Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthron Talk Easter Eggs in 'Wish'

(Left) Chris Buck, co-director of “Wish. ” (On the right) Fawn Veerasunthorn, co-director of “Wish. “

Disney Animation Studios is gearing up for its new animated film, scheduled for the studio’s centennial. “Wish” is directed by Chris Buck (“Frozen II”) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (“Raya and the Last Dragon”). Original fairy tale with artistic taste encouraged through the gaze of old Disney animated videos and the theme of a star’s wishes.

Moviefone recently had the excitement of speaking with Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn after the screening of “Wish” at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The two directors discussed the inspiration for the upcoming animated film, how many Easter eggs they managed to include in the film, the influences of certain musical numbers, and their collaboration with Ariana DeBose.

(From left to right) Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones, Peter Del Vecho, senior vice president of feature film production at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Fawn Veerasunthorn and Chris Buck talk about the in-person presentation of “Wish” the Long Lead Press Day for “Wish” at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, Calif. , on Sept. 21, 2023. Photo by Alberto E. Rodríguez/Getty Images for Disney.

Moviefone: To start, given the name of this film and encouraged by the classic Disney message “When you wish upon a star”, is there still a plan to release this film on Disney’s 100th anniversary?

Jen (Lee) had whispered something in my ear. We were in the last year of “Frozen 2. ” She says, “You know, 2023 is coming, we have to do something special. “We didn’t know what yet, and even though we were still completing ‘Frozen 2,’ we fixed all those still images from each and every Disney animated movie. You may see on a bulletin board the breadth of all the other styles and all the other years. Everything Walt (Disney) had done and beyond, what the company had done. That’s where it all started because it wasn’t just the scale of each thing, but you can also see the connection between the movies and then you can see the characters making wishes on the stars. So it’s become obvious that it’s like this movie is about a wish and a wish in the stars.

(From left to right) Ariana DeBose as Asha and Alan Tudyk as the goat in pajamas, Valentino in “Wish,” directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn. The film will be released in the fall of 2023.

MF: You’ve talked about being encouraged by Disney classics like “Beauty and the Beast” and “Pinocchio. “We saw the inspiration in the illustrations of the film. Have you managed to include any Easter eggs for all the Disney enthusiasts out there?If so, can you make fun of some of them?

Fawn Veerasunthorn: You’ve noticed a few today. The wonderful musical number in which you would possibly have heard the call of a certain deer (“Bambi”). And possibly there would be a rabbit that hit a lot. I know we started from scratch with the goal of making it an original fairy tale. truth? It’s part of celebrating the future and creating something new with a new song. Along the way, we still couldn’t help but (as Disney enthusiasts, creating videos for Disney enthusiasts) see those concepts pop up, and we took a look. to be smart and not say it’s distracting, even if you like Disney videos, when you stop by to see this movie. . .

CB:. . . You’ll have several. There will be enthusiasts who will choose those that we may not even have consciously done. I mean, it’s happened before. We have a list. It’s a long list.

MF: One of the scenes we saw today is where Asha is the tour guide and she launches into a musical number and we know she has Ariana DeBose voiced, but Asha’s movement matches the way Ariana moves. Did you film her dancing in the studio or did you just look for her dance footage?

VF: For this song, we worked with a Spanish choreographer. We have talked about Roses as a fictional place, but it is a destination where other people come from all over the world, but the biggest influence is North Africa and Southern Europe. . In talking to him, we also sought to infuse him with that modern sensibility, because with Julian Michael writing those songs, you can’t help it. Then those facets were combined and he created for us the reference of dance in the Spanish level where we filmed it. Then our facilitators looked into it. We also spoke to Ariana about how she moves and how she thinks Asha would move and react to those two vital factors.

CB: They were also recording not only for dialect sessions but also for their music sessions. So when she’s doing a song and playing, you know, she’s moving, and our animators are watching that, picking up on the signals and all that.

MF: Finally, are there any sequences, numbers or characters that have been a challenge for you when making this film?

CB: Everyone has their own challenges. Sometimes what you think is very undeniable can be misleading. I mean, they’re all challenging, it’s so exciting to play with them and do new things. But I don’t think there’s a formula for saying, “This is going to be easy. “

VF: They come with their joys and challenges.

Wish”Be careful what you look for. ” PG1 h 32 minNovember 18, 2023Schedules and Tickets

Asha, a resourceful idealist, makes a wish so difficult that it is granted by a cosmic force: a small ball of infinite power called a Star. Together, Asha and. . . Read the plot

Set in the magical kingdom of Roses, the story features Asha (Ariana DeBose), a positive woman with a quick brain and a deep fear for her network. When Asha turns to heaven in a time of need and makes a wish, her call is spoken through a cosmic force: a small ball of infinite power called the Star. Together, they face off against the most fearsome enemies to save their web and discover that when the will of a brave human connects with the magic of the stars, glorious things can happen.

Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthron Talk Easter Eggs in ‘Wish’

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