Wish is the 62nd film from Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is also notably the 100th-anniversary film for the studio, one that is designed to celebrate the rich history of the company. Bringing the film to life are directors Chris Buck and Prasansook Fawn Veerasunthorn. Buck is an icon at Disney, while Veerasunthorn is an exciting new voice at the company.

Chris Buck is a Disney legend. He studied at CalArts, and his first credit on a Disney film was as an animator on The Fox and the Hound. After years of working with Disney, he got his first directorial credit co-directing Disney’s 1999 film Tarzan with Chris Lima. Appropriately, Tarzan was the end of the Disney Renaissance, and Bucks’ next Disney film would be one of the most successful animated films of all time: Frozen. In 2013, Buck co-directed the groundbreaking feature with Jennifer Lee, and it reinvented Disney animation, cementing a new era for the studio. Buck would then co-direct Frozen II, so it certainly made sense that he would be brought on board to direct the studio’s 100th-anniversary film.

Fawn Veerasunthorn has been with Disney since working as a storyboard artist on Frozen. Since then, she has worked as a storyboard artist on Moana (where she was also a visual department artist), Zootopia, and Ralph Breaks the Internet. She was promoted to head of the story on Raya and the Last Dragon. Now, with Wish, she steps into her biggest role yet, co-director in her directorial debut.

In many ways, it is appropriate for Wish to be a collaboration between an artist who has been through Disney’s dark age, Renaissance, and post-resurgence and an artist who has helped shape many of the company’s beloved 21st-century entries. It is an embrace of the classic and the new. Buck and Veerasunthorn sat down with MovieWeb to talk about Wish.

Coming Up with an Original Fairy Tale
Wish Release Date November 22, 2023 Director Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn Cast Alan Tudyk, Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine Main Genre Animation
Wish is a completely original idea, not based on any previous story. The only concept it is based on is the idea of what Disney movies mean to audiences. “Knowing we were going to be working on this legacy film for the 100th anniversary, we went back to the drawing board, basically, and took a still from each of our films, pinned it up on a bulletin board, and you could look at the whole 100 years right there,” said Buck. “The other thing that happened was, you could see this common thread over so many movies of where our characters are wishing upon the stars.”

With it being the 100th-anniversary film, the pressure and expectations were high for which film would get to hold this distinction. Would Disney adapt a fairy tale they had never done before, or given the studio’s willingness to embrace sequels with films like Winnie the Pooh, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Frozen 2, would it be a sequel to an animated classic or even a crossover film?

Related: Who Is the Star of Disney’s Upcoming Movie, and How Has She Proved She’s Perfect for the Role?

No, in fact, in the spirit of Disney animation, they embraced something new. “It was always an original idea. Original songs, original characters,” said Buck. “Once we had that concept of a character wishing on a star, and we had the concept of her wishing on a star and bringing that star down to Earth, we went, ‘This is different and exciting and new.’ We didn’t know what Star would be or look like yet, but the possibility was sort of endless there.”

In many ways, it brought the whole legacy full circle, as Buck said, “Walt was there guiding us saying ‘make it about wishing.'” To which Veerasunthorn quickly replied, “And we listened”.

The Unique Animation of Wish
Disney

The animated films of 2023 have truly pushed the boundaries. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse brought a comic book to life, while Elemental conveyed realistic-looking water and fire effects, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem embraced the aesthetic of a teenager’s imperfect drawings. Disney Animation certainly has a lot to compete with, but with Wish, they are pushing themselves visually.

Wish has a unique look compared to many other Disney animated films. The film’s style blends the classic appearance of hand-drawn animation with CGI characters that have become popular in the 21st century. This marriage of the two mediums was intentionally designed to pay respect to the studio’s history. Said Buck:

It was about paying respect to the legacy while embracing the wonderful technology we have today. We went back to Snow White and Pinocchio for the beautiful watercolor illustrative backgrounds that are there, but we also have our CG medium, so we can move around those beautiful backgrounds.

“We were stunned when we saw it on the big screen because it is so beautiful, and you see all the detail and can even see the texture of the watercolor paper in the background, so there is this warm kind of feeling to it,” continued Buck. “If you were to stop on any frame, it looks like a gorgeous illustration from a storybook.”

Favorite Disney Memory
Disney

Everyone has a favorite Disney movie. Buck said, “For me, it was Pinocchio. It was the first one that I saw as a young boy, and it really set me off on a love of animation and my path. I was drawing like crazy after I saw that movie.”

“My first Disney entry for me was Dumbo on a VHS tape. I was obsessed with the magical world and talking animals,” said Veerasunthorn. “But then it was Beauty and the Beast that made me realize there are people working behind these movies and these drawings that came to life on the big screen and made me want to start dreaming of working in animation.”

Related: Wish Producer Explains the Disney Easter Eggs Hidden Throughout the Film

Yet Disney is not just movies, it is so much more. There are feelings and memories tied to it all. Something that both Veerasunthorn and Buck share is a fond Disney memory tied to a stuffed animal, making them much like Christopher Robin and his stuffed animal collection that make up his friends in 100 Acre Wood. In fact, Buck’s is a character from Winnie the Pooh. “I still have a little stuffed Eeyore that I got from my very first visit to Disneyland back in ’66,” said Buck. For Veerasunthorn, she found what she was looking for from a character from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, adding:

I came from Thailand, and the moment I decided to leave my home country behind and come to the US to study animation. I was looking for things to bring with me, and there was this Bashful stuffie sitting on my desk, and I said ‘I’m taking you with me’. I wanted the spirit of Walt to follow through with this dream.

That speaks to the heart of it. Walt Disney, a man from Chicago, created a movie that has endured decades later and reached such a wide audience that it inspired a young girl from Thailand, one who is now making the 100th-anniversary film.

Post-Credits That Are Written in the Stars

Wish certainly has one of the best end credits of any movie. While audiences have gotten used to waiting through credits for post-credits scenes, Wish instead makes the audience want to wait for the credits not to see a teaser for a future movie, but to see a celebration of Disney. It invites memories of friends and loved ones. Ones that may no longer be with us but live on through our shared memories of these movies. It is certainly worth sitting and waiting in a theater to enjoy the moment as a communal experience.

“We were thinking for the end credits what are we going to do visually. As the film wraps, and we are thinking about it, we thought it would be so wonderful to bring back all your old friends, starting with Star’s magic and bringing these memories back,” said Veerasunthorn. “In a way, this movie is a dose of nostalgia for all of us working on it and what Disney has inspired and given us as an artist. People come to work here because of Disney movies, so what a great way to honor that memory.

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Both Buck and Veerasunthorn are living a dream come true. Not only do they get to make a Walt Disney Animation Studio film, but also one that celebrates 100 years of Disney magic. “It’s very humbling and quite an honor to be here and to share our love of Disney with the world. It’s a love letter to Walt and a thank you to all of the artists that came before us,” said Buck.

For Veerasunthorn, this must be a dream come true for her. She gave such a great final quote for the interview that encapsulates not just Wish, but the entire creative ethos of Disney films.

“We want to evoke the great memory people have watching these Disney movies with their family and friends and hope to do that through the imagery, but also feel like there is something new. A new story for the next generation. Our hope is after this movie that people feel the courage, the joy, and the hope in times of doubt to pursue their dreams.”

Wish opens exclusively in theaters on November 22, 2023.