In October 2023, Walt Disney celebrated its centenary, marking 100 years of films that modified the face of cinema and received the hearts of generations of filmlovers. Only a month later, the studio’s newest animated blockbuster, Want, was launched, a characteristic that saluted Disney’s wealthy heritage of landmark animations whereas embracing cutting-edge know-how. However for Want to be a real Disney traditional, it needed to have magical songs.
Disney’s Chief Artistic Workplace Jennifer Lee (author and co-director of Frozen and Frozen II and co-writer of Want) referred to as upon singer-songwriter Julia Michaels to put in writing her first Disney songs. Although Michaels was a longtime pop star, finest recognized for the massive 2017 hit “Issues,” she additionally had some severe pedigree as a songwriter for others, having written for Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani, and Justin Bieber. She additionally had a robust reference to Disney – certainly one of her first gigs was as a 19-year-old singing backing vocals for the phenomenally profitable Frozen music, “Let It Go.”
Purchase Want (Authentic Movement Image Soundtrack) on vinyl.
In November 2023, Michaels spoke to Forbes about taking up the job, “I grew up a Disney kid, so I think Disney is sort of ingrained in everything that I do… I often think about the legacy of Disney and what Disney songs and movies are. And they are all about believing that you can do something and trying and daring to try and wishing on things.”
Michaels and her frequent collaborator Benjamin Rice (finest often known as the producer of the soundtrack of 2018’s Woman Gaga-starring hit musical, A Star Is Born) started engaged on the songs instantly after being given a brief temporary by Tom MacDougall, president of Walt Disney Music. They hit gold the primary day trip with “This Wish,” with a bit of assist from Canadian singer-songwriter JP Saxe.
Michaels later defined to the official Disney web site, “This was actually the first song written for this film – and it was based off of a very short paragraph! It was a synopsis of the film, which essentially said it’s about a young woman who lives in a kingdom with an all-powerful king. He keeps all the wishes, and she finds out that he’s not as charming and kind as everybody thinks, which sparks her very courageous, very brave, selfless journey to get these wishes back for the people in her town.”
For Jennifer Lee, it was vitally necessary that the songs mirrored the energy of Asha, the heroine of Want. As she advised Display screen Rant, “Asha connects with every person. It doesn’t just have to be women. Everybody hits that point in life where you’re becoming adults and you’re confronted with a world that is not as idyllic as you thought. Parts of the world could be harming people, and are you going to stand up and how do you do it? How do you face the failures in that and the consequences?”
“This Wish” speaks to the dedication and ideas of Asha, arriving on the level within the story the place the heroine is shaking off her fears to do the fitting factor (“My legs are shaking, but my head’s held high”). It begins in reflective, acoustic style, constructing as much as an anthemic energy ballad as Asha finds the braveness for her convictions, voiced fantastically by the actress Ariana DeBose. Lee cried when she heard “This Wish” – her imaginative and prescient for Asha had been completely realized. Right here was a personality to look as much as, and a music that offered her with a stirring theme music.
Want turned a direct favourite with Disney lovers and “This Wish” was a important success, with a nomination on the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for Finest Authentic Music – Animated Movie. On the first time of asking, Michaels and her crew had written a music that stood up alongside a centenary of Disney classics whereas chatting with in the present day’s issues. Needs actually do come true.
Take heed to the Want soundtrack on Spotify or Apple Music.
