[4.6/10] Wish almost feels like a parody of a Disney movie. It has the vague aura of Shrek’s satirical take on the House of Mouse oeuvre, except somehow played straight. It plays like one of those direct-to-video Disney knockoffs that sneaks just close enough to the line to confuse a well-intentioned gift-giving grandparent while avoiding getting sued. It seems like someone threw every film released by the Walt Disney Animation Studios into an A.I. blender, and this is what it spit out.
What it doesn’t feel like is the worthy capstone to one-hundred years of magic-making from one of Hollywood’s most storied production houses. More so than most Disney flicks, Wish throws in ample tributes to its cinematic brethren to commemorate the occasion. A talking goat dreams of Zootopia. The villain squashes reveries of Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, and Cinderella. The protagonist's friend group is Disney-bounding the cast of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves for some reason. All of these shoutouts are pleasing enough, but at best they’re sprinkles thrown on top of a not-very-appetizing cake.
On a more substantive level, Wish follows a durable Disney format. There’s a princess type -- a young girl in a vaguely medieval kingdom with pluck and a dream -- even if she never becomes royalty. There’s a conniving villain who acts to hold her down and occasionally summon some evil magic. And there’s the usual cadre of buddies, cute animal sidekicks, and helpful woodland creatures. If you fell asleep and half-remembered every Disney princess movie you’d ever seen, you might get the basic outline of Wish.
Not for nothing, it’s also a musical, which is a good thing!...in principle. In practice, the songs veer between forgettable and outright bad. The titular tune “The Wish” has a few stirring stanzas, and the “let’s go get ‘em” ensemble number before the climax, “Knowing What I Know Now” has a solid rhythm and some nice interplay. But by and large, the tunes in Wish are well below Disney’s standards. The melodies aren’t catchy; the phrasing is rushed and jumbled, and many lines feature some downright miserable attempts at rhyming. (The allegory/excitatory/morning/story/poorly section is downright painful.) For a studio that's employed Lin Manuel Miranda, too many of the songs in Wish play like cheap imitations of his motor-mouthed lyrical style.
The animation is no better. Again, there’s a few nice pieces here and there. The imagery of Asha and her family rowing to the islet offers a striking starscape. The aforementioned “Knowing What I Know Now” number features a winning shadow puppet motif that stands out. Star, the anthropomorphic wishing star who helps Asha, is downright adorable throughout. And of all things, the villain’s hair is weirdly convincing. But these gems are few and far between.
The animation and overall look of the film seems strangely chintzy, as though this was originally meant for television and got gussied up at the last minute. The character designs are meh at best. Everyone looks like a generic plastic doll. Their faces and expressions don’t seem to match their bodies. And there’s an exaggerated, hyperactiveness to everyone’s movements that leads directly into the uncanny valley. If this is a tribute to a studio whose technological achievements and visual splendor was once its calling card, why does the movie look so blah?
The plotting is no better. At the heart of Wish lies an intriguing premise. A seemingly benevolent sorcerer king who gathers and “protects” the wishes of his populace, while only scarcely and self-servingly deciding to grant a fraction of them, has some thematic punch to it. The fact that the citizens of his supposedly idyllic realm lose their memories of their deepest dream when handing over their wish bubbles to the king, and that he later builds up his power by absorbing them is, true to the quasi-Disney mashup spirit of the piece, some real Kingdom Hearts-style weirdness. But you can at least sense the film trying to make some creditable statement in all of this.
Unfortunately, the story and the character motivations are some combination of jumbled and vague. At base, our hero, Asha, wants to better the lives of her fellow citizens, and the villain, Magnifico, wants to hold onto power. But Asha is as off-the-shell a spunky-but-heartfelt protagonist as they come, and despite a solid performance by Ariana DeBose, there’s nothing much to distinguish her. The reliably game Chris Pine manages to inject some life into Magnifico, and his “Why don’t I get thanked for doing the bare minimum for my people in a self-serving way?” mentality has some juice to it. But there’s just not enough depth to this character, or clarity in how he aims to accomplish anything, to compel you.
