Cynthia Erivo on Remaking Disney's "Iconic" Song "When You Wish Upon a Star" For "Pinocchio"

Disney's new live-action "Pinocchio" isn't the only timeless classic that just got a major update. If you've viewed any Disney movies within the last few decades, then you've surely heard "When You Wish Upon a Star" play over the opening credits. Now synonymous with the Disney brand, the signature song actually originates from one classic work: the 1940 animated version of "Pinocchio." Fast forward to 2022: "Pinocchio" star Cynthia Erivo has re-created the staple song for the newest Disney movie.

According to the famed singer and actor, who plays the Blue Fairy in 2022's "Pinocchio," she had no idea how she wanted to perform the iconic hit when she got tapped for the film. "I waited until I heard the orchestration of the music," she tells POPSUGAR. "So I, sort of, took from that. That allowed me to know the direction that they wanted to go in and I went with it. That's the easiest thing to do when there's music, how you listen to it and allow [it] to have a conversation."

Disney teased Erivo's "When You Wish Upon a Star" rerecording in the official "Pinocchio" trailer that was released on Aug. 24. The original version of the track snagged the Oscar for best original song in 1940, setting a huge precedent for Erivo to live up to. Even though she added her own flair to the song, the "Wicked" actor made sure to preserve the magic of the original that made people fall in love with it back in the '40s.

"I knew I wanted to be brave enough to allow the qualities that I have in my voice to come through, but I also didn't want to stray so far away from [the song] that you didn't recognize it anymore, because I don't know that that is useful," she explains. "And I still wanted to recognize it because I understand how iconic this piece of music is. I wanted to make sure we still kept it in that world."

Listen to a snippet of Erivo singing "When You Wish Upon a Star" in the clip ahead and stream "Pinocchio" on Disney+ now.