Tonight's Movie: Wish (2023)

The latest animated Disney film, WISH (2023), came out a month ago, but I was too busy to see it then due to work and vacation.

Reviewer responses were somewhat tepid, but I was still curious to check it out for myself and had the opportunity to do so today.

I found WISH to be something of an oddball film. Over the years Disney has featured evil queens among its villains, but a DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER type allegory about a king who sells his soul to the devil nonetheless struck me as an odd story choice, especially for children.

Chris Pine voices Magnifico, who founded the kingdom of Rosas on a Mediterranean island. Magnifico is a sorcerer who receives his subjects' most heartfelt wishes when each turns 18; he then locks them away, with each person forgetting what they wanted. Magnifico doles out the granting of one innocuous wish a month to some lucky citizen, while keeping most for himself...forever.

Young Asha (Ariana DeBose, Oscar winner for WEST SIDE STORY) initially aspires to serve as Magnifico's apprentice, but when she interviews for the job she realizes the darkness behind Magnifico's methods.

Feeling isolated with her surprising realization that Magnifico is not the benevolent ruler he seems to be, Asha wishes on a star -- which comes to earth to help her. But Magnifico sees the star's arrival and views it as a threat which must be eliminated. He turns to a book of dark sorcery, after which there's no turning back.

WISH is a pleasant 95 minutes but not much more than that. It's a film without much of a point, but what there is, as with GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023), seems to be a libertarian message of trusting in self and others rather than the "government," which doesn't have citizens' best interests at heart.

For the most part the film feels rather "by the numbers." Like Moana, Raya, Mirabel, and other heroines of recent years, Asha is a non-white heroine, which is part of Disney's ongoing efforts to offer greater inclusivity; of course, that's not an issue in and of itself -- and indeed, Mirabel in particular is one of my very favorite Disney heroines -- but at this juncture it's simply become a very predictable, non-creative creative choice.

The same can be said for Asha's circle of friends; one can imagine the artists working down a checklist of differing "types," rather than creating truly unique characters that come from their hearts.

The film's overarching theme has also become typical, as a courageous young girl works to improve her life and community from the existing status quo. I'd like to be done for a while with the bold heroine who sees the world more clearly than others and accomplishes what adults can't.

I did appreciate the character of Queen Amaya (Angelique Cabral), who I found more original, not always going in the expected directions. Amaya stands out among most of the lifeless characters as someone worth figuring out. (I did wonder about her seeming lack of grief near the end...)

The film is "stardusted" with countless nods to Disney's animated past, up to and including drawings of numerous past Disney characters illustrating the end credits, but it feels as though the film is standing on that legacy rather than its own two feet, so to speak.

I'll add here that the film even borrows from non-Disney films like SUPERMAN (1978). Nods to other films are usually appreciated by me, as I mentioned yesterday in my GODZILLA review, but in the case of WISH it's not so much a case of paying tribute, but a lack of originality. One example: As wishes rose in the sky I could only think of the lanterns in TANGLED (2010).

It doesn't help matters that the score by Benjamin Rice, Julia Michaels, and J.P. Saxe is bland and mostly unmemorable. Unlike the great Broadway-style scores of FROZEN (2013) and older Disney animated films, such as those scored by Alan Menken, the WISH score is missing catchy tunes which stay with the viewer after the movie has ended. I felt the song "This Wish" was the strongest, followed by "Knowing What I Know Now." A stronger score would have gone a long way towards making the film something closer to a success.

Finally, I was also disappointed with the film's overall look. While there are some very pretty moments, most of the town of Rosas has the same blandness as the music, with the characters dressed in dark pastels. Perhaps I shouldn't compare the film's look to the exquisitely colorful ENCANTO (2021) but it can't be helped. I suspect the dark backgrounds and costumes might have been to better set off the character of the "star," but it's unfortunate.

In the end I found WISH moderately entertaining, but unfortunately it was a film where I spent more time picking apart what was wrong with it than enjoying it.  Disney fans may find it worth catching, but I'm hoping for more from the company next time out.

WISH was directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, with a screenplay by Jennifer Lee (FROZEN) and Allison Moore.

Update: WISH will be released on Blu-ray on March 12, 2024.

Tweet