Wish is a pale imitation of the better Disney movies that came before it
The Walt Disney Company turned 100 this year, and the studio’s newest movie, Wish, is meant to commemorate that anniversary with a celebration of all things Disney magic. From Frozen director Chris Buck andRaya and the Last Dragon story head Fawn Veerasunthorn, with a screenplay by Disney Animation chief creative officer Jennifer Lee and Disney newcomer Allison Moore, Wish is all about the twinkling star in the night sky, the one many a Disney hero has wished upon. Perfectly calibrated for that Disney magic!
Except this movie is a little too perfectly calibrated.
Wish feels like what you’d get if you asked a group of C-suite executives armed with ChatGPT to come up with a Disney movie that would please everyone. The prompts: Bring back traditional Disney villains! Give us songs that sound like the big Disney hits! We want a sweet family relationship, and also some kooky friends, and also goofy animal sidekicks! Throw in a few inoffensive butt jokes for kids! And a lotof Easter-egg references to previous Disney movies!
But all that calculation — prioritizing that shopping list of elements that make a Disney hit, rather than starting with the story —strips Wish of any heart it could’ve had. It’s the most blandly inoffensive Disney film to date.
[Ed. note: This review contains setup spoilers for Wish.]
Wish takes place in the kingdom of Rosas, a Mediterranean island ruled by the sorcerer King Magnifico (Chris Pine). Magnifico guards the citizens’ “wishes” (more accurately, their hopes and dreams), which manifest as glowing balls of light that they willingly rip out of their chests and hand over to Magnifico when they turn 18. They immediately forget what their wishes were, and thus lose part of their individuality. But
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