In the kingdom of Rosas, situated on an island in the Mediterranean Sea, 17-year-old Asha lives with her mother and grandfather. Like everyone in the kingdom, Asha lives a fairly content life, and one which is built around hope.
The kingdom of Rosas is overseen by King Magnifico – a powerful sorcerer with the power to grant wishes. Everyone who lives in Rosas tells Magnifico their wish, which he seals inside a magical orb, and once a month he chooses one of these wishes to come true.
Keen for Magnifico to release her grandfather’s wish, which Magnifico has had in his possession for years, Asha applies to be Magnifico’s apprentice. During the course of the interview she then asks if he will grant her grandfather’s wish so he can finally fulfil his dreams.
Despite Asha’s polite request, Magnifico refuses. He says that many of the wishes are far too dangerous to be granted, and so they will remain forever locked up with him in his castle forever.
Upset about Magnifico’s revelation, and concerned everyone in Rosas is living in false hope their wish will be granted, Asha wishes upon a star to help give her some guidance. To her surprise, the star then falls from the sky and agrees to assist her.
With the help of the star, Asha sets out to free all of the wishes. However, Magnifico is not ready to give up his power or the hold he has over his kingdom, and he sees Asha as a significant threat.
New to cinemas this week, and making its debut as the capper to the 100th aniversary celebrations of Walt Disney Pictures, Wish is a brand-new animated movie from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, and featuring the vocal talents of Arjana DeBose, Chris Pine, and Alan Tudyk, the movie is the 62nd entry in the Walt Disney Animated Classics collection.
As with many of the previous films under the Disney Animated banner, the film is a fairy-tale featuring songs, talking animals, and a strong female lead. Wish is also filled with some superb animation, a fair few gags, and a storyline focused around hope and inspiration.
And as this film is being released during the 100th year of Disney, Wish also includes many subtle (and some not-so subtle) nods to the past. Look carefully and you’ll find various references to classic Disney films of yesteryear, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Pinocchio, and Aladdin, amongst others.
All of this makes for a fairly fun adventure, and chances are if you’re a Disney fan, you’ll like what’s on offer. Younger audiences in particular will find much to enjoy in the film, and I doubt many will come away disappointed.
But is this the best entry in the Walt Disney Animated Classics collection, worthy of release during the 100th anniversary year? Erm… not really.
While Wish is perfectly fine, and a good time will be had with the movie, it’s not up there with the strongest entries of the past. It’s no Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid, nor is it Tangled or Encanto, so lower your expectations a touch.
Wish shines brightest in the animation department, which offers up a very stylised aesthetic, as well as in its general tone and story. The narrative is pretty straight forward, and doesn’t break any new ground, but it plays out perfectly well and hits all the right beats for a Disney movie.
Where things are a little less successful are in the characters, which are a touch underdeveloped, and in the songs, which are a bit hit-and-miss. Both of these aspects are where the film falls short, which ultimately robs Wish of some of its impact.
In terms of the characters, with the exception of Asha and King Magnifico (and maybe Magnifico’s wife, Queen Amaya), the supporting players are fairly paper thin. Most of Asha’s friends are based around the seven dwarfs, as part of one big nod to Snow White, which is a nice idea in theory, but kind of stumbles in execution.
As for the songs, one is excellent, another is decent, but the rest are fairly forgettable. Not terrible, but a bit stagey, and nothing special.
If you can overlook the shortcomings, and I expect a huge majority of the target demographic will, Wish is alright. It’s not magnificent, but it’s certainly above adequate, and the one song which is excellent (‘This Wish‘) is worth the price of a ticket alone.
If you’re looking for a movie to entertain the younger members of the family ahead of the Christmas season, then Wish should do the trick. As I said, lower those expectations a touch and you may find a few pockets of Disney magic.
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