Asha is the latest Disney heroine starring in Wish, but her status as a Disney Princess may be confusing as of now. The release of Wish celebrates 100 years of Disney, so Wish is based on Disney’s famous catchphrase, wishing upon a star. Wish is also the first Disney movie to have an Afro-Hispanic lead in what is an exciting progression for Disney movies. Asha, who spots gorgeous box braids, is voiced by Ariana DeBose and is joined in the Wish cast by Chris Pine (King Magnifico), Alan Tudyk (Valentino), Angelique Cabral (Queen Amaya), and Evan Peters (Sleepy).
The Wish trailer has revealed Asha lives in the Kingdom of Rosas, where the King can grant wishes for its residents. Asha also holds this power and is being trained by the King to harness it. Asha has already made her debut in Disney’s short Once Upon a Studio where she is mixing with other Disney Princesses and characters. This debut was brief, but Asha mixed with the other Disney Princesses, especially Mirabel who was the latest Disney Princess to debut. This should signal Asha’s standing as a Disney Princess, but whether she is technically a Princess based on the film’s story is confusing.
Asha Is Not Technically A Princess In Wish
Asha is the protagonist of Wish, but she is not technically a Princess yet. Asha is a 17-year-old girl who is just a resident of the Kingdom of Rosas with no royal connections (that are yet known). However, Asha is being trained by the King, and the Wish trailer reveals she is his apprentice. Asha holds the same power as the King, so having him training her up may not only be for magical reasons, but with the intention for Asha to succeed him in ruling. The Wish trailer did not imply that the King or Queen had any children, so Asha may be the next royal leader.
Even if this is not the case, the Wish trailer has already shown that King Magnifico is the main antagonist of the movie and even continues a Disney villain trend with his green magic. Asha will have to go up against the King to stop his evil. If she is successful in this, it may mean that Asha will take on some leading role in the Kingdom of Rosas by the end of Wish. Asha’s role at the end of the movie may change, and she may become a Princess regardless of her royal connections.
Asha Can Be A Disney Princess Without Being Royalty
Despite not being a Princess in Wish, Asha is still a Disney Princess. The Disney Princess status does not come with being a form of royalty anymore in their respective movies but mainly categorizes the leading heroine. Mirabel in Encanto is the most recent example of this as she is not a Princess, and her exchange with Asha in Once Upon A Studio acted like a passing on of the baton to the next Disney Princess. Asha has some of the classic trademarks of a Disney Princess, such as magical powers and a talking animal sidekick, but even these are not requirements.
The Disney Princess title has not only been for technical Princesses anyway, as characters such as Mulan, Wendy Darling, Esmerelda, Megara, and Tinkerbell have all been classed as such without having any royal connections. It is actually rare in Disney that a non-Princess would have magical powers, so it will be refreshing to have a magical Disney Princess who is a regular person in her kingdom, and exciting that it is the King who is the villain in Wish.
