Wish will be loaded with 'legacy nods' to classic Disney films: 'They're all over the movie'

 

An example of one of the more obvious legacy nods is a familiar-looking poison apple that resides in the villain lair of the Chris Pine-voiced King Magnifico, as seen in EW's exclusive new photo (above) from Wish. One of the more nuanced nods is the particularly wide aspect ratio. Buck and Veerasunthorn confirm they utilized the same aspect ratio as Sleeping Beauty, which they say marks the first time a Disney film has used it since the 1959 animated classic.

"It's a wider screen. So, it just has that epic feel to it — and the story does too," Buck says. Sleeping Beauty became a big influence on Wish more generally. "The way things are framed, it's purposeful," Veerasunthorn adds, "and we embarked on that journey with the same thinking."

King Magnifico himself could also be considered a legacy nod. As the king of Rosas, Magnifico has the ability to grant people's wishes — "and can do other things too," Buck notes. He's a classic Disney villain in the vein of Maleficent and the Evil Queen. "We were always attracted to the idea that the villain and hero, for a moment, might align philosophically," Veerasunthorn explains of Magnifico. "In the understanding of what wishes mean to people, the most important part of you is what drives your heart. Asha and Magnifico understand the importance of that, but what drives them apart is how you go about achieving your wish."

Another homage used throughout the movie is the watercolor-style vistas that fill the backgrounds of scenes. Buck and Veerasunthorn note they are references to the classic watercolor art that influenced 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. "The goal is that this is a moving illustration. Every frame is a painting," Veerasunthorn says. "When you pause on it, we don't put a lot of motion blurs in this film or in the background. We employ the watercolor technique of when things are in the distance, you reduce the detail. This is a new technology that our team has developed to be able to control the lines and the details that go into whichever area on the screen. So, when you want to narrow down the focus to someone or some situation, we have all those tools at our hands to really emanate the real-life watercolor."

Most Disney filmmakers are Disney fans themselves, and Wish, premiering this Nov. 22, is a product of that fandom. Buck calls Pinocchio his favorite film and one of the first movies he saw in theaters as a kid. Veerasunthorn mentions 1941's Dumbo. ("I watched it a thousand times.") When it came to Wish, the duo welcomed other filmmakers from across Disney to weigh in on what they would love to see on screen, especially when it came to these legacy nods.

"We wanted to make a movie that celebrates the joy of Disney and make a movie for the fans," Buck says, noting the studio's milestone birthday. "It's a hundred years. The Disney audience has kept us going and kept this studio going, and so there's so much of that."

Veerasunthorn adds, "It's a love letter to what was inspiring to us growing up."