When it comes to the legacy of theatrical animation, it's hard to top Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDA). Its co-founder, Walt Disney, remains the record-holder for the number of Academy Awards won (26), the studio itself celebrates its 100th anniversary this October, and Wish will be its 62nd animated film when it releases in November.
Co-directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn and co-written by Jennifer Lee, Wish not only comes out in a momentous, celebratory year for WDA, but it’s also a reunion title for the trio. Buck and Lee co-directed both Frozen films, while Veerasunthorn was a story artist for the franchise. With the two movies combined, Frozen has become one of the animation medium’s most successful franchises, earning more than $2 billion collectively through box office alone – and that’s not even counting what the global phenomenon has collected in merch sales and other revenue sources. Inside all of that success are myriad lessons that Buck, Veerasunthorn, and Lee ultimately used to help shape Wish, they told IGN at a recent press day.
Like Frozen, Wish has a female protagonist, Asha (Ariana DeBose), who is seeking something more for her family and friends in the fictional Kingdom of Rosa. Aside from that commonality, Buck said the young women travel different story paths, as Asha is a commoner and not a princess like the Arendelle siblings.
“With Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel), we always tried to create characters that were believable and that had flaws. They weren't perfect,” he said of what made the sisters stand out with audiences. “Those are the most interesting, male or female, characters.”
Veerasunthorn added that the sisters were naturally multi-dimensional without the filmmakers going out of their way to over-emphasize their strengths.
“It was just about these two sisters and their relationship, and how relatable that is,” she said. “And I think that's what I carry through to all the projects I've worked on, from Moana to Raya. They're very passionate [women], and they have flaws which are fun to watch. You put them up against impossible odds and see the way a person would react, believing in what they're passionate about. That's the aspirational part of Disney that I really enjoy that I get to be a part of.”
Buck said having so many women on the creative teams for the Frozen movies also made them more authentic.
“I've also been lucky enough to have partners with Fawn and Jennifer, where we looked to each other when it comes to how a female character might react to something. I can't be the expert on that,” he laughed. “So, I checked myself and we'd talk all the time. It all goes back to making the characters believable, aspirational, and inspirational. I think learning from that with the Frozen films certainly helped me with [Wish].”
Veerasunthorn also praised DeBose for bringing her own authenticity into the recording booth, which in turn inspired how they brought Asha to life: “She’s someone who's not afraid to be herself,” she said of the actress. “She's someone who speaks her mind, and you love her for it. She's also not afraid to be goofy, and I love her for that too which is a part I really enjoy about Wish.”
Asked if Wish is now influencing where Frozen will go as a franchise (Disney CEO Bob Iger previously confirmed that Frozen 3 is in the works), Lee shared, “The biggest thing for me, as a writer, is getting to take a step out of the Frozen world to write a completely brand-new, original fairy tale. It did a lot for me in terms of just opening my perspective and pushing my skills. I'm hoping what it does is help me — as we look more to Frozen — to just be a better storyteller. I want to keep being a better storyteller.”
With the Frozen films succeeding on such a momentous scale, Lee said she’s since wrestled with “weeding out the zeitgeist” so she can focus on exploring the passions of the characters. “I will say, in combination with getting to write something new and then being a part of all these [WDA] productions in different ways, it's helped me to, hopefully, be able to face those challenges with more tools. And that's really where my head is about [Frozen] now.”
For more on our sitdown with the Wish filmmakers, check out why they didn't go full 2D for Disney's 100th anniversary (although they did consider it).