The rules for how the wish stuff works seem random. They can float around aimlessly without issue, but extracting them makes you mostly forget. They can be destroyed which gives you a feeling of grief. But it’s okay because some other magic can bring them back! But watch out for dark magic, which you can use to grow more powerful using other people’s wishes as fuel! Don’t worry though, because if you beat the dude infused with dark magic, all the wishes just come back out, good as new.
Look, it’s churlish to complain about the mechanics of a magical ecosystem in an all ages film. But the point is that without some defined boundaries, there’s very little in the way of stakes here. Magic is all well and good, but when it alternatively makes chickens dance and instills in a woman the pain of losing her spouse, without much to distinguish why one happens versus the other, the pixie dust feels like a narrative and comedic cheat code rather than a sturdy element of your story. Even there, the comedy pales in comparison to studio good luck charm Alan Tudyk using his Clayface voice to (I’d bet) improvise funny one-liners to spice up an otherwise dull and tin-eared spate of dialogue.
The sense of cause and effect is also lacking in the plot, but at base, we get a decent enough, “Not even you, evil wish-sucking King, can stop the power of us all wishing together!” And again, you can see what the creative team is going for. Somewhere in the narrative junk pile, the commendable idea of everyone holding onto their wish and working to make it come true, rather than giving it away and waiting on some questionable authority to simply make it happen, comes through. But when the characters used to illustrate that idea, and the story used to explicate it, are as janky and unmemorable as this one, the message loses a most of its oomph.
The vague hint at the end of the film is that Rosas, the utopian island setting for this story, is the source from which all Disney movies come, inspired by the wishes and dreams of a utopian, multicultural population -- right down to the protagonist’s allegorically 100-year-old grandfather coming up with “When You Wish Upon a Star”.
All I can say is that this is somehow the least plausible part of the movie. Not because of the mechanics of the suggestion, which are no worse than other metaphors for the creative process. But because it’s impossible to believe that a century’s worth of wondrous, ground-breaking, heart-rending films emerged from such a pallid, generic, emotionally inert, and all around uninteresting source.
Perfect movie fore the 100 year feast!!!! So many reverence. And I love that in the end titel you can see all the carrecters of the past movies. Almost all of them I good name and put a movie by.
The fact that Wish is inspired by Disney's 100th anniversary, which is supposed to be a celebration, is embarrassing.
It does show a decline in quality in Disney if this is the best they have.
Disney's latest offering, "Wish," left me wishing for something more substantial. While the premise held promise, the execution fell flat, weighed down by a musical score that felt eerily reminiscent of Lin Manuel Miranda's lazy formulaic song writing style. Surprisingly, Miranda wasn't even attached to the project, yet the music bore his unmistakable dull imprint, a trend of pandering that I hope Disney doesn't continue.
The majority of the songs felt like lazy imitations of Miranda's style: rapid-fire lyrics delivered in a uninspiring talk-singing fashion, leaving the lyrics indistinguishable amidst the noise. It's a tiresome formula, one that desperately needs a refresh.
The story itself struggled to rise above mediocrity, held together by a threadbare narrative that lacked depth and originality. Character development was virtually non-existent, leaving viewers with no one to truly invest in or root for.
The saving grace came in the form of the titular track, "Wish," a standout amidst a sea of forgettable trash. Unfortunately, it stood alone, unable to elevate the overall viewing experience.
Ultimately, "Wish" felt like a missed opportunity for Disney, a by-the-numbers production lacking in heart and substance. With no moral message to speak of, it left me questioning the studio's commitment to quality storytelling. Disney, it's time to break free from the formulaic shackles and give your audience something worth wishing for, before you lose them forever.
