The Big Picture

“Wish” is the latest musical from Disney Animation, introducing viewers to the magical kingdom of Rosas and its idealistic resident Asha. The film features a unique cast of characters, including a villainous ruler, a favorite pajama-wearing goat sidekick, and a cosmic ball of energy named Star. Disney Animation is focused on both sequels and original movies, with a commitment to letting stories and characters guide their decision-making process.

Wish, the latest musical adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios, will introduce audiences to the magical kingdom of Rosas and its 17-year-old resident idealist Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose). Her mission to save her community from villainous ruler King Magnifico (voiced by Chris Pine) sends her on an unexpected journey, accompanied by her favorite pajama-wearing goat Valentino (voiced by Alan Tudyk), where Asha will learn from a cosmic ball of energy called Star that a little inner courage can go a long way.

Collider recently got the opportunity, along with a variety of other media outlets, to preview approximately 30 minutes of the upcoming release at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. With behind-the-scenes glimpses of this new kingdom and the characters that inhabit it, and the chance to hear what the original songs from Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice will sound like, it’s clear that audiences will not only fall in love with Asha, but who can resist a goat sidekick in pajamas?

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee, who was also a co-writer on Wish, talked about what being a part of 100 years of Disney magic means to her, how far out they have to think about their release schedule, focusing on sequels versus original movies, what she’s most excited about when it comes to audiences meeting Asha, which character got added later in the process, and the evolution of Star. She also talked about whether there might ever be a Tron animated movie, and if there has been any conversation about a Star Wars animated movie.

Collider: Since we’re celebrating 100 years of Disney magic, what makes being a part of Disney storytelling magical to you?

JENNIFER LEE: What’s interesting is that all of us who are at the studio now were born into Disney, as part of our earliest memories. All of us who are there had a real drive to come to Disney because of what the stories have meant to us, the films, and the experience of Disney. It’s given each one of us something that lifts our lives or helps us through at times, depending on the story. And so, when we come together, there’s this love of what we get to do. We take it very seriously, but we also remember the heart of it is having fun. You get to really tumble with an incredible group of artists with passion and drive for the same thing. On days that are hard and exhausting, I say to my husband, “Remind me of that.” I don’t think anywhere else, does this creative energy happen in this way, and it is due to this 100-year legacy.

Image via Disney

How far ahead are you with the development of movies at Walt Disney Animation Studios? Do you know what’s coming out in 2026, 2027, and beyond? How far out is the furthest project that you have a seed for?

LEE: I will say that I have aspirations, or we have aspirations because we do it together, all the way out through the decade. But in terms of real strong commitment and focus to the next few years, that’s really the most intense. What’s been an important thing to me is to build out a slate that is not so big and busy that projects fall away, but has enough robust creative numbers that we can really see when something is ready and that it can rise to the forefront and be the next film. We know our films can take five to six years because of how we develop them. Interestingly, Wish conceptually started five years ago, and we were nervous that wouldn’t be enough time. It’s a little bit of how we do it, but it’s part of the kind of stories we tell, that there should be an element of them that feels timely and drives forward, but also timeless. That balance that we wrestle with all the time, as we’re developing, allows us to build out for years, at least in our ambition and execution. And then, the right one will show itself to be ready, at the right time.

Because this is a new story, unlike anything we’ve seen in Disney Animation, and there is a new character at its center, what are you most excited about when it comes to introducing the world to Asha?

LEE: What I hope, and what I’m really excited about, is that I think she is one of the most relatable characters we’ve created, in the sense that she reflects that time in your life in which you love the life around you, you’ve got your friends, you know how to have fun, and you’re an inviting, warm person. And then, you confront challenges in life where you realize that the world isn’t everything you thought it was idealistically, and you start to decide who you’re gonna be in that world. How are you going to participate? What are you going to aspire to accomplish in that? It’s that wish that you make, particularly when you have that fire under you, when you’re young. It’s a celebration of that energy, and yet it recognizes that struggle. We can do the, “I have a wish,” or “I have a dream,” and it feels very lofty and fun. But the truth is, making that wish or dream come true is an incredible amount of work. Asha acknowledges that she has failures and struggles, and through her, there’s a reflection of how to persevere. And so, I always love, with our fairytales, watching that character rise. But in doing so with Asha, I feel like she has one of the most universal goals, although it’s not generic. I really can’t wait for people to connect with her.

