Disney’s ‘Wish’: Unveiling the Magic Behind the Release, Star-Studded Voice Cast, Trailer, and More!

Disney fans, brace yourselves for a new enchanting adventure! The much-anticipated animated feature, Wish, is all set to sprinkle its magic in theaters on November 22, 2023.

This animated musical, which tells the heartwarming tale of 17-year-old Asha and her extraordinary wish, promises to be a holiday treat for fans. With an impressive voice cast featuring DeBose as Asha, Pine as King Magnifico, and Tudyk as Valentino, Wish has stirred up quite the excitement.

Here’s what we know so far about Disney’s Wish.

A New Realm of Enchantment: Disney’s Latest Animated Film

Disney’s Wish is the newest animated feature coming from the studio. It’s the 62nd animated movie released by Disney overall, following its classics like Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Pinnochio, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, and the Lion King among others.

Wish was initially confirmed during the D23 event on September 9, 2022, as one of the 10 movies in the studio’s lineup after Strange World.

The first trailer for the movie dropped on April 27, 2023. While the teaser didn’t give much away, it does highlight the combination of 2D and 3D animation. This is perfect for Disney’s centenary, mixing both the classic and modern animation styles. The second teaser trailer was released in late August, giving fans another look at the upcoming feature’s animation styles.

The first full trailer for Wish was released months later on September 27, 2023. Chris Buck, Allison Moore, and Jennifer Lee wrote the script, with songs by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek. Buck co-directed Disney’s Wish with Fawn Veerasunthorn.

Disney’s Wish Cast

The cast lending their voices for Disney’s Wish includes Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, and Alan Tudyk. Also part of the cast are Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, and Natasha Rothwell.

DeBose will play Asha, the film’s protagonist who gets a little more than what she wished for when she makes a wish on a falling star. Pine plays the villainous King Magnifico, who promises his people that he can make their wildest dreams come true.

“They had me at the origin story of the Disney star,” DeBose told Entertainment Weekly. “At the beginning of every Disney movie, there’s a star.”

Tudyk plays Valentino, Asha’s pet goat who can suddenly speak after he encounters the falling star. This isn’t the first time Tudyk has voiced an animal in a Disney film. Tudyk previously voiced the rooster Heihei in Moana, the toucan in Encanto, and Duffel in Strange World.

Cabral plays Queen Amaya, while Garber plays Asha’s grandfather Sabino. Rothwell plays Asha’s mother Sakina.

Asha also has a group of seven friends, which references the Seven Dwarfs in Snow White. This includes Jennifer Kumiyama as Dahlia, Evan Peters as Simon, Harvey Guillen as Gabo, Ramy Youseff as Safi, Niko Vargas as Hal, Della Saba as Bazeema, and Jon Rudnitsky as Dario. Each of the friends has a trait that further references the seven dwarfs.

The Story of Wish

Disney has released the official synopsis for Wish.

“Wish will follow a young girl named Asha who wishes on a star and gets a more direct answer than she bargained for when a trouble-making star comes down from the sky to join her. Asha is a 17-year-old driven optimist and leader in the making. She will face one of the most formidable enemies in the universe and will have to team up with Star, a cosmic force and boundless ball of pure energy and maybe chaos.”

The plot for Disney’s Wish is certainly in keeping with the studio’s classics. Asha wishes upon a star, like so many of the Disney characters before her have. It’s even in Pinocchio that we get the famous song, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” which everyone associates with Disney.

Disney’s Wish is set in Rosas in the Iberian Peninsula, a kingdom of wishes where wishes can literally come true. People travel far and wide to give their wishes to King Magnifico, who gets to decide when and if those wishes are granted.

However, when Asha and Valentino befriend the falling star, they also discover that they have the ability to make their wildest dreams come true. But when King Magnifico hears about Asha and Valentino’s newfound skill, the two protagonists must fight for the future of Rosas.

What Else Disney Fans Should Expect

Expect more iconic songs from Disney as Wish is known to be a musical, in keeping with the studio’s classic features. Aside from Paul and Pasek, Julia Michaels is also on board to write some of the music for the film along with Benjamin Rice. But fans don’t have to wait until the movie’s premiere to listen to it all.

Part of Disney’s promos for Wish includes Wish Wednesdays. Wish Wednesdays will see new music from the movie released every week until its premiere. There’s even new footage to go along with the new songs as well as behind-the-scenes features.

Disney Music Group already started Wish Wednesdays on October 18, 2023. The first release was “This Wish,” sung by DeBose. Other songs include: “At All Costs,” sung by Pine and DeBose, “I’m A Star,” by the Wish cast, “This is the Thanks I Get?!” by Pine, “Knowing What I Know Now,” by DeBose, Cabral, and the Wish cast, and “A Wish Worth Making” by Michaels.

According to The Wrap, Lee said Wish is meant to “celebrate a century of storytelling.”

Disney’s Wish Release Date

Disney’s Wish is set to premiere on November 22, 2023, coinciding with the studio’s centenary in October. The animated movie is also expected to be released in the UK on November 22, 2023. The release date for Wish is similar to previous animated releases like Moana, Encanto, and both Frozen movies.

Due to the WGA and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes, many of the studio’s projects have been pushed back. SAG-AFTRA, which is still on strike, is already in the midst of negotiations with the AMPTP. So fans can only hope that Wish will be released on the November date.

Should Wish premiere in November as planned, it will go up against the Napoleon movie. It will also premiere around the same month as other potential blockbuster releases. Most notably, the prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which premieres the week before.

Disney’s Wish is also expected to be released in theaters rather than going directly to Disney+. It only makes sense as the studio is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Following its theatrical release, Disney’s Wish is expected to be available on Disney+ by 2024.

For now, fans can look forward to Wish Wednesdays and sing along to the songs included in the movie. This is now available on YouTube, Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and other digital music platforms.