Book Review: “The Art of Wish” is Wonderful Companion to Newest Disney Animated Film
Hi everyone!
I just received “The Art of Wish” to review about the newest Disney animated film Wish. It is the latest in a long line of books in the wonderful “The Art of” series from Chronicle Books. “The Art of Wish” released last month.
Here is my review!
The cover of “The Art of Wish” offers a taste of what is to come, in the form of the font for “The Art of”. The book has a fairytale look to it inside and I didn’t notice it on the cover until after I read some of the book. The cover also features Asha, Valentino and Star. If you take the book jacket off, it’s just a very simple cover with an imprint of a stylized rose.
The preface of “The Art of Wish” is from Jennifer Lee, Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation & writer/executive producer of “Wish”. She says that back in 2018, she and Chris Buck were in production on Frozen 2 and they realized that Walt Disney Animation Studios was just five years away from turning 100. They wanted to honor that, to have a film inspired by the legacy of Disney stories as well as the future. She also talks about how the title came about.
The foreword is by the filmmakers – directors Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn and producers Peter Del Vecho & Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster Jones. They talk about finding inspiration for Wish and for the character Asha.
Just like the film, “The Art of Wish” also looks back to the legacy of Walt Disney, with a chapter called “The First Fairytale” about the creation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Also discussed is how wishes are a mainstay of Disney Animation films. The next chapter is called “Reality into Fantasy”, which talks about how the filmmakers studied their own history.
The chapters that follow share a look at the creation of various characters, the inspiration for King Magnifico’s Castle, Asha’s home and more. The filmmakers wanted to create an “original fairytale” (although it seems that much of they did hearkened back to other movies and other characters). The illustrations in “The Art of Wish” are gorgeous and the book itself contains a lot of information, a lot of in-depth text that we haven’t seen in “The Art of” books in a while.
In the Creating the Cast chapter, Asha is talked about as being not a princess or born to wealth, she is the daughter of a North African mother and a father born on the Iberian peninsula. The filmmakers had to think about her hair and clothing, learning from their cultural consultant. Asha’s cape was inspired by the Fairy Godmother’s costume in Cinderella. It is just one of a many points of inspiration drawn from past animated films. Dahlia was inspired by Doc from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And we learn why Valentino wears a sweater.
“The Art of Wish” is probably the best “The Art of” book in recent years, with plenty of text discussing how the film was created with a nice amount of historical nods. And of course, there are gorgeous illustrations throughout. “The Art of Wish” is a wonderful companion for “Wish”.
I haven’t personally seen Wish yet (we plan to this week) but I have been writing about it for months and sent our reporter to the early press day and press conference. The book does spoil the film if you haven’t viewed it yet and want to be surprised.
Here is official information on The Art of Wish.
This stunning volume of the Disney Art of series is an exclusive look behind the scenes of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ original feature film Wish.
A deluxe installment of the beloved Art of Disney series shares the story behind the art and making of Wish, a feature film set to release during the 100th anniversary year of Walt Disney Animation Studios. A film that could only come from Disney Animation, this epic animated musical is inspired by the legacy of films from the studio and asks the question “How did the wishing star, upon which so many characters wished, come to be?”
The story follows Asha—an optimist with a sharp wit who cares endlessly about her community. In a moment of desperation, Asha makes an impassioned plea to the stars, which is answered by a cosmic force: a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, they face the most formidable of foes 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.
This stunning Disney book highlights the beautiful artwork from the film’s creation—including character designs, storyboards, color scripts, and much more—and features exclusive interviews from the creative team along with behind-the-scenes details.
© 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES DETAILS: Fans will want to delve into and explore this Walt Disney Animation Studios film through production art, stories, and making-of details exclusive to this book.
ENDLESSLY GIFTABLE: The next in the fan-favorite, collectible series of Art of titles, this Disney art book is the perfect gift for Disney fans, animation students, film buffs, and more.
PART OF THE FAN-FAVORITE ARTBOOK SERIES: The collectible Art of series from Disney Animation and Pixar is perfect for animation enthusiasts, filmmakers, students, and fans of Disney. Add TheArt of Wish to the shelf with other books like The Art of Encanto, The Art of Strange World, and The Art of Frozen.
Perfect for:
- Animation fans
- Disney fans
- Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar fans
- Students, educators, and aspiring animators and filmmakers
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