Disney’s ‘Wish’ Is Expected to Have Longer Theatrical Release Window

Disney’s holiday 2023 feature Wish is expected to have a longer theatrical release window, according to Disney CCO Jennifer Lee, who presented the movie at the trade show CineEurope in Barcelona today. Lee, who cowrote the feature with Allison Moore and Chris Buck, called the November release “a true celebration of everything that Disney stands for and an animated musical comedy adventure that captures the spirit of Disney classics.”

• • I love our sequels, it’s an honor when people like anything you created enough that it’s worth a sequel, so I’ll never feel anything but grateful for it,” Jennifer said during a press event, per Digital Spy. “But I also love our originals, because that’s an important part of who we are and how we discover where we can go in storytelling. So I think number one for the start for us is that this had to be an original.”

At CineEurope, Disney also offered a look at the 2024 live-action version of Snow White with Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, as well as a first look preview of Mufasa: The Lion King. In addition, Pixar’s CCO Pete Docter introduced an extended look at the March 2024 release Elio, and Amy Poehler showed a peek at summer 2024 sequel Inside Out 2, via taped video. Danielle Fiamanya also presented the audience with a live performance of the song “The Wish” from the upcoming Disney feature.

Last week at Annecy, Jennifer Lee told The Wrap that she was not going to be directing the third installment of her blockbuster franchise Frozen. “I can’t say where we are [with Frozen 3. All our stories are driven by the artists in the studio. Where we’re going with Frozen did not come from me. It came from an incredible person. That’s a new piece, I’ve told no one. And I’ve been blown away by it and I’m just having a blast with that team… I’m doing what I do with all the other projects It’s really fun on Frozen,…cause we’ve lived the world for a while together and a lot of the artists in the studio grew up with that film too, both of them, and have been there the whole way…They kind of own them as much as anyone else.”

Lee added that she would love to direct again in the future. “I know someday I want to be a filmmaker again. I’m old but I’m not that old! I’ve only done two films and I do believe there’s a time — I’ll know it — but there’s a time when you give everything you can and then you make room for innovation of the next person. I can’t imagine anywhere but Disney.”

In Wish, Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force — a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe — the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico — to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, the film features  the voices of Academy Award-winning actor Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico and Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino.

Watch the film’s teaser below:

Disney’s Wish will open in theaters on November 23.

Sources: Digital Spy, Deadline.com, Laughing Place