Wish: Release date, cast and trailer for Disney’s 100th anniversary film

Disney is celebrating its centennial in style by giving one of its most well-known pieces of magical iconography its very own movie in Wish.

The 62nd animated feature from the same studio that brought us golden age classics like Peter Pan, Cinderella and The Aristocats and silver age gems such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, Wish looks set to bring Disney’s fairytale whimsy to a whole new generation.

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What’s more, by adopting a mixture of 2D and 3D animation - the same kind that has made Into The Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem such big hits with fans - Wish also looks like it’ll be the studio’s most visually stunning movie yet.

Here’s everything we know about the film, including its release date, cast and plot details.

Wish release date

The only thing cosier and more wholesome than a Disney movie is Christmas, which is when you can expect to find their animated latest hitting the big screen.

Wish is set to be released in UK cinemas on Wednesday, 22 November. However, with the Hollywood strikes still unresolved, this could be pushed to a later date.

As with most Disney releases, we can likely expect Wish to find its way onto Disney+ a few months later, although a solid streaming date has not yet been confirmed.

Wish voice cast

West Side Story star Ariana DeBose plays the film’s lead, a young woman named Asha who gets a little more than she bargained for when she wishes on a falling star.

Star Trek and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves star Chris Pine gets an opportunity to flex his villainous chops as the film’s big-bad King Magnifico, a ruler who promises his people that he has the ability to grant their wildest dreams - apparently.

Read more: Wish promises to be a delightful celebration

Meanwhile, Firefly and Rogue One actor Alan Tudyk plays Valentino, Asha’s adorable pet goat who is granted the power of speech when he crosses paths with the magic falling star.

Other cast members include Angelique Cabral, who plays Queen Amaya, Victor Garber as Asha’s grandfather, Sabino, and Natasha Rothwell as Asha’s mother Sakina.

Asha also has a group of seven friends, a reference to the seven dwarfs in Snow White, who are voiced by an array of stars.

Jennifer Kumiyama plays Dahlia, Evan Peters voices Simon; Harvey Guillén plays Gabo; Ramy Youseff takes on the role of Safi; Niko Vargas voices Hal; Della Saba plays Bazeema; and Jon Rudnitsky takes on the role of Dario. Each has a trait that is a nod to one of Snow White's companions.

Wish also include a cameo role for broadcaster, author and entrepreneur Rochelle Hume. She'll play a character that's also named Rochelle who dreams of becoming the captain of her own ship.

We do know that the film is a musical and could have another hit song on its hands which could rival Frozen’s Let It Go earworm. The soundtrack contains music penned by Julia Michaels, the same songwriter who has written popular hits for Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.

ish first reactions

An early screening of Disney's new animated movie Wish has taken place and people are starting to share their thoughts on social media.

The verdict? Well, it's pretty positive - with many viewers praising the film's animation style and also the calibre of its voice acting, which features stars Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine.

Critic Courtney Howard called the film "ENCHANTING & DAZZLING" saying that it features a "inspiring fairy tale & heroine for a new generation." Meanwhile, Ross Milheim at The Direct called the film "a strong addition to Disney's library."

Elsewhere, Comicbook.com's Jamie Jirak called Wish "pure heart" with writer Aaron Perine saying the film's "painterly art style really suits this whimsical tale."

Wish plot

Directed by Chris Buck, one-half of the filmmaking team behind Disney megahit Frozen, and Fawn Veerasunthorn, the storyboard artist behind new classic Moana, audiences appear to be in safe hands when it comes to Wish.

Co-written by Buck and his Frozen filmmaking partner Jennifer Lee, Disney’s latest animated tale follows the 17-year-old Asha who makes a wish on a falling star when she detects a swiftly-approaching evil presence in the fantasy Kingdom of Rosa.

When the star comes down from the sky and befriends her, Asha and her goat pal Valentino discover that they now have the power to make all of their wildest wishes come true. However, when the evil King Magnifico learns of this magical skill, their fun is brought to an abrupt halt and they must fight for the future of their Kingdom.

Wish trailer

The first trailer for Wish was released on 27 April and introduced us to Asha and the Kingdom of Rosa.

The short teaser also gave us our first proper look at the movie’s lush animation style which appears to combine traditional, watercolour-style 2D animation with a more advanced 3D animated approach.

The end product is something beautiful to behold which harks back to the studio’s iconic animated history.

Watch the new trailer for Wish:

A teaser was released in late August and gave us another look at the movie’s animation style alongside snippets of its musical score, with DeBose singing its title track.

A poster for the movie was also revealed, detailing its star-focused themes.

As if trailers and social media teases weren't enough to get us excited, Disney recently announced the launch of Wish Wednesdays which will release new music from the film each week leading up to its theatrical debut.

Launching on YouTube, Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music and other digital music providers, Disney Music Group kicked things off on Wednesday 18 October with the release of "This Wish", sung by Ariana DeBose as Wish heroine Asha.

Listen to it below:

If you enjoyed that, then you can soon enjoy a whole new batch of music as Wish Wednesday's rollout.

Below, you'll find details of upcoming Wish Wednesday releases, each of which will be accompanied by new footage from the movie, alongside lyric videos, original artwork and behind-the-scenes peeks.

• “At All Costs,” performed by Chris Pine and Ariana DeBose

• “This Wish,” performed by Ariana DeBose

• “I’m A Star,” performed by Wish cast

• “This is the Thanks I Get?!” performed by Chris Pine

• “Knowing What I Know Now,” performed by Ariana DeBose, Angelique Cabral and Wish cast

• “A Wish Worth Making,” performed by Julia Michaels

Wish will be released in cinemas on 22 November