Wish
Disney has put a lot of pressure of “Wish.” Inspired by the studio logo’s star that goes over the castle, this film is intended as a movie that celebrates the studio’s 100 years in existence. At its best, its use of music and fantasy images by directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn inspires us in the same way some of the most iconic moments in the studio’s history have. At other times, however, I found myself playing “find the inspiration” in the film’s 95 minutes, and I do think the film rewards that. (And maybe it’s because the film is my favorite of Disney’s, but there’s a lot that makes me think that a lot of “Fantasia” fans worked on this film.)
Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose) is part of the new era of Disney “princesses” where they aren’t necessarily looking for Prince Charming; instead, they are trying to find their purpose in life. That might be why so many of the films from this past decade- “Tangled,” “Manoa,” “Frozen”- have been among my favorites of theirs. Here, she lives on an island in the Mediterranean where the king, a sorcerer named Magnifico (voiced by Chris Pine), holds the dreams of the citizens at his whims. Quite literally- when they turn 18, the citizens give their dreams over to Magnifico, forgetting them, and every month, he gives one person a chance to remember their wish, and make it come true. Honestly, this is probably their strongest original hook for a film in a while.
From that simple setup, “Wish” goes in directions unexpected as well as wholly predictable. The wholly predictable can be the silly- Asha’s talking goat, Valentino, and the Star that Asha inadvertently wishes for- and generic in how it’s going to end. The unexpected, however, leads to us contemplating the idea of the wishes we hold closest- if they have a potential to not come true, would our lives be better without them being fulfilled, and forgotten? Magnifico sees himself as being entitled and empowered to deciding which wishes come true, and which ones don’t. Asha comes into his orbit when she applies to be an assistant, which comes with the potential of her family’s wishes being granted. That is her wish, and more so when she learns the truth about Magnifico, which is where Star comes into play. I found myself thinking how this feelings like filmmakers for a studio commenting on its omnipresence, and how it has sold- for a century- the idea that its ability to dictate audience’s deepest wishes for film magic is the way it should be, at the expense of other people’s imaginations taking hold. Am I giving too much credit to the screenplay by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore? Possibly, but when Disney is at an era where it has worked to reinforce its versions of classic fairy tales in their live-action remakes, “Wish” feels like filmmakers pushing against it, hoping Disney realizes there are more stories to tell than just the ones it built its legacy on.
The animation style for the film is fundamentally 3D, but the character designs in particular feel like they are influenced by hand-drawn aesthetics. The tension between the two made this one of my favorite Disney films in a while to just look at and appreciate. As for the soundtrack, there are great individual songs (my favorites are “This Wish” and “This is the Thanks I Get?”), but there are also some songs that are forgettable almost as soon as they are sung. Among the cast, DeBose and Chris Pine are the clear MVPs, but there’s good work throughout the ensemble. Overall, the film’s focus on dreams is what engaged me most; sadly, most of Star’s antics didn’t really work for me. That being said, “Wish” is worth your time to watch, if only to support an original story from Disney at a time where they’ve spent so much more time cannibalising their masterpieces.
