How Wish's Asha Reflects Every Single Disney Heroine
This article contains spoilers for "Wish."
What does it mean to be a Disney Princess? This could be a question regarding corporate decisions, as the Walt Disney Company has a specific classification for their "Princess Line" media franchise and toy line, but it's also a bit existential. Does a character have to be canonically royal to be considered a Disney Princess, or are they something else entirely? As it turns out — there are rules to be considered an official Princess, with Disney currently recognizing 13 characters with the distinction. She must play a central role, cannot be introduced in a sequel, must be royal by birth or marriage (or perform a heroic deed), must be human/human-appearing, and the film can't be a flop or unbelievable hit.
Elsa and Anna are both so popular that they are not lumped in together with the Princesses, and heroine figures like Alice (of Wonderland), Mirabel (of "Encanto"), and Megara (of "Hercules") exist in their own category. And what of the princess star of "Sofia the First?" Well, TV princesses don't count for the official classification either.
This brings us to Asha in Disney's latest animated feature, "Wish." She's not royal by birth or marriage, her heroic deed is fulfilled with the assistance of her entire community, and the film ends by declaring the 17-year-old as the fairy godmother of the City of Rosas. What makes it doubly complicated is that "Wish" is Disney's first original fairy tale, one that doubles as a tale of fantasy and an allegory for the company itself. As such, many of Asha's attributes are reminiscent of both Princesses and Heroines of Disney yesteryear. In fact, she's a reflection of them all.
A beauty but a funny girl
Some of the unofficial traditional rules for Princess classification often include having a strong singing voice, some sort of animal sidekick, and being beautiful on the inside and out. All of these attributes describe Asha, who is voiced by Broadway superstar and Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. Her performance of "This Wish" is one of the strongest vocal performances of any Disney lead, establishing a new song that fans around the globe will certainly be singing ad nauseam. It's okay, "Let it Go," you can rest now
. She's also got a delightful talking animal sidekick, a goat named Valentino voiced by Alan Tudyk. But in the time-honored Disney tradition, she also has a non-speaking sidekick, the Star that comes down from the sky to help her grant wishes. In speaking with People, DeBose described Asha as such:
"She's got many parts to her, she's so smart, she's got a great sense of humor and she's trying to take care of people she loves most in the world. She's a leader and doesn't realize it. She's just living and doing, and learning along the way, she doesn't always get it right, which is the definition of being human."
Certainly sounds like princess material to me, but as for royalty, Asha tries out for the role of the King's apprentice but doesn't get the job. However, King Magnifico (Chris Pine) and Queen Amaya (Angelique Cabral) do not have any heirs, and with Magnifico locked up in a mirror and being kept in the dungeon, Amaya is ruling all on her own. There's a chance that she could one day relinquish her title and pass it on to someone like Asha, or perhaps she will keep her title as fairy godmother and someone like Asha's best friend Dahlia (Jennifer Kumiyama) will step into the role as ruler.
One day she'll know, how far she'll go
More obviously, however, Asha overcomes unthinkable obstacles like the heroines who came before like Mulan, Merida, and Raya. Asha isn't just facing off against a wicked king like Snow White did with the Evil Queen, she's facing off with a king powered by some of the strongest, most dangerous magic possible. It's even implied in the film that he's capable of not just the same wicked magic of the Witch in Snow White (as implied by his poisoned apple), but also the black flame candle of "Hocus Pocus" and forbidden magic. He's positioned as the most powerful magical villain ever shown in a Disney film, and it's up to Asha to stop him. She is assisted by Star's magic, but it's her unwillingness to back down and her skills as a leader to round up the citizens of Rosas to work together and take down Magnifico.
Had she not had the independent strength to defy what her friends, family, and community were telling her, they all would have been under Magnifico's magical maniacal monarchy. Asha was empowered by the stardust within her community, but it was her direction that helped unite them all to stand together and put a stop to Magnifico's reign of terror. It takes a true heroine to band together an entire city that was just moments before united in trying to take her down. Asha does not only encapsulate the trademark signs of a Princess, she's also a hero, and every aspect of the film reflects this duality.
Let's get down to business
The story is the most obvious support of Asha's place as both a Princess and heroine, but the animation and music also draw parallels to all of the characters that came before. She has the support of seven best friends like Snow White, she lifts her arms when cloaked in magic stardust like Cinderella with her Fairy Godmother's sparkles, she has singing mushrooms rooting for her like Alice of Wonderland, she's not afraid to stand up for herself like Tinkerbell, she faces off with a similar villain as Aurora, she dances with animals like Mary Poppins, she longs for more like Ariel, she's a friend to all like Belle, she refuses to let traditions hold her back like Jasmine, she races through the forests like Pocahontas, she's an outspoken humanitarian like Esmerelda, and she's sardonic like Megara.
She's headstrong like Mulan, she's resourceful like Jane, she's dedicated to protecting her home like Kida, she's sassy like Lilo, she's a quick-witted fast talker like Captain Amelia, she's an independent hard worker who makes her own destiny like Tiana, she's endlessly curious like Rapunzel, she's the furthest thing from a damsel in distress like Merida, she's unafraid to be silly like Vanellope, she's overcoming trauma like Elsa, she's a little clumsy like Anna, she fights for her values like Moana, she's resilient like Raya, and she's a cycle breaker like Maribel. "Wish" scatters little moments throughout that reflect all of these attributes by mimicking memorable moments of prior films, sometimes even directly copying the movement of the scene.
Asha represents 100 years of Disney's greatest female characters and sets the bar for 100 years to come.