Ariana DeBose to star in new animated Disney musical Wish with songs by Julia Michaels

The Oscar-winning star of West Side Story Ariana DeBose is to star in a new Disney animated musical.

The new movie “explores how the iconic wishing star came to be”.

Directed by Chris Buck (Frozen) & Fawn Veerasunthorn (Moana), the film will see Ariana DeBose star in the lead role of Asha with Chris Pine as King Magnifico.

It will feature original songs by singer-songwriter Julia Michaels and is currently set for release in November 2023.

Wish introduces Asha, a sharp-witted idealist who 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 set out to prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.

Speaking previously about working on the movie, DeBose shared: “It’s been really special, wish celebrates 100 years of Disney animation and Disney magic and so it’s really cool, multi-cultural group of individuals coming together to make something that represents all of us and I’m really proud of the direction we’re heading and all of the work that’s being done.”

You can watch DeBose performing a song from the movie below…

Alongside her award-winning role in West Side Story, DeBose is known for her roles on Broadway including the original cast of Hamilton and Bring It On and her Tony-nominated role in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. DeBose has also appeared in Netflix’s film adaptation of The Prom and Apple TV+ musical series Schmigadoon!