Wish

The kingdom of Rosas is a place of joy, peace and prosperity under the guard of its magical King Magnifico, but behind closed doors, things aren’t as they seem. Magnifico (Chris Pine) is actually a tyrant obsessed with keeping his people’s wishes locked away in his tower. When young Asha (Ariana DeBose) makes a heartfelt wish, it is answered by Star, a cosmic force of boundless energy in the form of a little ball. Together with Star, Asha must harness the magic of the stars to save her kingdom from the tyrannical king, proving that courage and cosmic power can achieve wondrous things when brought together in unity.

It was only a matter of time before Disney created an animated film titled Wish where the lead character wishes upon a star. That is, after all, one of the long-standing premises on which the organisation is built, and with 2023 marking one hundred years since the company’s beginning, now seems more fitting than ever. Visually, the animation is a call back to classic Disney hand-drawn animation, although it is created on a computer to give an authentic 3D effect.

Chris Pine is great and his character Magnifico is truly the most entertaining and animated part of this movie. It is a shame the other characters weren’t formulated this way during the creation process. Ariana DeBose also delivers the great vocal performance we have come to expect from her on a number of new musical hits. The songs are okay – if a bit poppy – and although the soundtrack may not last long in the memory, the lyrics are full of purpose and inspiration that help drive the narrative onward.

For all its efforts, there are a number of sticking points that hold Wish back. The film is not an animated adventure, more a trip around the neighbourhood, with very little world-building. It tries to inject some Disney nostalgia into the mix but arguably tries too hard with wasted quips about Mary Poppins and Peter Pan that, much to our disappointment, shoot out the window faster than they arrived on screen. The dialogue is funnyish but a lot of the humour is slightly undercooked, leaving it falling flat upon delivery.

The problem is Disney has set the bar so high in the 21^st century with franchises like Frozen and Toy Story that it has now reached a point where it struggles to clear the height itself. Family movies should be enjoyable for the entire family and yes, Wish is of course made for younger audiences, but I am not sure how exciting the movie actually is for kids. The joy of successful Disney movies is that children and adults love them but Wish misses both target demographics on this occasion.

This movie was meant to be the showpiece celebrating 100 years of Disney. You will be forgiven for having wished for more.

Guy Lambert

Wish is released nationwide on 24^th November 2023.

Watch the trailer for Wish here: