DVDizzy Forum

Ooh yay! Classic Disney villain in a classic Disney story with almost classic Disney animation!

Sotiris wrote:The fact it's about the wishing star in Disney movies specifically and not about how people came to wish on stars in general makes it worse. Are they trying to make a cinematic universe out of Disney films? Theories that connect movies unrelated to one another are nothing more than fanfiction and WDAS shouldn't be giving credence to them.

I like to think that Jennifer Lee just misspoke...maybe she didn't want to acknowledge that stories outside of Disney have used wishing on stars...I don't know. I'm not, in my "head canon," thinking of this as like the origin story of Tiana's star, Evangeline, Gepetto's star, Lilo's star, or anything like that... I think for the 100th celebration, they really wanted to be able to tie this film to Disney's history so they used Star to do so...

The Deadline article that Sotiris posted says

An animation test was shown to the room, which featured animators experimenting with character movement.

So that confirms that the short clip behind Ariana is not from the final film. I had been wondering that.

Sotiris, you mentioned wishing well being a potential Easter egg (idk if you were joking at all), but I can totally see Star going into a wishing well (Star can fly I assume), so I can see that happening. Maybe Genie's lamp will make an appearance; it's related to wishing and it's old like when this movie takes place I guess (or older). Thinking of Easter eggs, other wishing items that could appear: a magic wand, Cinderella's glass slipper, maybe something as innocuous as a pumpkin with a mouse next to it, um, wishing = Cinderella to me. Could have a lantern {Tangled}, a spinning wheel...

The Recscuers also kinda has a wishing star.

Ya know, I thought of that when going through my mental list but didn't post it; I had just woken up when doing that post.

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:54 pm I didn't like the song at all. It's so dull and unmemorable, it's like it was created by AI. Like someone put in "generic Broadway ballad #734" and this is what came out. It's even more forgettable than "Waiting for a Miracle".

To be honest, I thought the song was fine enough. But it wasn`t awfully memorable or outstanding. It`s execution and arrangement did remind me of some of the songs from the Disney Fairies Franchise (despite the different settings )

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:54 pm Well, it's been confirmed the film is set in the fictional Kingdom of Rosas, so I think it's going to be another cultural hodgepodge of some sort. The strange thing about the kingdom is it's being translated as the Kingdom of Wishes in the press, but rosas means roses, not wishes in Spanish.

I assumed because the protagonist is voiced by DeBose who is Afro-Latina, the character will also be Afro-Latina. However, the name Asha is not Spanish or African in origin. It's Sanskrit. And while the name exists in various countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, it only means "wish" in Sanskrit. In Swahili, it means "life". In Arabic, it means "alive and well". Is Asha supposed to be South Asian/Indian or Afro-Latina? The name of her pet goat Valentino is definitely Spanish which makes things even more confusing.

Well, as having questioned the setting, the whole architecture does give a Mediterranean vibe to it. As does the name of the goat. But I don`t like the idea of having the lead character be biracial. It just seems a little off and contrived in such a premise (no offense).

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:54 pmYeah, the origin of the wishing star is not something that needed explaining. The fact it's about the wishing star in Disney movies specifically and not about how people came to wish on stars in general makes it worse. Are they trying to make a cinematic universe out of Disney films? Theories that connect movies unrelated to one another are nothing more than fanfiction and WDAS shouldn't be giving credence to them. What's next? Are we going to get the origin of the wishing well too? It reminds me of what they did in Ralph Breaks the Internet where they took a common visual element like characters looking into water during their songs and made into a "thing" when there was never actually such intent. The wishing star hasn't even been used that much in Disney canon. As you've said, only a couple of movies show a character wishing on a star. The fact Chris Buck said there will be lots of Easter eggs from past Disney movies in the film worries me even more. This seems like pure fancervice, something the studio should not be engaging in.

Agreed. The wishing star is a Disney Icon, but it`s premise as a Disney symbol is essentially too skimpy to be made a movie off. Especially in a story that is not meant to be a parody of the elements of the company. Besides, Disney have used the star symbol to mock or scrutinize before (Lilo & Stitch, Chicken Little, The Princess and the Frog), but it`s always been one of their separate elements in their stories. Not something that their stories was entirely built upon.

I`m wondering if Asha is going to have a love interest, btw.

Grace Randolph says she knows the film will have strong LGBT representation. She believes there'll be a genderfluid character in the film, which she thinks is the star.

I guess the Star can be genderfluid the same way 22 was "genderfluid", but is it really the representation that people actually seek? I'm not sure.

DisneyFan09 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 8:07 amI'm wondering if Asha is going to have a love interest, btw.

She will not. A female protagonist is not allowed to have a male love interest, anymore. That's sexist, don't you know? The last female lead to have a love interest in a WDAS film was Anna from Frozen.

Sotiris wrote:I agree about DeBose. I'm glad they got someone with a really good, trained voice and who is experienced with musical theater. The voice actresses for Moana and Mirabel were not as refined.

