The power of wish-making, fairy tales and representation will come together on the big screen next month in “Wish,” a movie commemorating Walt Disney Studios’ 100th anniversary.
Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster Jones, one of the film’s producers, said that for Disney’s centennial celebration, the creative team of writers, producers and others wanted to bring back the classic idea of wishing and making dreams come true.
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“This fanatic of wishing was in every Disney movie, and the wishing star was so prominent in so many Disney movies, and it’s synonymous to Disney in a way,” Reyes said. “We felt like it was the right direction to take.”
The film, which will be released Nov. 22, is set in the Iberian peninsula and tells the story of the magical Kingdom of Rosas.
The main character is 17-year-old Asha, who senses an evil dark presence in the kingdom’s ruler, King Magnifico. When Asha asks for help from the stars, a fallen star appears to help her save the kingdom.
With Asha’s courage and determination, she is able to reconnect humans with the power of wish-making. The film includes voices from Oscar-winning Ariana Debose along with Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk and Harvey Guillen, among others.
Reyes who was born in Jalisco, Mexico, said that the film brings the concept of wishes from other Disney classics into one.
Another important aspect to Reyes and the team was ensuring that viewers could see themselves represented in the movie.
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In the trailer, Asha has a dark skin tone and braids in her hair. Other characters in the film have a wide variety of body sizes, skin complexions, abilities and other physical features. Reyes explained that every detail of the film, including the architecture of the buildings and cultural aspects, were carefully decided.
“When it comes to the character of Asha, I think it’s really cool that she also celebrates people that are not just one thing,” Reyes said. “We had a great anthropologist, professor Aomar Boum. He is Moroccan and has studied the region from an anthropology point of view and the history of the people that have been in that Mediterranean area, in the Iberian peninsula and in the north of Africa.”
Reyes grew up in a family of engineers but always had a passion for Disney films and animation. One of the first films he saw in theaters was “Beauty and The Beast.” He also said that since his mother’s favorite film was “Sleeping Beauty,” it was always on during his childhood.
“‘Beauty and the Beast’ is my first memory in the movie theater. I went to watch it with my brother and I still remember that first shot — the opening shot where you go into the Beast’s castle,” Reyes said. “I felt like I was immersed in that world.”
That’s why Reyes said the team made the decision to release “Wish” only in theaters. They want viewers to be fully immersed in the Kingdom of Rosas and to be able to appreciate all the color and graphics on the big screen.
Reyes got his master’s in film and television production from USC in 2015. Since joining Disney in 2018, he has worked on “Frozen II,” “Strange World” and “Encanto,” among other films.
At Disney, Reyes has been involved in the Latinx Affinity Group, and he has also volunteered for the LatinX in Animation/Latino Film Institute. He believes being involved with other Latinx individuals in the industry and that building community is important.
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“When I see another person of Mexican heritage or Latine heritage or whatever it is — we need to bound together and we need to extend our hand to the ones that are coming after us,” Reyes said.
Reyes also said he hopes viewers of his movie remember all of their own wishes.
“The world is not always going to be on your side, which happens to Asha,” he said, “but you need to continue with this idea of hope, and that’s why the wishing star is really beautiful.”
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