Coming to Disney's centennial at its lowest moment, this film wants to be a self-homage that exemplifies self-sabotage. With a mediocre screenplay and bland musical numbers, the artisanal style but CGI-generated animation seems cheap, something like the second-rate films that were released directly to DVD. The worst thing is the feeling that it is more important to make the centenary profitable than to actually celebrate it. If merchandising was made based on movies, now movies are made with Theme Parks and cruises in mind. Disney is determined to keep us making wishes, but it has long denied us the desire to watch a good movie.
I Wish this movie was good.
Celebrating 100 years of Disney magic and the best they could do was beat you over the head with a half-dozen obvious references to better movies.
20 years ago this would have been a straight to video release and not one of the good ones.
Like a megastore's private label: generic, bland, and cheap.
Nothing really stands out in this drab production, not the songs, not the animation, and especially not the marketing product blob of a sidekick.
I Wish I had my 90 minutes back.
Pretty forgettable and a lot of things just felt forced. Liked the credits though.
What a great concept by Disney to create a film based around what they believe in and practice as this film follows a magical town that is run by a king who keeps everyone’s wishes and desires, safe supposedly until something unexpected happens, and a rising star has to come to the rescue in a young teenage girl. There was some good music in this film, but not enough to your liking as most Disney films have. It was comical, funny and emotional like all Disney films usually are but it seemed like it was missing that something special. So if there was a little bit more music and had that special flare, this movie would get a 10 out of 10. But because it does not, it is just a solid Well done movie.
I'm a huge Disney lover, but this is absolutely the worst Disney movie ever made...
This is bottom shelf Disney. It's straight to DVD quality. Sure, it shines in places, but I expect more from the mouse with all the money.
Fine I guess!
Nothing felt original especially the characters but the whole idea of the wishes was fine.
Feels like I’ve seen this movie play out the same before.
When it comes to the music the main song is good the rest alright.
Overall not the worst Disney Animation movie but definitely forgettable.
This was a Nice movie but not great !
I missed more humor. It was entertaining enough but not more than that. The relationships with Asha and the others are not deep enough.
This is my favorite Disney movie since Frozen. Maybe even since Tangled. Every Disney fan needs to see this, and stick around for the credits too!
Note: there are a few Disney movies from the last few years I haven't seen yet, so I can't say how it compares to those.
Maybe it’s my fault for having expectations. Not even really high ones. But expectations nonetheless.
The animation was neat (the background was particularly neat in my opinion). There were two catchy songs that I already forgot.
I really liked the end. As in the credits - the animation there was fun. And they did tie it to other movies/universes and I really thought that was clever.
Not clever enough to want to rewatch.
Be careful what you wish for, it may come true. ;)
The reviews are right. It’s not a film I’d recommend everyone watch. But it is a film I’d recommend any Disney lover and Disney loving family watch.
The movie is less of an independent and fantastical adventure that you’d expect of a Disney animation. But in reality, it is merely a celebration of 100 years of Disney’s animation. And you can feel it within every moment of the film. There are winks, nudges, nods and whole plot points dedicated to looking back at Disneys origins. The animations that made the studio grow to what it is today.
So watch the movie, and remember all the dreams and wishes it took to get to where we are today.
I wish I never watched this
This movie is an insult to all the Disney movies that came before. An AI abomination with cheap and flat animation.
Disney’s weaker 90’s movies like Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas are even far better. Like the recent Disenchanted, most of the songs are pretty flat.
The animation is at least great.
This is not the next frozen. The songs are way to complicated.
A movie about hope and unity. A lot of references in other Disney movies and the classic good and evil paradox.
Ahh Disney, nothing like having a medieval euro centric tale populated like it's Detroit 2024. KEEP IT COMING!
Wish - :heart:x7
For me, the start of this movie was a bit slow and even boring. On top of that I was not a huge fan of the animation style they used this time around.
But then - the Disney-Magic happened once Asha sang her Wish song. This almost feels like the origin story of all the Fairy God-Mothers of Disney lore.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
Not Disney's best, but not their worst either. Disney has been going through a bad patch lately. Even Pixar's quality has gone down a bit. Why are people expecting this to be great? Enjoy it for what it is and get on with your life.
