Wish It honors 100 years of Disney animated films.
The new musical comedy starring Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine with original songs by Julia Michaels is hitting theaters as the Walt Disney Company celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
In a behind-the-scenes video shared exclusively with PEOPLE, the cast and crew explain how it all happened Wish honors previous Disney classics while also paving the way for future films.
“Initially,” says co-director Chris Buck. Wish, we pinned a frame from every movie we made on the board. “You could see the breadth of all Disney’s animated properties.”
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He adds: “To be able to celebrate the studio and make a film that truly embraces our heritage but also looks to the future is a dream come true.”
“And the idea of daring to wish on a star resonated with us all,” says co-author Jennifer Lee.
Wish it is also co-directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn. The voice cast also includes Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillén, Ramy Youssef, Niko Vargas, Jon Rudnitsky and Della Saba.
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“This movie celebrates the centennial of Disney animation, and it’s very special to me,” Oscar winner DeBose says in the clip. “When I first heard the music of this movie, I was blown away. Every song tells the story. This story is told in a very dynamic way.”
Set in the magical kingdom of Rosas, Asha (DeBose), a “sharp-witted idealist,” makes a wish powerful enough to be answered by “a cosmic force – a little ball of limitless energy called a Star.” summary.
Disney
“Together, Asha and Star face a formidable foe – King Magnifico (Pine), ruler of the Rosas – to save his community and prove that great things can happen when a brave man’s will meets the magic of the stars.”
Wish In theaters on November 22.