Ariana DeBose Casts Afro-Latina Magic in Disney’s Magical “Wish”

Disney’s new film, Wish, celebrates much more than the studio’s 100-year anniversary. The story built a world grounded in cultural diversity, a world reflective of our mixed communities. This co-existence on screen showcases that true power is derived from coming together.

The story is set on the mythical land of Rosas, a medieval island kingdom in the Mediterranean Sea, founded by a king with the power to grant wishes. As such, people from all over the world move to Rosas, guided by the distant hope their family’s wishes might be granted.

The illusion of the American Dream has certainly set the sails of migrants in similar fashion.

In Rosas, when you turn 18, you stand before the whole kingdom and relinquish your wish to King Magnifico. He then ‘safely harbors’ your wish until he chooses whether or not to grant it. But here’s the interesting catch: after the ceremony, you forget your wish altogether.

Like in the United States today, individual wishes are often abandoned for the grit of living.

At the heart of this story is Asha, voiced by Ariana DeBose, a high-spirited and well-liked teenager with freckles and box braids, on the verge of her 18th birthday. Though her exact ethnic makeup is unknown, we do know she is multicultural. One side of her family is Black, the other side is white, and she is voiced by an Afro-Latina—a historic first for a Disney protagonist.

When Asha learns the sinister truth behind King Magnifico’s benevolent façade, she takes things into her own hands to save the wishes of her family, of her community.

“[DeBose] was a dream to work with,” says Juan Pablo Reyes, one of the film’s producers, at a preliminary screening hosted by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). “We wanted [Asha] to be someone who was super accessible and relatable. It is the idea of someone wishing on a star, and we all feel that. We all have a wish that we want to make happen, and Ariana had that. She felt in many ways like the girl next door [and] also super talented.”

Originally from Jalisco, México, Reyes has been part of the Wish team since its inception.

When Disney decided to make a movie that celebrated its 100-year anniversary, the options were endless. At the time, Reyes was working in development. But, as the Wish story came alive, Reyes felt especially connected to the project and made an internal pivot to film production to see it through.

In recent years, Disney has taken proper steps to tell more stories that represent its diverse audiences worldwide. As they should. When Black and Brown kids see themselves reflected in heroic, magical characters, they certainly feel more seen and celebrated by society. In this way, cinema—especially children’s cinema—can revolutionize how we all engage in community.

Casting DeBose as Asha is another meaningful win in the ongoing battle for cultural equity, as is the diverse casting of her seven closest friends (who cleverly resemble the personalities of the Seven Dwarfs).

An anniversary project at its core, the film skillfully weaves in references to Disney lore at large.

“The cool thing about working with so many artists is that a lot of those nods come from each department,” Reyes goes on to say. “The animators will put something. The effects folks will put something. Special development will do something. It’s always in a way that’s respectful to time period and story.”

The Wish team successfully built a new world grounded in a quintessential Disney past. The film is touching, inventive, funny, and entertaining—a perfect family occasion over the holidays.