Disney’s Newest Animated Film Will Be Filled With “Legacy Nods”

In just a couple of months, Disney will release its newest animated film, Wish. The film will tell the story of a girl named Asha, who lives in the kingdom of wishes, Rosas. Asha makes a powerful wish on a star. Much to her surprise, the star that she wishes upon comes down to earth. Together, Asha and the star — along with her goat Valentino — must work together to bring down the evil King Magnifico.

Related: Could Disney’s Upcoming Wish Movie Achieve Frozen Success?

On September 27, Disney released a full trailer for the film, and fans were hooked. The movie brings back classic Disney animation and combines it with newer animation styles, creating a beautiful and unique look.

What’s more? It will honor many of Disney’s animated films that came before it.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wish directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn spoke about the dozens of “legacy nods” the new animated film will have.

“They’re all over the movie,” Buck says. “We are compiling a list, and I couldn’t tell you how long it is now. Each department puts things in and there’s some that we don’t even know are there yet, and we may not know until they tell us.”

Related: Disney Redeems Itself in Eyes of Skeptical Audience After a Tough Year

For example, in King Magnifico’s lair (every good Disney villain needs a lair), fans will see a red apple. The same red (poisoned) apple made famous in the 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Buck and Veerasunthorn also confirmed that Wish was made in the same aspect ratio as Sleeping Beauty (1959), which is wider than the traditional aspect ratio.

Another “legacy nod”? King Magnifico himself. Veerasunthorn said that Magnifico would be more like the classic Disney villains of yore.

“We were always attracted to the idea that the villain and hero, for a moment, might align philosophically. In the understanding of what wishes mean to people, the most important part of you is what drives your heart. Asha and Magnifico understand the importance of that, but what drives them apart is how you go about achieving your wish.”

In another nod to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Buck and Veerasunthron said that Wish will use watercolor-style vistas to fill the film’s backgrounds. The watercolor art was what influenced the style of Snow White and was used heavily in the 1937 film. The two said that, when viewers paused the movie, they did not want things in the background to be blurry. They wanted each frame to look like a painting.

You can watch Disney’s newest trailer for Wish below. 

Related: Fans Are Loving Disney’s Wish Trailer

Disney has been struggling at the box office as of late. The Little Mermaid, which was released in May, performed well despite the backlash it received. However, Elemental, Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny all failed to reach the success that Disney was hoping for. Haunted Mansion even fell behind its poorly received 2003 predecessor. Disney is banking on Wish to see the company back on top of the animation game.

Wish will hit theaters on November 22, 2023. The movie will star Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) as the voice of Asha. Chris Pine (The Princess Diaries 2) will voice the evil (but very handsome) King Magnifico. Alan Tudyk (Moana) will be the voice of Valentino, Asha’s loyal goat.