The first official trailer for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ new musical comedy Wish just dropped. Here’s everything you need to know.
The trailer starts out with Chris Pine’s voice-over as the character King Magnifico. Magnifico narrates, “Imagine a place where wishes come true – where your heart’s desire can become a reality.” The animation is a beautiful combination of watercolor hand-drawn art combined with CGI technology.
A sun rises over a kingdom of Spanish architecture and we get the first glimpse of our new Disney Princess! Princess Asha, voiced by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, of the Kingdom of Rosas stands on a balcony with her goat friend, Valentino. Valentino gently blows a dandelion into the breeze. The movie’s theme, the power of wishes, is already apparent.
Princess Asha follows King Magnifico into a chamber that presumably holds wishes in blue floating orbs. King Magnifico says that all Asha needs to do is “Give your wish…to ME.” Wait what? This turned kind of sinister. Is Chris Pine the villain of this story?? Look at this extreme close up on his eyes!
A maniacal laugh echos as Asha runs…so yea, Chris Pine’s King Magnifico is definitely the antagonist in Wish. After this experience, Princess Asha makes a wish on a bright star and it falls right out of the sky! It sprinkles star dust on flowers and suddenly they move like humans. Valentino the goat eats some of the star dust, which then grants his wish – to be able to speak! His part is voiced by Disney frequent, Alan Tudyk.
Then we get our first listen to Ariana DeBose singing as Princess Asha in an original song created for the film. It sounds like a classic Disney “I want” song that talks about her confidence and empowerment to push on. The trailer mentions that this is a “story a century in the making.”
Check it out below!
Imagine a place where wishes come true… 🌠
Watch the trailer for Disney's Wish and see the movie only in theaters this November. pic.twitter.com/01CxxBO1Pa
Visually, Wish already promises to be magical and stunning. The directors are Chris Buck (Frozen) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (Raya and the Last Dragon). Audiences can expect new songs by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer-songwriter-musician Benjamin Rice. Jennifer Lee (Frozen) writes and executive produces.
Wish make Princess Asha the second Hispanic Disney Princess, after the television character Princess Elena of Avalor, and the first of Disney’s major animated films.
The trailer concludes with DeBose’s Asha softly singing, “So I make this wish / to have something more for us than this.” Only in theaters this November 22!
Splash Mountain is gone, and with it, the last remaining piece of Disney’s “Song of the South” in pop culture. Amid cries for its removal, many others fought for its survival. The arguments were intense on both sides. Pro-removal advocates argued that the film had racist undertones and should not be celebrated. Pro-Splash Mountain advocates argued the ride itself was not racist, and many disagreed that the film was racist.
Another voice has emerged in the debate, Disney Legend Whoopi Goldberg. While she did not give an opinion on the ride, she had plenty to say about the film it was based on. She believes that the film should be available to view and purchase. “I’m trying to find a way to get people to start having conversations about bringing Song of the South back, so we can talk about what it was and where it came from and why it came out,” she said in an interview.
The film, which Disney has chosen not to release for sale or streaming, has an important place in film history: James Baskett, who played Uncle Remus, was the first African American male ever to win an Academy Award. Hattie McDaniel, who holds the title of the first-ever African American to receive an Acadamy Award (for her work in Gone With the Wind), was also in Song of the South.
Both Bassett and McDaniel expressed support for the film. Baskett said, “I believe that certain groups are doing my race more harm in seeking to create dissension than can ever possibly come out of the Song of the South.” McDaniel’s sentiments were similar, saying, “If I had for one moment considered any part of the picture degrading or harmful to my people, I would not have appeared therein.”
While the film’s stars felt the movie wasn’t racist, that wasn’t Goldberg’s point. She felt that hiding the movie equated to erasing history. She feels strongly that the film, which is part live action and part animation, should be seen so that its origins can be discussed (it was originally a written compilation of African American folktales) and also so that there can be a conversation about the times and attitudes during which the film was produced.