Good point. I mean, Cravalho was better than Moore and Beatriz as far as singing ability. Still, it'll be nice to have someone closer to the level I used to associate with the Disney Princesses--like Anika Noni Rose, Judy Kuhn, Benson, Menzel, Salonga, etc.--again *finally*. And yay at there being a villain again.

And I agree about the title, too--PIXAR titles get to be names, like Coco, Elio, Luca, etc., and yet aside from Moana and Raya, WDAS films are still stuck with dumb titles. I would've rather it had been called The Wishing Star or Wishing Star. I think, like I said with "Frozen" years ago, at least "Wish" is better than "Tangled." Kingdom of Rosas... Eh... To me, it sounds like they started with Isabela's design as the base and then messed around with it to differentiate her from that character because there was so much positive reaction when Isabela's design was first released. I only think that because her world being "Kingdom of Rosas" reminds me of how Isabela's power was largely flowers for most of Encanto.

I actually do like Michaels and think she's talented, not to mention her cover of "In This Place" on WIR is great, so I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt for now. But I found the song a little underwhelming. It seems to be mostly lilting and goes nowhere. Although Beatriz is underwhelming as a vocalist and "WFaM" is a weak song, I could get into the emotion of "Waiting For a Miracle" at certain points if nothing else. This song feels like it's being lifted by DeBose's talent despite being a poor song, much the same way ANR and Keith David did the heavy lifting with Randy Newman's songs in TP&TF.

Farerb wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 1:54 pm I guess the Star can be genderfluid the same way 22 was "genderfluid", but is it really the representation that people actually seek? I'm not sure.

Yeah, I imagine it'll be something like that.

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 3:09 pm The last female lead to have a love interest in a WDAS film was Anna from Frozen.

Wow, that's almost a decade without a main romance in a WDAS movie! Well, if we don't count Frozen II, though even in the first film the relationship between the two sisters is the main focus of the story and not so much Anna and Kristoff's.

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 3:09 pm

DisneyFan09 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 8:07 amI'm wondering if Asha is going to have a love interest, btw.

She will not. A female protagonist is not allowed to have a male love interest, anymore. That's sexist, don't you know? The last female lead to have a love interest in a WDAS film was Anna from Frozen.

True In our politically correct and scrutinizing world, it`s definitively sexist to have a love interest now With the exception of Merida (who`s a Pixar property) and Elsa, who was a deuteragonist in the first place, almost all of the Revival heroines who`ve stayed single have been non-White (including Mirabel). It was nice to have a couple of single heroines at first, but now it`s been tiresome. But I`ll highly doubt that we`ll get a heroine with a love interest soon.

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:54 pm Well, it's been confirmed the film is set in the fictional Kingdom of Rosas, so I think it's going to be another cultural hodgepodge of some sort. The strange thing about the kingdom is it's being translated as the Kingdom of Wishes in the press, but rosas means roses, not wishes in Spanish.

Maybe its official name is Kingdom of Rosas, but it's also known as the Kingdom of Wishes by people? Perhaps that was mentioned in the presentation and that's why the press refers to it that way. By the way, here's a concept art of the kingdom:


Source: https://twitter.com/MouseInfo/status/15 ... 4586247168

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:54 pm I assumed because the protagonist is voiced by DeBose who is Afro-Latina, the character will also be Afro-Latina. However, the name Asha is not Spanish or African in origin. It's Sanskrit. And while the name exists in various countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, it only means "wish" in Sanskrit. In Swahili, it means "life". In Arabic, it means "alive and well". Is Asha supposed to be South Asian/Indian or Afro-Latina? The name of her pet goat Valentino is definitely Spanish which makes things even more confusing.

Judging by her locks, which can be seen better in the photo of the film's display below, I'd say she's Afro-Latina like DeBose. But I also thought she could be from India based on the name. And, I may be wrong, but I think Valentino is an Italian name. At least, I don't know anyone in Spain called that way. However, there are people here called Valentín, which I guess is the Spanish version of it. Maybe it does exist in Latin America, though. Anyway, perhaps the fictional Kingdom where the movie takes place is a completely made up place which is a hodgepodge of very different cultures, like San Fransokyo, for example.


Source: https://twitter.com/DisneyAPromos/statu ... 6916739072

Asha (?)'s design looks even better from that picture. I'm glad that she looks distinct, with the braided hair, from any of the other princesses. And it's a small detail, but I like that she has earrings in her basic design. I mean, I know other princesses wear them sometimes in the more dressed up moments, but usually not in their "main" look.

Oh, that castle is very pretty!!

Thanks for posting the closeup of Asha, D82! I`m wondering if she`s going to be a Princess.

Yes, Disney Wiki refers to her as Princess Asha from the kingdom of Rosas.

I don't think she's a princess in the film. If that were the case, it would have been mentioned during the presentation or in the press. But, she'll probably be inducted into the Disney Princess franchise.

