Director: Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn
Writer: Jennifer Lee, Allison Moore, Chris Buck
Cast: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Victor Garber, Angelique Cabral, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Niko Vargas, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, Jon Rudnitsky, Della Saba

Disney is officially 100 years old. To mark the occasion, the studio optioned a project that pushes the biggest theme that has run through Disney and most of its projects since its inception: wishes, in particular, wishing upon a star in the hopes of it coming true. The notion of “wishes” is perhaps a controversial one, certainly in this day and age, and it’s something that Disney has tried to contend with in some of their more modern stories, showcasing an acknowledgment of the need for hard work and determination, among other things, to make wishes come true. In order to be successful, Wish had to keep that balance between fantasy and reality, to endear younger audiences and instil that belief and magic that Disney is known for in their main demographic, but also not alienate the parents of said demographic, not to mention long-time Disney fans who also grew up with that belief and magic, and who had to face the reality of just that, growing up. Does Wish manage to be an all-rounder and a worthy celebration of Disney’s centenary, or has it been one wish-upon-a-star too many for this juggernaut of a studio?

Once upon a time, there was a king named Magnifico (Pine). He was a great sorcerer, and he and his wife, Queen Amaya (Cabral), built the city of Rosas on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. The city was considered perfect, and King Magnifico took great pleasure in granting the wishes of his subjects. He would take the memory of a wish from each person and keep them all in his castle for safeguarding, and once a month, he would grant one wish to one of his subjects. Magnifico needed an apprentice, and so he held interviews. One prospective apprentice was a 17-year-old girl named Asha (DeBose), who lived with her grandfather, Sabino (Garber), and her mother, Sakino (Rothwell). Asha loved Rosas and wished for nothing more than everyone’s wishes to come true, particularly her grandfather’s wish. However, Asha comes to learn of Magnifico’s true nature and thirst for power and makes a wish of her own to a very special wishing Star.

As Disney movies go, Wish is… average. For a Disney movie that is essentially supposed to mark the studio’s 100^th year, it’s… also average. The story is rather lacking; the villain’s arc isn’t particularly strong (in fact I’m still rather unsure as to his actual motive for taking and keeping everyone’s wishes), Asha is unable to understand why Magnifico isn’t granting more than one wish (seems a little naïve), and the amount of supporting characters giving Asha their input makes things feel a little muddled at times. The idea behind the story is, as mentioned in the introduction, based on that of wishes, particularly the wish-upon-a-star trope, and it’s a nice idea in theory, but it’s a tired idea, one that feels rather backwards. It’s not particularly well-balanced with the idea of needing to put in the effort to achieve something, so the moral of the story seems off, especially considering that Asha has put in the work to become a contender for the role of Magnifico’s apprentice before the events of this story. The plot is weak, and the holes are a-plenty; rather disappointing for what this movie was meant to represent.

However, it’s not a total loss. The songs, while not on the level of the likes of Frozen or Tangled, are fairly catchy, especially ‘At All Costs’, a duet between Asha and Magnifico, and Magnifico’s villain anthem, ‘This Is the Thanks I Get?!’ Also, the multitude of Disney easter eggs and storylines that are woven into the film are quite enjoyable, from things as obvious as Asha wishing to be a sorcerer’s apprentice, much like Mickey Mouse in Fantasia, and glimpses of other characters and stories such as Peter Pan and Mary Poppins, to other more subtle nods. The art style too is a nice blend of modern computer graphics and the classic Disney watercolour animation. The designs of the animals also reflect older designs from past Disney films in the ‘50s and ‘60s, such as Sleeping Beauty and The Sword in the Stone, lending the film a feeling that’s fresh yet strangely familiar. It’s these aspects that keep this film from being a total flop; it has enough nostalgia for older audiences to enjoy, and, let’s face it, the small ones don’t yet know how to critique what they see, and they appear to enjoy it well enough (I saw the movie with 3 and 4 year olds, one being my nephew, and their mothers, and some were on their second viewing, so safe to say it’s probably a hit with the super young ones).  Also, the anthropomorphic star character, named Star, is pretty cute. I’d buy a plushie.

Cast-wise, you probably couldn’t ask for a more talented voice cast. DeBose is an excellent singer and actress with a slew of awards to her name (she’s halfway to her EGOT at just 32 years old), and she certainly breathes life into Asha, but the character feels below her current up-and-coming/borderline high status in the industry. Her singing performances give the songs their heart, and she does her best with a character who’s dialogue is a little mundane. Pine on the other hand got a pretty decent character with Magnifico. Yes, the character’s story is subpar, but as a villain who’s more three-dimensional than most (and, er, kinda hot), Pine gives Magnifico the dramatic vibe that he needs, not to mention busting out those vocal pipes that we haven’t heard since Into the Woods (as far as I’m aware). Tudyk provides his usual comedic stance to Valentino, a talking goat and sidekick to Asha, and although much of his dialogue is like nails on a chalkboard, he has his giggle-worthy moments. The supporting voice-cast also does just fine, but I can’t say there are any particular stand-outs within the vast company that Asha keeps within the film.

Overall, Wish feels very juxtaposed in its intent. The writers and directors clearly wanted to do right by Disney, but perhaps spent too much time thinking about what it means to create a film based around historic Disney themes and squeezing in a ton of references rather than focusing on what really matters: the plot and the characters. The body of the story comes across as loose and incomplete, though at its heart it screams classic Disney. Is it one of the studio’s best? No. Is it one of their worst? Also, no. It’s unfortunate that Wish doesn’t reach the heights that it should have, but it can be appreciated for the good intent from all involved in its creation.