Could the next Disney princess be a Mulan Rua or Cinder Eile?
Frozen creator (and big Mary Black fan) Jennifer Lee considers making an Irish-themed movie...
A DISNEY animation featuring an ‘Irish princess’ could be on the cards – especially if U2 and Mary Black provide the soundtrack, the creative head of the movie conglomerate has hinted.
Jennifer Lee, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation, was speaking ahead of the release of the movie and streaming giant’s latest blockbuster, Wish, in Irish cinemas later this month.
The new musical-comedy is set in the magical kingdom of Rosas and incorporates much of the Disney magic evident in other big hitting fantasy dramas such as Frozen and Mulan.
Disney has based many of their ‘princess’ movies on traditional German, French and even Scottish folklore tales.
But according to Ms Lee, the world’s leading family entertainment company would consider an
‘Get U2 involved... and a bit of Mary Black’
Irish ‘princess’ tale in the future.
‘Just get U2 involved and it’ll be fine,’ she laughed when asked about the possibility.
She added: ‘We’ll make it. We’ll do it. A bit of Mary Black... yes, I think that’s it. We’ve it brewed here. I’m happy to do it, I’d be the first one back here [to do it]. When I start making my own movies again, we’ll get on it.’
But animation fans here will likely be waiting a while to see Disney’s take on a traditional Irish tale – next on Ms Lee’s to-do list appears to be Frozen III, but she also has other plans in the pipeline.
The Disney creative chief has been something of a trailblazer in what was traditionally a male-dominated industry.
When she started out, she was often the only woman in the room, but she said things have changed for the better and she’s excited about what the future holds for her industry.
‘For us, the talent is there, and finding that talent and connecting with that talent became an immediate goal for me, and it has made us stronger in every way together.
‘But it’s something that continues to evolve, and you know, the big thing for me now is it’s time for the new generation’s voice to come through.
‘I’m getting old and so, it’s just more of a [case of], how do we make sure we create a space for them, but also give them the school, the tools and the skills that we’ve developed, and I’m most excited for that now.’
Ms Lee also co-wrote the script for Wish, and her Frozen I and II co-director Chris Buck picks up the reigns for their latest animated feature alongside Fawn Veerasunthorn.
Speaking about the new movie, and the decision to choose ‘a classic male villain’, Ms Lee said: ‘Well, it’s interesting... we have wanted for a while, Chris [Buck] and I, we’ve been talking about wanting to do a classic villain. And it’s funny, as even in Frozen, you know we thought about it in Frozen 2, but it wasn’t the right thing for that.
‘But what is a classic villain… I think what I get excited about for Wish is we’re going to take you on that journey, not of his motivations, how he gets to be the villain he is, and not just introduce you to sort of this arch kind of character. ‘Interestingly, audiences today, if they asked for more from us, it was always to want to know more about the villain. And that is just who we are as storytellers today.’
Ms Lee is also a huge Disney fan at heart. ‘Disney does mean a lot to me,’ she adds. ‘I mean, it’s part of my earliest memories; it’s been there for me. Disney is a place no matter where you come from, or what your experience is, you want to connect with Disney. It belongs to you just as much and it inspires you just as much.’