Chris Pine is ready to join the list of iconic Disney villains with his role as King Magnifico in the upcoming animated film, Wish.
In ET’s exclusive sneak peek at the film, Pine and the Wish creative team give a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of Magnifico’s villain origin song, a playfully threatening number called “This Is the Thanks I Get?”
“For Magnifico, we wanted to take inspiration from classic Disney villains,” says the film’s co-writer, Jennifer Lee. “And every great villain needs a great song.”
Pine plays the leader of the kingdom of Rosas, who possesses mystical powers that make him the keeper of all of his subjects’ deepest wishes — which he wields to selfish ends. This puts him in conflict with Asha, played by Ariana DeBose, a teen girl who wishes on a star to try and save her kingdom from impending darkness.
The Wish team notes that Pine more than held his own opposite the Oscar winner — let’s not forget his display of his musical chops in 2014’s Into the Woods, after all.
“Chris has a beautiful range,” director Chris Buck praises. “He can really go there — and he does.”
GRAMMY winner Julia Michaels wrote Pine’s song, along with other original tunes for the movie, and says that getting to create her very own Disney songs has been a career high point.
“To see it fully animated, I cried,” she marvels. “Because I was like, wow, there it is — it’s alive!”
Watch the full featurette above.
The film also stars Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillén, Ramy Youssef, Niko Vargas, Della Saba and Jon Rudnitsky.
Wish is in theaters Nov. 22.
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