Image via Disney

When it comes to lining up projects for future release, how much are you thinking about sequels to successful movies versus original movies? Is it fairly balanced between the two, or does it lean more towards one or the other?

LEE: It doesn’t lean one way or another, in the sense that we’re not mapping out, “It must be this, this or this.” We didn’t really do sequels before. We had a couple before, like with Wreck-It Ralph and the direct to DVD and VHS stuff. But in terms of the way we’re approaching it now, or have been, at least since I’ve been there, is that it comes from, if the filmmaker has an idea or a team brings it forward, and we think it’s the right thing for the story and the character. We don’t want to order up a sequel because something is popular. What was interesting with Frozen is that Chris [Buck] and I, ourselves, had that question of, “Why does she have her powers?” And that told us there was more story to tell. So, with how we approach sequels, we’re more committed to doing it that way. When it comes to originals, if we were only focusing on sequels, we never would have found a Frozen or an Encanto. And so, it really comes from the filmmaker. If they’re focusing on original and it’s ready, that’s what goes. If they’re focusing on a sequel and that’s what’s ready, then that’s what goes.

It wouldn’t be an interview with Collider, if my boss, Steve Weintraub, didn’t ask me to follow up with you about Tron. The last time I asked you if there could ever be an animated Tron movie, you pointed out the appearance in Wreck-It Ralph. But beyond that, what will it take to get a Tron animated movie made?

LEE: You know, here’s what you can say back to him, that I will promise to do at my next directors’ lunch. Once a month, I just have lunch with all the directors together, and I’m gonna say, “There has been a request. Is there anyone here, who has been dreaming of that to happen?” We’re filmmaker driven, so then I can blame them, if it doesn’t happen. No, I’m teasing. Just tell him that I’m gonna write that down and bring that to them. Unfairly, I haven’t done that yet, so I will. I love that.

Have you had any conversations with Lucasfilm about doing an animated Star Wars movie?

LEE: Oh, gosh, I’d love to work with Kathleen Kennedy. We have not. Maybe I shouldn’t say if we have or have not, but we have not. They’re doing such incredible stuff, and we’re really focused on what we’re doing. But I love Marvel and Lucasfilm. I’m such a huge fan, and I love everything they do. So, if they’re interested in that, I’m here.

Image via Disney

I don’t know if it’s just a result of things changing and shifting and evolving, and then realizing that there’s something needed that wasn’t there yet, but with these animated movies, it seems like there’s always a character that gets added late in the game. Is there one that got added to Wish? Is there a character that you can’t imagine the film without now, but that wasn’t there, in the beginning?

LEE: The queen wasn’t there, in the beginning, but she was there early enough that, when I was in the writing stage, she had already come. She’s been one of my favorite additions to it. One thing I will mention is less a character that was added late, but more than every character becomes more developed, and Star changed the most of any character. Star originally talked and could change form, and could even take human form. Star was a very different character that ended up driving the film a lot, and that’s not what happens in life. You don’t get that. It was about bringing Star into more of the understanding of, when you wish upon a star, it’s a commitment to hope, possibility and wonder, and that doesn’t speak to you or give you the answers, sometimes it complicates your life. It was about simplifying and creating the limitations of a character that’s pure energy and magic. How do you create those limitations? It was about recognizing that Star represents these things and that Star is not on a human journey. That was the biggest help to me, in terms of really having fun with Asha and Magnifico.

Wish is out in theaters on November 22nd.