Wish (2023 film)

Wish is a 2023 American animated musical fantasy adventure film directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and Chris Buck from a script play by Allison Moore and Jennifer Lee (where 4 of them are credited as a story writers). It is the inspiration of the Walt Disney Animation Studios' Legacy Animated Movies within the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Pictures and Disney Company and it's 62nd animated film produced by the production company itself. This film is used for the art style of the traditional and computer generated animation to used in reducing the artificial intelligence style usually having an idea to see the generation of it. It features an ensemble voice cast and follows a 17-year-old girl named Asha (Ariana DeBose), who makes a passionate plea to the stars in a moment of need. She meets a living, magic fallen star, and together they face the kingdom of Rosas' devious ruler, Magnifico (Chris Pine). 
The film was released in November 22, 2023 as part of the early Thanksgiving release in the United States. It received mixed reviews from film critics and several critics called it "one of the worst animated film of all time." It was praised for its voice performances and animation but criticized its screenplay. It also became a box office bomb, grossing $254,997,360 against its $175-200 million budget and losing over $131 million for Disney. 
== Plot ==
King Magnifico and his wife Queen Amaya establish the kingdom of Rosas on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Having studied sorcery, Magnifico is able to grant the greatest desires of his subjects; each of them unknowingly give up the memory of their wishes to be sealed and protected by the king until he can grant them. Once a month, as a ceremonial event, Magnifico chooses one wish to be granted.
17-year-old Asha prepares to interview for the job of Magnifico's apprentice on the day of her grandfather Sabino's 100th birthday, hoping Magnifico will grant Sabino's wish to inspire people. The interview goes well until Asha requests for Sabino's wish to be granted, which Magnifico declines, seeing the wish's supposed elusiveness as a potential threat to his power. Asha realizes Magnifico never intends to return the ungranted wishes to their owners, and when she questions his methods, Magnifico refuses to accept her apprenticeship or grant any of her family members' wishes.
Asha tries but fails to convince Sabino and her mother Sakina that Magnifico is deceiving them. Distraught, she makes her own wish on a star. To her surprise, the star descends from the sky in a form of an anthropomorphic ball of light, which Asha names Star. Star's magic gives the forest animals, including Asha's pet goat Valentino, the ability to talk, prompting Asha to enlist Star's help in retrieving her family's wishes. Star's presence is sensed by everyone in the kingdom, and Magnifico feels threatened by it. Despite Amaya's pleas, he turns to forbidden dark magic to maintain his position of power as his subjects begin to doubt his way of ruling.
Asha retrieves Sabino's wish and he is overjoyed to be able to remember it, but Magnifico arrives to arrest them, having been informed that Asha was responsible for Star's summoning. Corrupted by the dark magic, Magnifico intends to use Star's magic and Rosas' wishes to increase his own powers, forcing Sabino and Sakina to flee to a nearby island, while Asha, Star, and Valentino stay behind to free the other citizens' wishes. One of Asha's friends, Simon, is revealed to be the one who sold Asha out to Magnifico in hopes of his wish to become a knight will be granted. Magnifico grants the wish, but additionally bewitches Simon into being his henchman in capturing Asha.
Asha rallies her other friends, Dahlia, Bazeema, Dario, Gabo, Hal, and Safi. Amaya also joins them, having discovered Magnifico's corruption. While her friends infiltrate Magnifico's study and open up the ceiling to free the wishes, Asha tries to distract Magnifico, only to be tricked by a disguised Simon. Magnifico ascends the castle's tower, absorbing the power of every wish and trapping Star. Asha attempts to stop him but is easily overpowered as Magnifico blocks the sky and immobilize the citizens, preventing them from wishing on stars.
Unwilling to give up, Asha tearfully encourages the citizens to make a wish about changing Rosas' future. The strength of their collective desire eventually overpowers Magnifico, whose magic turns against him by trapping him inside his staff's mirror, while the citizens reobtain their sealed wishes with a newfound appreciation of pursuing them.
Amaya becomes the sole ruler of Rosas, helping the citizens make their wishes come true on their own. A regretful Simon is forgiven by Asha and her friends. Star gifts Asha with a magic wand so that she can continue inspiring people to keep dreaming before returning to the sky among the other stars.
