Jennifer Lee is currently the Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and she has an impressive filmography to match her role. Lee wrote Wreck-It Ralph, created the story of Zootopia, wrote/co-directed both Frozen films, and more. Her latest project is Wish, which she co-wrote and executive produced. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to talk with Lee about Wish, and we took the opportunity to bring up Frozen 3, which was announced by Bob Iger back in February.
“The only thing I can say is Bob has announced there’s more Frozen. And I’ll say what we are working on, I am very, very, very excited about. That’s all I can say,” Lee teased.
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During the chat, Lee also explained why she didn’t step back into the director’s chair for Wish.
“No, actually what’s interesting is, I was a part of the concept originally in a lot of conversations, and the way I work as an executive producer is I’m in for big milestone moments, or I’m there to brainstorm,” Lee explained. “We’ll have sessions and we’ll connect, and I do that for everything we work on. And then this one just became unique, because Chris was already working on it. We knew he’d direct, Fawn was with us, and what happened was, as we were building it, I could see things very vividly. I would start talking – Chris knows me so well – and I start speaking dialogue when I see a scene or they’ll say an idea and I’m imitating a character. And then they just asked if I would write a draft, at the beginning when we had the idea, but not the story.”
Lee continued, “Also, I think because I knew us very well, having written Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia – that range. So the first idea was that I’d do a first draft. And that was fun for me. I hadn’t written since Frozen and to do something new as an artist is important to me. So I thought that’s all I was going to get to do. And then we found a way to make it work and Allison [Moore] came on, and did an extraordinary job of really helping us. So I had that bridge to the story team. I had a collaborator, so I wasn’t carrying all the work, but I still felt so much a part of the team. So for me, I feel grateful.”
What Is Wish About?
You can read the official synopsis for Wish below:
In Wish, Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, 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 confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—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. Featuring the voices of Academy Award®-winning actor Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico, and Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino, the film is helmed by Oscar®-winning director Chris Buck (Frozen, Frozen 2) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (Raya and the Last Dragon), produced by Peter Del Vecho (Frozen, Frozen 2) and co-produced by Juan Pablo Reyes (Encanto).
Jennifer Lee (Frozen, Frozen 2) executive produces — Lee and Allison Moore (Night Sky, Manhunt) are writers on the project. With original songs by Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice, plus a score by composer Dave Metzger.
Stay tuned for more from our interviews with the producers and directors of Wish, which opens only in theaters on November 22nd.
