One of the directors Wish confirmed how Asha differs from the heroes and princesses of Disney Animation’s previous projects.
The critically acclaimed upcoming film follows Ariana DeBose’s Asha, who hails from the town of Rosa, where King Magnifico uses magic to control everyone’s literal wishes.
But things get a little complicated when it’s revealed that the king isn’t going to grant everyone’s wishes, instead keeping them forever locked away and forgotten by those who created them in the first place. As revenge, Asha wishes for a star to help fix things.
To her surprise, Asha’s wish is so powerful that she summons a literal star to guide her.
What makes Wish’s Asha unique?
In an exclusive interview with Wish Director Chris Buck, the filmmaker, discussed what makes Asha unique compared to previous Disney heroes.
Buck noted that there are certain aspects of Asha that are similar to previous leads and past princesses, including “Passion and zeal and strength to him:”
“I mean, it’s in his nature, there are certain aspects that are like some of our other leaders, he has passion, drive and power. One thing he doesn’t immediately know is that he has these leadership qualities. Maybe he doesn’t believe them. But he definitely steps into them by the end of the movie.
The director admitted that he thinks about what really made the character “unique” Is “that Ariana DeBose:”
“So we love that arc. I think what makes her unique is Ariana DeBose. Ariana brings her personality, a very unique personality. Someone who’s not afraid to speak her mind. Someone who’s not afraid to be funny and quirky and all these great things that give the character something special. And sometimes you don’t really know what you got until the actor comes in and starts collaborating with you and really shaping the character.”
But after the credits have rolled and everyone has left the theater, what do filmmakers want audiences to remember most?
Buck drew attention to the tradition of blowing out the birthday candle and not telling anyone what the wish is:
“There’s one thing that I would love, and it’s kind of a tradition that I think we have so wrong, and that’s birthdays, right? Candles. You blow out the candles and make a wish. And then everyone says, ‘Don’t say your wish out loud. Whatever you do, don’t make a wish out loud, it will never come true. I would like the opposite to be true. I love it when people blow out candles, make a wish, say it out loud.”
This concept is particularly important to Buck because precisely that “happened (to them).” They wanted to work at Disney, so they “let people know” and their wish came true:
“Because, as it happened to us, our desire was to work at Disney. We tell people. We wanted to work at Disney, and we got a lot of help along the way. So I guess what I’m saying is that if you make your wish and tell others, I think we have a lot of helpers, just like in our movie, to help you achieve that wish.
As for executive producer Peter Del Vechon, he wants everyone to remember “that wishes are attainable:”
“That wishes are attainable and that there is hope in the world, especially if we are connected.”
Producer Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones added that he would like people to remember it “It is up to us to determine our destiny… The universe has (help):”
“And I would say something that (co-director) Chris Buck says all the time, that when you say your wishes out loud, the world listens. And then there’s guidance like Star’s to help and guide Asha, and in real life there are people like that around us too. There’s our destiny is up to us, but the universe has (help).”
How Wish’s Asha differs from traditional Disney princesses
There’s no denying Ariana DeBose’s performance as Asha is wonderfully catchy.
Although Chris Buck doesn’t notice it, one key difference to Asha is despite what it looks like, she isn’t technically a princess like Belle or Ariel. Although she is close to royalty and tries to work under them, Asha has no royal heritage.
Apparently, he is not far from the first not to hold the coveted title. There are newer characters like Mirabel Charm and Moana, who aren’t princesses either — though that doesn’t affect their popularity.
Surprisingly, many don’t even consider Frozen‘s Elsa and Anna are princesses despite their position in the kingdom.
Asha certainly shares a lot with the heroes before her. Nevertheless, his journey and overall story is markedly different from the others; these experiences really set him apart from other Disney heroes.
Then, of course, no one else has goatees like Valentino.
Wish hits theaters on Wednesday, November 22.