This was a pretty decent Dreamworks animated movie by way of Ready Player One.
This is totally a movie we would pitch on our Pitchin’ Aint Easy podcast
Who else saw moments in which Magnifico looked a bit like Homelander?
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Wish’:
Gaston officially has a rival for the sexiest Disney villain.
My first major thought is how I don’t understand the disdain this film has been getting. This was a solid Disney story. A touching standalone fairytale, with great characters, gorgeous animation, and those signature Disney tunes. Yeah, there were a lot of Easter eggs. I loved ‘em. This is clearly a love letter to Disney history, to the man himself, and I was moved by it.
“Knowing What I Know Now” is a certified bop. And I was giving ALL the snaps when the queen joined in.
Wish isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. There’s a sense of letdown for me here, probably because Disney touted this as a 100th anniversary crowning achievement, and it’s a pretty generic, run-of-the-mill fairy tale. There are sparks of whimsy that are lifted by references to other Disney films, which are fun (and they are manifold); but a string of Easter eggs do not make a movie.
The animation style didn’t bother me as much as I thought it was going to, but the colors were more washed-out and bland than other Disney features.
What DID stick out to me was the music. It’s bad. The prosody is TERRIBLE, and the lyrics not only seem to miss the mark so badly that it sounds like these songs were written at the last minute, but they’re so generic that they could have been written by AI trained to imitate a poor man’s Lin Manuel Miranda.
All this to say, I still shed a tear at the end, because Disney knows how to pull on heartstrings, hopes, and dreams and has for 100 years now. I just wish that, rather than a relatively shallow parade of references, we would have gotten a deeper and more subversive plot from the pretty good basis here to celebrate the centennial.
The villain was set up as a villain without build up... We somehow were expected to just expect him to be bad because he was tense.
Meh...
Not bad, the chicken song is actual earrape though
“Wish" is a cute flick, but it's not exactly Disney's crown jewel. Sure, it's got its moments, but it doesn't quite hit the mark like those classic Disney films we all know and love. It feels like Disney might be wandering off course a bit with their newer movies. Still, "Wish" has its charms, and it's worth a watch for some light-hearted fun. Just don't expect to add it to your repeat-watch list anytime soon.
Okay, but nothing innovative. It felt like a direct-to-DVD Encanto/Shrek hybrid. Not a lot of character development or critical thinking. Just the bad guy becomes evil so the power of wishes condemns him forever without any attempt at restoration. One or two songs are good and Ariana does amazing, but by-and-large even the songs are just terribly written and make no sense.
When you wish.com upon a star
Doesn’t really stand out in any way. Songs are meh, story is meh, characters are annoying and mostly selfish and the animation is nothing special. Expected more from a celebration of 100 years of Disney.
I know people like to warp things about this movie. They want to focus on poor king Magnifico which became a villain just for the sake of it. And they are right, because unfortunately "Wish" is a badly written movie with no character's arc whatsoever. There is no redeeming quality to it, especially since it came out to honor Disney's 100th anniversary. The animations are okay, but the watercolor background in some scenes feels very lifeless; the songs are terrible, not even an earworm this time (maybe this is a good thing); characters are as flat as a table and goddammit I don't know why they had to add that stupid, irritating, useless talking goat. "Wish" is not even funny, to be honest, it's just plain boring and at times irritating because the plot moves too fast when it should take time to explain characters' motivations, but then it wastes it over the dumbest things (like three minutes wasted by animals singing to Asha about how everyone's unique, and it's USELESS, A SCENE WITH NO PURPOSE).