It seems so hard to believe, but 2022 is now in the rearview mirror and the excitement and potential of 2023 are laid before our feet. I don’t know about you, but my 2023 definitely involves a lot of Disney! Trips to Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, or any other Disney theme park are always memorable, but they are expensive. However, there’s another way to get your Disney fix that’s much cheaper. That’s right, we are talking about Disney movies!
2023 is going to be a big year for Disney films. Let’s take a look at some of the most anticipated Disney movies of the year!
The Little Mermaid
Release Date: May 26
Disney’s new live-action remake of one of its most classic tales may be THE most anticipated Disney movie of the year. The Little Mermaid live-action film will stick heavily to the original animated movie, but there will be unique additions. In the new movie, Prince Eric will have more character development, and his mother will be introduced. Disney Legend Alan Menken and Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda will also write new music.
The Little Mermaid will star Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.
Peter Pan & Wendy
Release Date: March 10 (Disney+)
What makes this Disney movie great is that you can watch the premiere from the comfort of your own couch!
It’s been a while since Disney has given us a fresh, new look at the boy who never wanted to grow up. But, come this March, we will no longer be able to say that. At this time, we don’t know much about the story that Disney will tell with Peter Pan & Wendy. However, it will most likely be close to the original story that most of us know and love. Select Guests who attended Disney’s D23 Expo this past September were given an exclusive trailer, which featured the Lost Boys, a look at Peter Pan, with a closeout on the villainous Captain Hook.
Peter Pan & Wendy will star Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson as Wendy, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Jim Gaffigan as Smee, and Jude Law as Captain Hook.
The Haunted Mansion
Release Date: August 11
Okay, I’ll admit it. I am most excited to see this movie, not only because of the phenomenal casting, but also to see if Disney can come back from the 2003 disaster version that starred Eddie Murphy. This new live-action remake will take place in New Orleans, where the spirits definitely love to come out to socialize. The Haunted Mansion will tell the story of a single mom, Gabbie, who moves into the old Southern mansion with her son. As you may have guessed, the mansion is haunted and Gabbie hires a priest, a historian, a tour guide, and a psychic to help her expel the spirits.
The Haunted Mansion will star Rosario Dawson as Gabbie, Chase Dillon as Gabbie’s son, Owen Wilson as Kent the priest, Danny DeVito as the historian, Tiffany Haddish as Harriet, and LaKeith Stanfield as Ben Matthias. There will also be some classic attraction characters thrown into the mix — Jamie Lee Curtis will play Madame Leota, and Jared Leto will play the Hatbox Ghost.
Elemental
Release Date: June 16
Much like Inside Out, Elemental will take viewers on a journey they have not been on before. This movie will tell the story of a land where the elements — Earth, Air, Fire, and Water — live together. As with many places, those who are alike tend to stick together, and one element group doesn’t really interact with the other elements. However, fiery Ember and go-with-the-flow Wade will soon realize that they have more in common than they ever would have imagined.
At this time, we don’t have much to share on casting news. All Disney has shared is that Wade will be voiced by Mamoudou Athie as Wade and Leah Lewis as Ember.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Release Date: June 30
This will most likely be the last time we see legendary actor Harrison Ford don his iconic fedora and take on the role of famed archaeologist Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones. Dial of Destiny will see Indy and his goddaughter, Helena, go up against Nazis once again, but this time during the height of the space race. However, this time, the U.S. government has hired former Nazis to help them beat the Soviet Union into space, as well as be the first country to land on the moon.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will star Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena, Mads Mikkelsen as Jürgen Voller, Antonio Banderas as Renaldo, Toby Jones as Basil, and Johnathan Rhys-Davies as Sallah. Shia LaBoeuf will not return as Mutt Williams, but audiences will learn what happened to Indy’s son.
Wish
Release Date: November 22
This movie is the most recent announcement from Walt Disney Animation. Disney has not given us too many details on what story Wish will tell, but director Chris Buck has said that the film will be “Blending this beautiful, timeless watercolor style with 3D animation, ‘Wish’ has a look and feel all its own, unlike anything Disney Animation has created.” What we do know is that viewers will learn how the iconic wishing star came into existence.
