Wish is the latest Disney Animaton film not only celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary, but will ask the question, “how did the wishing star, which so many Disney characters wished upon, come to be?”. Its an interesting premise that will undoubtedly honour the company that changed movies forever. At a junket for Wish, we spoke to co-director Fawn Veerasunthorn and longtime Disney Animation producer Peter Del Vecho about the pressure of working on a film celebrating this massive milestone, the animation style, the test screening process, and more.

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED IN AUGUST 2023, DURING THE SAG-AFTRA STRIKE AND PRIOR TO THE RELEASE OF WISH

OTN: Fawn, you’ve been in the Disney family for so many years, working your way up the ranks. What’s it like to make your directorial debut on such an important film for Disney? To further that, what are some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way that you’re implementing in your directing arsenal?

F.V: For me, the lesson I learned was to be prepared for great ideas to come from anywhere. There’s a great sense of collaboration at Disney Animation. Me as a director, I’m keeping the big picture in mind, as well as what the film meant to me. But, I have to be open to the fact that the method and journey to the final product can and will be different from where I started from.

OTN: Peter, when did you realize Fawn was the right woman for the directing gig on Wish?

P.D.V: Well, [looking at Fawn], one of your first movies with us was 2013’s Frozen

F.V: That’s right!

P.D.V: So, I think that we were hoping to get you on Frozen 2 but you became the story lead for Raya and the Last Dragon around that time. But clearly, she’s been a talented person right from the start.

OTN: Wholeheartedly agree and it shows in Wish. So, something I liked from the footage I saw is that you’re definitely celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary and you can see characters like Bambi or Maximus make appearances. Did you prepare for this by making a list of all the easter eggs you wanted in advance or did you add them along the way?

F.V: They emerged as we went along. A lot of the animators who work at Disney are Disney fans themselves and have been very excited to work on Wish. Along the way, there’s lots of suggestions and some we take, some we’re like “It’s great but it’s too much”.

OTN: In essence, it’s fans making movies for fans?

F.V: Yes!

OTN: That’s such a great perspective and outlook on it. Once again going back to Disney’s 100th, they’ve told so many great stories so I’m curious, for you , Fawn, to direct and for you, Peter, to produce, which Disney Animation film do you WISH you could’ve worked on and why?

F.V/P.D.V: (in unison) Oh ow.

P.DV: I’ve never thought of that.

F.V:…that’s a very good question!

P.D.V: I will say, one of the [Disney Animation] movies I experienced theatrically was The Lion King and that happened before my time. I’ve always loved that movie so I guess that would be my pick.

OTN: That’s a personal favourite of mine as well. Fawn, what about you?

F.V: I would’ve been very proud if I worked on Beauty and the Beast because I felt like that story wasn’t talking down to me as a kid. It feels big and the songs are amazing.

OTN: Both great answers and two of my personal favourites. A part of the filmmaking process I love is the test screening phase. I find it interesting to know what the audience likes, doesn’t like, is mixed on, etc. and how it’ll affect the final film. I know you guys had one sometime in February and someone I spoke to was there and loved it so I’m curious, how did the test screening process effect the final film?

P.D.V: The great thing is, the test screening audiences were so enthusiastic about the movie. The notes we got were “we want to know more, we want to experience more”. We of course got some specifics, many of which we did incorporate into the movie though.

OTN: I love the mixed animation style of this movie, it’s a cool mix of modern animation and watercolour. Was it always going to look like this or did you experiment with other styles before settling on this one?

F.V: We were trying to find the style that would honor the Disney legacy. So, with that in mind, we figured “why not go back to where it all started?”. We wanted to what inspired Walt himself. We looked at the artists who worked with Walt Disney at the time, namely chief illustrator Gustaf Tenggren and Kay Nielsen, who did tons of famous concept art for Disney.

OTN: Just curious to follow up on that, does the watercolour style take longer to animate because of all the diffeent layering and shading you have to do or is it roughly around the same time as any other project?

P.D.V: For sure, developing it, was a labour of love for many people. It’s definitely a big challenge. I would say it’s very different and specific for Wish as well as time consuming but the result is pretty amazing.

OTN: It looks amazing in the final scenes we saw but even in the unfinished ones it looks great. I’m curious, what lessons that you’ve learned from Wish will you carry onto your future Disney Animation projects?

F.V: To me, what I’ve learned is to take risks, be bold and step outside of your comfort zone because it could many wonders that can come from you and your team.

P.D.V: Don’t be afraid to let the story tell you what it needs to be. It might be very different from where you started but that’s a good thing.

OTN: That’s great to hear. My final question is, with Wish being Disney’s 100th anniversary film, what are you hoping audiences take away from this?

F.V: I hope that when the audiences walk out of the theatre, they feel the courage and excitement to chase after their forgotten dreams. It’s never too late to follow your wish.

OTN: Wonderfully put, Peter?

P.D.V: I hope it rekindles that sense of hope, connection and excitement.

Wish is out in theatres now!