THE Walt Disney Company is no stranger to creating lasting memories, and as it hits the monumental 100-year mark, it promises to do just that.

Through a century, we’ve cherished its characters, adored its adventures, and been part of a fandom that’s more like a family. Disney is all set to whisk you away on another musical journey with the release of “Wish”, a dedication to a century of spellbinding tales.

The legacy of Walt Disney isn’t just told through its characters or stories but also through the music that resonates with each tale. This tradition is fervently continued in Disney Animation’s “Wish”.

Set for a grand cinematic release on November 22, this animated spectacle spins an original story, studded with enchanting characters and serenaded with seven soul-stirring songs. Credit for these harmonious masterpieces goes to the Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy®-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice.

The centennial celebration brings another musical treat for the Disney fandom. Dubbed Wish Wednesdays, fans can tune into Disney’s official social media platforms every Wednesday for the debut of a brand-new song from “Wish”. But that’s not all; these song releases come bundled with exciting exclusives – think unseen footage, compelling lyric videos, intricate original art, and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Can’t wait to have these songs on loop? The Wish Original Motion Picture Soundtrack from Walt Disney Records will be available November 17 on all streaming platforms. Fans can pre-order the soundtrack beginning today. The vinyl album is available for pre-order now on Disney Music Emporium.

Advance tickets for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Wish” are on sale now, wherever tickets are sold. The all-new musical-comedy welcomes audiences to the magical kingdom of Rosas, where 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 Tudykas 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”), and produced by Peter Del Vecho(“Frozen,” “Frozen 2”) and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster Jones (“Encanto”). Jennifer Lee (“Frozen,” “Frozen 2”) executive produces—Lee and Allison Moore (“Night Sky,” “Manhunt”) are writers on the project. With original songs by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice, plus score by composer Dave Metzger, “Wish” opens only in theaters on Nov. 22, 2023.

(ROHN ROMULO)

CO-WRITER/DIRECTOR Emma Tammi explains why the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie didn’t aim for an R-rating, Despite being comprised of a host of murderous animatronics.

Anticipation is high for the adaptation of the hit horror video game franchise, which put players in the shoes of a night security guard at the eponymous family entertainment center trying to survive the night against the possessed animatronics that roam the restaurant.

Creator Scott Cawthon has co-written the script with the movie, with Josh Hutcherson leading the ensemble Five Nights at Freddy’s cast alongside Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard.

When asked about the movie’s PG-13 rating, the co-writer/director explained that the creative team never wanted to aim for an R rating, which led to determining a variety of creative processes to deliver the movie’s high body count in order to assure they weren’t leaving out a younger demographic.

Tammi explained, “We were trying to push it as far as we could while still retaining that PG-13 rating. That meant the kills needed to be executed in a certain way. And while it is so fun in many slasher films to see all the guts and the gore, it is also really fun to figure out creative ways to show these moments without showing all the details. In some cases, we leaned into shadows and silhouettes and sound design to really feel the moment in an impactful way without showing any gore.

“So that is something that I had a lot of fun doing, and actually really appreciated that we were taking the PG-13 approach for this because there’s such a younger audience for FNAF, and we didn’t want to exclude them.”

The initial announcement of Five Nights at Freddy’s earning a PG-13 rating was met with some division from horror genre fans keen on seeing Freddy Fazbear and his crew go on a bloody rampage. Those familiar with the games, however, have been far more accepting of the lighter rating, given it would stay true to the source material’s lack of on-screen violence.

Having been produced almost exclusively by Cawthon, the original game largely became a viral hit for its usage of jump scares to terrify players, with the various animatronics racing to the Freddy’s Pizzeria security room to stuff the player character into a suit.

Between suddenly appearing in a camera in a new place to poking their faces through the neighboring windows, the shock of their quick arrival made for laugh-inducing scares as many YouTube gamers would release videos of them playing the various entries. The tension was further elevated by the management of power, only having so much electricity to check the various cameras and close the security doors to keep the animatronics out.

Though much of the marketing for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie has hyped the body count Freddy and his friends rack up during its runtime, should Cawthon, Tammi and their team stay true to faithfully adapting the games, it can be just as terrifying with its PG-13 rating as with an R rating.

Across five installments, the Insidious franchise, also produced by Blumhouse, has frequently proven how creative filmmaking and effective jump scares can be executed with a PG-13 rating. Additionally, with the movie already tracking to beat both The Exorcist: Believer and Saw X in its early box office projections, it’s clear this lighter rating hasn’t affected audience anticipation. (Source: Inverse/Screenrant)

From Universal Pictures International, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” opens November 1 In local cinemas nationwide.

(ROHN ROMULO)