As with Disney movies of the past, Wish will have a selfless hero, a ruthless villain, and a talking goat. Okay, so maybe it won’t be just like the Disney movies we have seen before. Not much casting information has been released, but we do know that Alan Tudyk will voice Valentino and Ariana DeBose will voice Asha.
Of course, if you are a Marvel fan, there will also be several movies released for you to love, including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, and The Marvels.
It’s been a wild time in terms of Disney movies, both animated and live-action. Disney has been creating some truly great movies recently, like Encanto, Turning Red, and the highly-anticipated upcoming sequel Disenchanted. On the flip side, there have been some less successful films like Lightyear and the recently released Pinocchio. There are a number of other live-action films coming down the pike — including Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Peter Pan and Wendy. However, there is one movie that was just announced that may surprise you.
According to a report from Deadline, Disney is going to make a movie about the adorable, purple dragon, Figment.
A Disney film is in the works featuring the character Figment, a small purple dragon who serves as the mascot of Epcot’s Imagination Pavillion in Orlando. The feature hails from Seth Rogen’s Point Grey with Pokémon Detective Pikachu‘s Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit set to write, Deadline has learned.
Rogen and his producing partners Evan Goldberg and James Weaver have released various TV and film projects under their Point Grey banner including Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, Amazon’s The Boys and The Boys Presents: Diabolical, as well as This Is The End, The Interview,The Disaster Artist, and An American Pickle.
Up next, they have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on deck.
The writing team of Hernandez and Samit penned 2019’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu, 2021’s The Addams Family 2, and created the upcoming Hulu animated series Koala Man, premiering in 2023.
At this time, we have no idea what the story will be about, but hopefully, they can do justice to Figment — who has become more popular over the years and is now the symbol of EPCOT.
Figment has become so popular that, when Disney released a Figment popcorn bucket at the 2022 Festival of the Arts, people waited in line for 5 hours to get their hands on one. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro also shared that a Figment meet and greet will be returning to the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT in the near future.
Last week, Disney hosted the D23 Expo, the ultimate fan event. At the Expo, Disney hosted so many great panels that let Guests hear from casts of upcoming films and series like The Santa Clauses, as well as past hits like Encanto. In addition, Disney hosted a Disney and Pixar film panel — where cameras were not allowed — and they shared more info on upcoming films like Snow White and Inside Out 2. They also announced that some new series would be coming down the pike — like The Lion King prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King.
The D23 Expo may have ended, but that does not mean that the news has stopped coming. While Disney announced a number of projects at the Expo, most of them did not have release dates — until now. Disney waited until this week to officially announce their slate, which includes the pushing back of the highly anticipated live-action film, The Haunted Mansion. The movie — which will star Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jared Leto — was supposed to be released on March 10, 2023, but will now premiere on August 11, 2023.
After The Haunted Mansion, Disney will release its newest animated feature, Wish. Disney also shared that Pixar’s next film Elio — the story of a young boy who meets aliens — will be released on March 1, 2024. That will be followed up by the highly-anticipated, but also highly controversial, live-action remake, Snow White on March 22, 2024. Next up? Disney announced that Mufasa will be released on July 5, 2024.
Here’s what we know about Mufasa: The Lion King — it will show the future king as he washed away in a flood. Alone and struggling, Mufasa must find a new pride to become a part of. The film will show that Mufasa was not born into royalty, he learned it. The series will also feature the popular sidekicks, Timon and Pumbaa — who will once again be voiced by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan.
As for Wish, the film will tell the story of Asha, who lives in the fairy tale kingdom called the Kingdom of Wishes. The film will show viewers the origin of the famous Wishing Star but, of course, not everything goes smoothly in this kingdom and Asha learns that there is a dark side to her idyllic home. West Side Story star Ariana DeBose will voice Asha.
