Since the 1980s, Walt Disney Animation Studio’s opening theme has enchanted audiences with “When You Wish Upon A Star.” It’s a theme that continues to resonate with all who look to the stars to guide them. And so, Wish directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, co-writer and Disney Animation CCO Jennifer Lee, along with producers Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones set out to pay homage to the classic Disney animated features that came before it, while embracing the new techniques and technologies of the future.

The result, is a breathtaking new animated musical feature that shines a light on a selflessness, discovering your inner strength to speak out when something is clearly wrong, and being okay with not having the answers. And we got to talk to all of the creatives that made Disney’s latest Wish possible.

The Nerds of Color was invited to join their fellow journalists at Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, CA to talk to Buck and Veerasunthorn, Lee, and Del Vecho and Lancaster-Jones about Wish, the 62nd film that celebrates the studios’ centennial anniversary. As aforementioned, the film is a culmination of all the studios achievements and advancements in visual storytelling and is a blend of different generations of CG and hand-drawn animation, creativity, and music and songwriting. So its going to take a film like Wish to celebrate everything that makes the studio so iconic.

In our interview with Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, we talk about what makes their villains so iconic and how they figure out giving them what they deserve. They also reflect on years of storytelling and what it means for them to tell a story that celebrates the studio’s 100th anniversary. We also chatted about wishes and redefining what it means to keep and share them with the world, and what it was like to see Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine work their magic in the recording booth.

Producers Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones give their thoughts on whether or not Julia Michael and Benjamin Rice‘s “This is the Thanks I Get” is a villain song or an anthem for parents. And Lancaster-Jones shares his thoughts on what it means for him, a Mexican-born film producer, to be a part of the studio’s 100th-year celebration.

Inspired by Walt Disney’s magical, musical legacy, the movie features an original story and characters and includes seven all-new songs. Wish opens in theaters on November 22, 2023.