Disney's Wish Looks Back While Moving Forward In Extended Preview [Annecy 2023]

The 100th-anniversary celebration of Walt Disney Animation Studios is in full effect at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. There was news that 28 restored short films will be added to Disney+, while a brand new short film titled "Once Upon a Studio" debuted on opening night. Still, as incredible as the short is (and believe me, it is pure Disney magic), there was nothing like seeing it play again during a Disney panel, where the short film got an emotional reception and a standing ovation.

Still, that was not the focus of the panel — though audiences did see a couple of behind-the-scene videos showing how directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy brought back Richard Sherman to play "Feed the Birds" at Walt's office for the short, along with a tribute to the late legend Burny Mattinson. No, the main focus of the presentation was Disney's upcoming centennial celebration animated feature, "Wish."

Our own Ben Pearson saw a clip of the film earlier this year and praised the movie's animation style. Disney brought about 20 minutes of footage from the film to Annecy, showing how the studio is simultaneously looking back at its 100 years of history while also moving forward in terms of visuals and storytelling. Most excitedly, perhaps, is that "Wish" will bring back an element from Disney's animated history that's been sorely missing in their recent animated films: a proper villain.

Though the wishing star, or stars in general, have always been a central element of Disney's movies, with characters always longing for more, "Wish" is perhaps most related to "Sleeping Beauty," arguably a pinnacle of Disney animation. For one, "Wish" is presented in the 2.55:1 CinemaScope format that was also used for "Sleeping Beauty," giving the fairy tale an epic scope. What's more, the compositions in the animation of Disney's 1959 classic served as inspiration for the studio's new feature.

Though not as focused on recreating the past as "Once Upon a Studio," "Wish" does have plenty of references to Disney's 100-year history, like its protagonist Asha having a group of seven friends — something Disney animation head honcho and "Wish" co-writer Jennifer Lee described as their version of the seven dwarves. No doubt, there are plenty more Easter eggs in the actual film.

Arguably the biggest draw for "Wish" is its animation style. Even if it isn't as revolutionary as, say, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," there are clear influences from Disney's own short "Paperman," which played with hybrid animation years before Miles Morales hit the big screen. The result is still a big leap forward for the most traditionalist animation studio in Hollywood, blending watercolor textures with 3D animation. I only hope the studio continues to experiment with these techniques in the future.

As for the footage, it looks like a cute and uplifting Disney movie. It doesn't seem particularly challenging or revolutionary, yet very much feels like an updated version of one of the studio's classic fairy tales. The story itself is set at the dawn of the age of fairy tales and Julia Michaels' songs are fantastic. All in all, "Wish" is shaping up to be a nice treat for Disney fans.

"Wish" opens in theaters on November 22, 2023.