Wish (film)

Wish is an animated musical fantasy from Walt Disney Animation Studios, released in 2023. The film was co-directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, with a screenplay by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore. Its voice cast includes Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, and Natasha Rothwell. The story centers on Asha, a 17-year-old girl living in the kingdom of Rosas, who desperately wishes upon a star and encounters a living, magical fallen star. Together, they confront the kingdom's ruler, the sorcerer Magnifico. The project began development in 2018, though it wasn't publicly known until January 2022, when Lee was revealed to be writing an original film for Disney Animation. The title and the involvement of DeBose and Tudyk were announced in September 2022, with Buck and Veerasunthorn—who had worked with Lee on *Frozen* and *Frozen II*—confirmed as directors that same month. Moore later joined Lee to co-write the screenplay. Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice composed the songs, while Dave Metzger wrote the score. The film was conceived as a tribute to Disney's centennial, exploring the theme of wishes coming true common to many Disney films, and is intended as an origin story for the wishing star. Its visual style blends computer animation with the look of traditional animation. *Wish* premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on November 8, 2023, and opened in U.S. theaters on November 22. It received mixed reviews and earned approximately $255 million worldwide against a production budget of $175–200 million. Analysts deemed it a box-office bomb, with estimated losses of $131 million after factoring in streaming and home entertainment revenue. On Disney+, it became the third most-watched premiere for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film. The movie earned several award nominations, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.

The plot begins with King Magnifico and Queen Amaya founding Rosas on a Mediterranean island. Magnifico, a sorcerer, can grant his subjects' deepest desires, but they must surrender the memory of their wishes, which he seals away and protects until he chooses to grant them. Once a month, at a ceremony, he selects one wish to fulfill.