To mark their 100th anniversary, Disney announced their 2023 animated movie Wish, starring Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. Established in 1923 as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios is one of the most popular animated movie studios worldwide. The studio's most recent animated film, Encanto, received three Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Animated Feature and grossing over $256 million worldwide.
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At the annual D23 Expo, Disney revealed details on its 2023 animated movie Wish, including the casting of West Side Story star Ariana DeBose. Featuring a blend of watercolor style and CG animation, the film will explore how the company's iconic wishing star came to be. DeBose plays Asha, the story's 17-year-old heroine, who navigates a Kingdom of Wishes, alongside Alan Tudyk, as Valentino, a goat. Additionally, Wish will be directed by Frozen director Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, produced by Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes, and feature music by Grammy-nominated artist Julia Michaels.
Planning the release of Wish, a movie exploring the origins of one of Disney's earliest and most iconic symbols (the wishing star), around the studio's 100th anniversary is a fairly ingenious way to tie the new release to Disney's history. On the surface, the concept of a movie about the origin of a wishing star might seem like a stretch, but for a company that has hinged so much of its "magic" around making wishes and dreams come true, maybe they have the perfect story to tell. Either way, Wish is now unequivocally linked to the entire company's origin, making it a seemingly essential part of Disney history before it's even released.