If it wasn't for all the hate it has received over these months, I believe "Wish" would have become a forgotten movie, just like Raya and Big Hero Six. Yet at least these two movies had a good plot. Wish's plot is full of holes, and again, characters who don't grow. There is no real twist, everything plays out in the most stupidily, boring way possible: King Magnifico gets crazy in like one night because the plot needs it; the queen is there to sit still, look pretty; Asha's friends are just a reminder of a better Disney movie; the star decides to riot the whole kingdom, just because.
In sums: just skip this one, let's try again next year.
Wish
Is it just me who thinks that song with Asha and the King seems somewhat inappropriate… it’s so most definitely a love song, and while it’s directed at the wishes, just listening to it, anyone would with ease be able to interpret it as a couple singing to each other. Or the child they’re having together or something, either way, focus back on King and Asha and that does taste a little bitter.
I love how later it connects both Bambi (the rabbit AND the actual deer the bear calls Bambi) and Alice (mushrooms and flowers anyone?). This movie is a trip. (Again, all those shroom references! Lmao) And in the end with Wendy and Peter… there must be so many references to other Disney films I haven’t noticed haha. Other than how basically every citizen’s wish turns them into another Disney movie … tangled, wreck it Ralph… And Saba I suppose was a hats off to Walt himself :)
I thought that if Disney managed to pull off the “misunderstood bad guy”, I’ll like this. I guess they started there, but it turned more into a “villains making” story.
Cute film. Not nearly enough songs to count as a proper Disney film though, right?
It is a simple yet fun story. Initially, I had reservations about the movie based on the trailers and negative reviews. However, I wouldn't say it was bad after watching it. My biggest criticism is the pacing being too fast and the simplicity of the story, reflecting a trend in a lot of movies nowadays that are short due to lack of creativity at some point during development. Setting my criticism aside, I'll say I did enjoy this movie. Not Disney's best work, but it is one to be enjoyed at all ages.
I really enjoyed this film. I don‘t regret not seeing it in the cinema but watching it on Disney+ was perfect. The story was okay and the characters were nice and some of them also very cute (Star). But the standout for me was definitely the music. Disney did it again and created fantastic original songs that gave me the goosebumps. Overall very worth a watch, especially when included in your Disney+ subscription.
I saw it with my niece, she enjoyed it. Part way through the movie, with in the first twenty minutes, I began noticing a unusually large number of references to other Disney movies from the past 100 years. Thus made the context and story much more engaging for me. Some of the songs are not immediately memorable, but could grow on me, but catching the different references became like a game and made the storyline more interesting. Just consider that the main plot is based on a young girl who makes a wish on what becomes a falling star, and the movie immediately becomes a bit more interesting and personal to one's own relationship to Disney movies.
This was a very uninspired movie, it followed the same tired formula as other Disney movies and did nothing to innovate itself. Some of the songs were pretty good, although the hook for the main song always sounded wrong to me. I will say, however, that there were three things I really liked:
1.) The star was admittedly cute
2.) Chris Pine's singing was amazing
3.) Gabo, the only funny character
I watched the Dutch dub so it's harder to fully appreciate the songs and voice acting but the songs seemed like they would be catchy in English.
The story itself was quite interesting to me, although the villain's identity wasn't a surprise.
The animation was interesting, both watercolor animation (according to Wikipedia) and computer animation.
Quite a few references to classic Disney movies, Peter Pan being the most obvious, I understand now that was done for the 100th anniversary, I liked it.
My 8 year old niece didn't really like the movie except for the mushrooms (which are in there for 5 seconds, cries in €10 movie ticket), so sucks to be her but a good day to be me xd.
The movie had some great ideas and most of them worked, but I can't get past the horrible songs. The score was outstanding, but the songs themselves were atrocious. It was by far the worst music from any film put out by Disney and Pixar. How they went through the process of writing, recording, producing, editing and releasing the music into the wild without anyone telling them how bad it was is beyond me. There really was a great story here, so it's an incredible shame it was overshadowed by poorly crafted music.
Shout by DevalabraBlockedParentSpoilers2024-02-21T17:28:32Z
The king deserved a better movie to be hot and evil in