==Cast==
*Ariana DeBose as Asha
*Chris Pine as King Magnifico
*Angelique Cabral as Queen Amaya
*Alan Tudyk as Valentino
*Natasha Rothwell as Sakina
*Victor Garber as Sabino
*Jennifer Kumiyama as Dahlia
*Harvey Guillen as Gabo
*Evan Peters as Simon
*Ramy Youssef as Safi
*Jon Rudnitsky as Dario
*Niko Vargas as Hal
*Della Saba as Bazeema
*Keone Young as Mountain Climber, Tall Man Tourist and Guard 1
*Lucas Sigler as Bunny and Baby Mushroom
*Holland Watkins as Mouse and Mountain Climber Wife
*Woody Buck as The Stag, Guard 2 and Citizen 5
*Efé as Ship Captain and Fan Tourist
*Nicole Lynn Evans as Mountain Climber's Wife and Mother Tourist
*Heather Matarazzo as Flying Woman
*Nasim Pedrad as Sania
*Abraham Sigler as Tourist Boy
*Additional Voices and Loop Group provided by Kimberly Bailey, Michael Bell, June Christopher, Grey DeLisle-Griffin, Jessica DiCicco, Bodhi Friedman, Karen Huie, Rayaan Khan, Arif S. Kinchen, Matthew Yang King, Jennie Kwan, Lucy Lowe, Luke Lowe, Maggie Lowe, Matt Lowe, Mimi Maynard, Amari McCoy, Scott Menville, Melanie Minichino, Arthur Ortiz, Griffin Puatu, Michael Ralph, Akai Robinson, Lynwood Robinson, Maddix Robinson, Somali Rose, Helen Sadler, Marwan Salama, Fred Tatasciore, Kari Wahlgren, Matthew Wood, and Necar Zadegan.
==Production==
On January 21, 2022, it was reported that Jennifer Lee was writing an original film at Walt Disney Animation Studios. On September 9, 2022, during the 2022 D23 Expo Presentation, Disney Animation announced a new film titled Wish, with Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn directing and Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes producing. It is also announced that the art style combines Disney's classic watercolor animation and computer animation, which the company utilizes in its modern period. Veerasunthorn said that she is "excited about honoring Walt Disney with the feature. Our art and technology team would come together to figure out how to combine the 20th century illustration look that inspired Walt [Disney] with the CG technology we have now."
On March 26, 2023, it was reported that Wish was in post-production.
===Casting===
On September 9, 2022, during the 2022 D23 Expo Presentation, Ariana DeBose and Alan Tudyk were announced to have been cast in the leading roles of Asha and Valentino, respectively. On April 26, 2023, at CinemaCon, it was announced that Chris Pine was added to the cast as the voice of King Magnifico. Lee said of Pine "As the most powerful person in the kingdom, King Magnifico needed to be played by someone who could give all the charm, cleverness and charisma to this magnanimous character, and Chris is beautifully bringing all of that and then some."
==Music==
Julia Michaels was announced to write original songs for Wish at D23 Expo in September 2022. By April 2023, David Metzger was confirmed to compose the film's score, while Benjamin Rice has joined Michaels to write the songs; Metzger previously worked as a composer for Disney's direct-to-video animated films such as Tarzan II (2005) and Brother Bear 2 (2006). At CinemaCon in April Disney showed a clip of Asha singing the song "This Wish", which reporters from Deadline Hollywood described as "a very pretty, powerful anthem."
==Release==
Wish is scheduled to be theatrically released on November 22, 2023. On February 16, 2023, following the commercial failures of Lightyear and Strange World (both 2022), Disney reportedly considered extending the theatrical windows for both Elemental and Wish in hopes of bringing families back to theaters.
==References==
==External links==
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Category:2020s American animated films
Category:2020s children's animated films
Category:2020s musical films
Category:2023 computer-animated films
Category:2023 films
Category:American animated musical films
Category:Films about wish fulfillment
Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios films
Category:Walt Disney Pictures animated films
Category:Films directed by Chris Buck
Category:Films produced by Peter Del Vecho
Category:Films with screenplays by Jennifer Lee (filmmaker)
Category:Articles with red links
Category:Films starring Ariana DeBose
Category:Films starring Chris Pine
Category:Films starring Alan Tudyk
Category:Films starring Angelique Cabral
Category:Films starring Victor Garber
Category:Films starring Natasha Rothwell
Category:Films starring Jennifer Kumiyama
Category:Films starring Harvey Guillén
Category:Films starring Niko Vargas
Category:Films starring Evan Peters
Category:Films starring Della Saba
Category:Films starring Ramy Youssef
Category:Films starring Jon Rudnitsky
Category:Films starring Keone Young
Category:Films starring Heather Matarazzo
Category:Films starring Nasim Pedrad
Category:Box Office Bombs
Category:Films