Oh, how the mighty have fallen. It’s easy to be weary of Wish, the newest animated parable from Disney, meant to commemorate the company’s 100th anniversary through a barrage of Easter eggs and self-congratulatory platitudes about the importance of following our dreams. Despite adopting an original story, the film from co-directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn falls prey to a multitude of clichés that have become synonymous with the studio in recent years. For every attempt at newness (the art style, the studio’s first Afro-Latina heroine), there is a recycling of old trademarks (the goofy sidekick, the patterned musical vignettes). Therein lies the dilemma of Wish’s ironic charms: To what extent is something a cliché when judged on its own merits? And can a movie like Wish even be evaluated without endless comparisons to its forebears?
Set in the kingdom of Rosas, a magical land ruled by the charismatic King Magnifico (Chris Pine), Wish centers on earnest 17-year-old Asha (Ariana DeBose). Upon almost landing an apprenticeship at his majesty’s palace, her idealism is crushed as she realizes that the ruler whom she exalted isn’t all he seems. Magnifico’s claim to fame is granting his constituents’ wishes, and entrusting him with your wish means being freed from the burden of feeling that absence—in other words, you forget. However, it soon becomes apparent that the king does not plan on granting most of the wishes he’s been given, hoarding them in his palace where they will never see the light of day. When Asha’s own wish is answered by a cosmic force, she and her friends set out to save their community from Magnifico’s control.
On its own terms, Wish isn’t half bad. The fairytale at its center is adorable and, combined with the opaque watercolor effect of its 2D and 3D animation, creates the illusion of a children’s book come to life—something made even more evident by the film’s storybook introduction. To that point, it’s easy to wave away any questions that arise such as, “Why did no one else see through the king’s veneer, when his whole thing is stealing people’s dreams?” The moral lesson matters more than any in-universe logic: There’s value in teaching children about the strength that comes from being part of a collective, and that individualism will only get you so far. Pine’s totalitarian ruler is the kind of classic Disney villain the company has been phasing out in recent years and, if nothing else, the concept of a young person becoming disillusioned with the leadership in her country after getting a look behind the curtain feels prescient. Better teach these kids now, before it’s too late!
Still, the irony of praising a film about nonconformity from a media conglomerate with such an iron grip on our culture is not lost, and Wish certainly relies on tired formulas. If you thought Olaf from Frozen was annoying, watch out—there are multiple hyperactive sidekicks here. The anthropomorphic star, who looks like a Kirby character and doesn’t talk, is cute, but “baby” goat Valentino (Alan Tudyk) is sure to quickly irritate adults. Meanwhile, the human characters for the most part have the exaggerated cadence and mannerisms of Disney Channel actors who perform as though there are casting agents watching, waiting to whisk them on to more promising opportunities.
The songs are also a mixed bag. DeBose makes a wonderful addition to the Disney princess (or not-quite-princess) roster: Her theme—an empowering anthem á la “Let It Go”—is beautiful, and the choice to have Asha sing it twice (once alone, and once as part of a collective) is charming and clever. Other musical numbers, such as Magnifico’s “The Thanks I Get,” are lackluster, the bouncy beat painfully reminiscent of generic radio fodder like Imagine Dragons’ “On Top of the World” rather than the musical theater sensibilities of your classic Disney villain song.
It doesn’t help that writers Allison Moore and Jennifer Lee bizarrely choose to pepper references to other, better Disney movies throughout. Given the company’s acquisition and franchising of nearly everything under the sun, one wouldn’t be blamed for reading this as a stab at the shared universes popularized by Disney’s subsidiary Marvel. Despite its current connotation, though, Disney has already been doing these minor tributes to its previous films for decades.
Still, it’s hard to imagine Wish having the longevity that the company’s other recent output, such as Soul and Encanto are clearly poised for. From the intricate line art of 101 Dalmatians to the impressive realism of Moana, past Disney movies had enough charm to enchant audiences through the decades without relying on generically cutesy sidekicks and musical numbers with all the personality of a boardroom meeting. Harboring inventive visuals and a heartrending message, Wish has enough heart going for it. What a shame, then, that it wasn’t confident enough in itself to try for success without these clichés.
Director: Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn
Writer: Jennifer Lee, Allison Moore
Starring: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk
Release Date: November 22, 2023
Ursula Muñoz S. is a critic, journalist and MFA candidate at Boston University who has previously written for news and entertainment outlets in Canada and the United States. Her work has appeared at Xtra, Cineaste, Bright Wall/Dark Room and more. For further reading, feel free to follow her on Substack and X, where she muses about Taylor Swift and Pedro Almodóvar (among other things).