Asha from “Wish” has arrived for a meet and greet at EPCOT. This summer, Walt Disney World was casting Asha look-alikes. Disney then announced in September that she would soon appear at EPCOT, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. The meet and greet character appeared onstage at Destination D23. Wednesday morning, the Asha meet and greet was added to the My Disney Experience app, with times beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Asha Meet and Greet
Asha can be found at the gazebo near the front of World Showcase.
It has been decorated with purple and gold banners for the Kingdom of Rosas where Asha lives. A faux stone wall is the backdrop of the meet and greet, with large pots of plants on the ground and lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
A couple more lanterns hang from a nearby tree.
The banners feature a red rose design at the top, alluding to the kingdom’s name. The stone wall also features white versions of the rose symbol.
The sign outside the gazebo states Asha will appear intermittently between 9:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. The times posted in the My Disney Experience app are 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 1:50 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
Asha appears in her purple dress with her hair in braids.
In “Wish,” Asha is voiced by Ariana DeBose, who is known for being the original ensemble member to portray “The Bullet” in “Hamilton,” and her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 “West Side Story” film.
Asha actually debuted in the “Once Upon a Studio” short film honoring 100 years of Disney animation, which is now available to stream on Disney+. Asha appears near the end of the short and takes Snow White’s hand as they sing “When You Wish Upon a Star.” The song is an appropriate choice for Asha as “Wish” tells the origin story of the wishing star.
Watch our video of Asha below.
“Wish” will have early access screenings on November 18 before its official release on November 22.
“Wish”
“Wish” is an animated musical comedy that uses a mix of traditional and 3D animation. The film follows Asha, a sharp-witted idealist who makes a wish upon a star that changes the fate of her entire kingdom. Alan Tudyk voices Valentino, Asha’s friend and a talking goat. Chris Pine voices King Magnifico, the ruler of Rosas and the film’s villain. Also starring are Angelique Cabral as Queen Amaya, Victor Garber as Asha’s grandfather Sabino, Natasha Rothwell as Asha’s mother Sakina, Jennifer Kumiyama as Asha’s best friend Dahlia, Evan Peters as Simon, Harvey Guillén as Gabo, Ramy Youssef as Safi, Niko Vargas as Hal, Della Saba as Bazeema, and Jon Rudnitsky as Dario. The latter seven were each inspired by a different dwarf from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
The film is directed by Chris Buck (“Frozen,” “Frozen II”) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) from a script penned by Buck, Allison Moore (“Night Sky”), and Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee (who also worked on both “Frozen” films). According to its directors, “Wish” will feature several legacy nods to films from the Walt Disney Animation Studios library.
Disney is releasing a new song from “Wish” each Wednesday until the film’s release. “This Wish,” performed by DeBose as Asha, was the first, followed by King Magnifico’s villain song, “This Is The Thanks I Get?!”
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