Sotiris wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 10:33 pm I don't think she's a princess in the film. If that were the case, it would have been mentioned during the presentation or in the press. But, she'll probably be inducted into the Disney Princess franchise.

Well, let`s remember that Raya weren`t officially announced as a Princess from the get-go either, despite how she was announced to be included to the Franchise.

D82 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 7:55 pm

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:54 pm Well, it's been confirmed the film is set in the fictional Kingdom of Rosas, so I think it's going to be another cultural hodgepodge of some sort. The strange thing about the kingdom is it's being translated as the Kingdom of Wishes in the press, but rosas means roses, not wishes in Spanish.

Maybe its official name is Kingdom of Rosas, but it's also known as the Kingdom of Wishes by people? Perhaps that was mentioned in the presentation and that's why the press refers to it that way. By the way, here's a concept art of the kingdom:


Source: https://twitter.com/MouseInfo/status/15 ... 4586247168

Sotiris wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:54 pm I assumed because the protagonist is voiced by DeBose who is Afro-Latina, the character will also be Afro-Latina. However, the name Asha is not Spanish or African in origin. It's Sanskrit. And while the name exists in various countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, it only means "wish" in Sanskrit. In Swahili, it means "life". In Arabic, it means "alive and well". Is Asha supposed to be South Asian/Indian or Afro-Latina? The name of her pet goat Valentino is definitely Spanish which makes things even more confusing.

Judging by her locks, which can be seen better in the photo of the film's display below, I'd say she's Afro-Latina like DeBose. But I also thought she could be from India based on the name. And, I may be wrong, but I think Valentino is an Italian name. At least, I don't know anyone in Spain called that way. However, there are people here called Valentín, which I guess is the Spanish version of it. Maybe it does exist in Latin America, though. Anyway, perhaps the fictional Kingdom where the movie takes place is a completely made up place which is a hodgepodge of very different cultures, like San Fransokyo, for example.


Source: https://twitter.com/DisneyAPromos/statu ... 6916739072

Valentín is Valentino in Spain and here this name was very popular time ago. The paviment and the buildings that appear in the video of the song reminds me to Spain. I thought that after the cancellation of Giantic they would choose another story to be placed on Spain but honestly I Hope that they haven't chose this one.
I would like to see movies with fictional worlds again. I'm tired of seeing movies with a poor history that are only made to represent a culture.

I don't know if it was mentioned before but the goat is going to talk and not just make funny noises. His wish will be to be able to communicate and that's how he gets the ability to speak.

Thumper_93 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 2:06 pm Valentín is Valentino in Spain and here this name was very popular time ago.

Thanks for confirming. I know more than one man in my town called Valentín and I have a relative with that name too and they're all over sixty, so I guess it was popular 60/70 years ago. I've just realized the English version must be Valentine, since Saint Valentine's Day is "el Día de San Valentín" here.

Thumper_93 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 2:06 pm The paviment and the buildings that appear in the video of the song reminds me to Spain. I thought that after the cancellation of Giantic they would choose another story to be placed on Spain but honestly I Hope that they haven't chose this one.

It's true it has a Mediterranean vibe. Isn't it an olive tree, for example, the one that appears in the official first look released by Disney? That's a very Mediterranean tree. And there are palm trees in the background. I've also seen someone comment both the setting and Asha's dress reminded them of Morocco. I wish they had given more details about the where the movie takes place.

Farerb wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 3:10 pm I don't know if it was mentioned before but the goat is going to talk and not just make funny noises. His wish will be to be able to communicate and that's how he gets the ability to speak.

I remember reading that, but it probably hadn't been posted here. Here are a couple of videos from the presentation where Alan Tudyk reveals that detail:

https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1568401871135723521
https://twitter.com/SinfullyCinema/stat ... 8026721280

He shows what Valentino's voice sounds like in these interviews:

https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1568446888596340736
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1vippHdheA

And he talks a bit about the film here:

Now that we can finally talk about it, what can you tell us about the Disney centennial film recently announced at D23 Expo, 'Wish'?

Oh yeah, I can't say too much. It's a new musical, it's original. Ariana DeBose is the lead and she's a sweetheart. I met her for the first time the other day and we hung out for a while because I had only done one recording session, and the movie is still in the beginning of filming. It's just started. She's been involved longer, since she's working with the music and everything. I'm not going to be as involved in that whole process. It's going to be more between me and her. And that's all they've announced. I play a goat who can't talk. But the movie is about the blinking star that we see at the beginning of the Disney opening logo, about the desire towards that star. There have been many stars at Disney that have been wished upon, and this is the story of that star, where it came from, what makes it special and why it grants wishes. And it really does grant them, as it gives my character, Valentino, who by the way is in his pajamas, the ability to speak so he can communicate. So they go on an adventure together with wishes and songs. I think that's all I can say. And that it's for 100 years of Disney. The animation style is really cool because it's classic. It looks old school, but it's still being created from scratch. There's a lot of reasons to be expectant.

Source: https://www.ecartelera.com/noticias/ent ... -2b-70498/