Following in the footsteps of classic villain songs like “Poor Unfortunate Souls” (1989’s Little Mermaid), “Be Prepared” (1994’s The Lion King) and “Mother Knows Best” (2010’s Tangled), Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Music Group today released “This Is The Thanks I Get?!,” performed by Chris Pine as the nefarious King Magnifico, from Disney’s upcoming musical comedy, Wish. The song is the second of five songs being revealed as part of a weekly “Wish Wednesdays” music campaign ahead of the film’s launch in U.S. theaters on November 22.
Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy®-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice penned seven original songs for the film, including “This Is The Thanks I Get?!”—now available on SiriusXM’s Disney Hits Channel 302, YouTube, Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music and all digital service providers.
In the movie, people come from all around the world to give their wishes to Magnifico, a charming and confident King who promises to grant their deepest desires—someday. But the King isn’t entirely altruistic; he alone decides whose wish will be granted, and he relishes the control. “He’s charismatic; he’s handsome—and he knows it—but I think he truly believes their wishes are safest in his hands,” said screenwriter/executive producer Jennifer Lee, chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios. “So when Asha exposes the flaw in his philosophy, he feels underappreciated and threatened.”
Cue “This Is The Thanks I Get?!” “We just had a blast with it,” said director Chris Buck. “The visuals are terrific—he’s the King and he feels like nobody respects him. It’s been a while since we’ve had a good villain song, so Julia and Ben just went for it.”
Director Fawn Veerasunthorn said “This Is The Thanks I Get?!” is a good example of how a song can help shape the character. “We’d provide a rough version of the script [to Julia and Ben] and they’d go away for a while and come back with a song. Their songs inspired us. For ‘This Is The Thanks I Get?!’ we knew we wanted Magnifico to be charming and, of course, evil. He’s also funny! In the song, he cracks jokes—he’s narcissistic. But it’s all tongue-in-cheek and he’s still somehow completely likable, which is great for a villain.”
The Wish Original Motion Picture Soundtrack from Walt Disney Records will be available on November 17 on all streaming platforms. Fans can pre-order the CD here and the vinyl here.
