation’s 100 years, especially stories where we explore the power of someone with a wish… Being able to honor that legacy with this incredible story and these amazing characters has been a joy for our entire team.”
The film is a musical comedy and features the voice talents of Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico, and Alan Tudyk as Valentino. Grammy-nominated artist Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer Benjamin Rice created songs for the film. Additionally, the score will be handled by composer Dave Metzge. It is also notably using a new animation technology that was only used in the company’s 2012 animated short Paperman, which combines 2D and 3D animation. The film will be out in theaters on November 22nd.