The Wishing Star and the concept of wishes have been a staple of the Disney universe for many decades, even a century! This is why Wish is so important to the common threads found in many of Disney’s classic film stories. From Cinderella stories to The Little Mermaid, the concept of wishes has rung true in almost every Disney movie. And the Wish was the origin story that allowed us all to enjoy and participate in fairy tale worlds where dreams really did come true – along with some unrealistic expectations. The point is that wishes have become a staple of the Disneyverse, and this fairy tale story explains how it all began.
It all began in the land of Rosas, a kingdom built near the Mediterranean Sea by a sorcerer named King Magnifico. He and Queen Amaya built the kingdom as a place to keep its inhabitants safe from danger at all costs. In return for the people’s safety, Magnifico had the ability to store the citizens’ wishes for safekeeping once they turned 18 years old. The problematic drawback is that when they give their wishes to Magnifico, they forget the wish until he grants it. And one of the friendliest citizens, named Asha, was going to get to help the people of Rosas as best as she could.
Beginning with the wonderful score and music, I could already see which songs kids and people would be singing about. I mean, Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is still in my head all the time. But this one had a lot of good emotional ones and villainous ones. The villain song of Wish may be on par with Ryan Gosling’s “Push” from Barbie. The updated instrumental version of “When You Wish Upon A Star” also hit the feels real hard. The tear ducts were shaking!
The opening song, “Welcome to Rosas,” was definitely reminiscent of the opening of Frozen, where it showed off all of Arendelle because it gave a nice introduction to the kingdom of Rosas. The best part of the songs was that there was no sugarcoating of what the characters were trying to say. It drove the point home with its use of rhyme and word usage.
The star of the film was none other than the Star itself! It gave off immediate Lumalee vibes from The Super Mario Bros. Movie but did not talk. The body language and emotes of the Star were enough to make the whole audience audibly gasp and awe at its cuteness. The animation style of it, too, was an excellent contrast to everything else, as it had a distinct glow and art style on its own. I cannot wait to buy the plush of the Star if there is one!
Speaking more about the art style and animation, Wish went for a blend of computer animation with Disney’s signature watercolour animation. I felt like it really blended the older style animation with the new really well. I thought it wove into the story a bit, too, because Rosas was a sort of saturated city that got brighter the more magic flowed through it.
It felt jarring at first to see this style after seeing super clean animation styles in Encanto or Raya and the Last Dragon. But I thought it worked symbolically as people became saturated when their wishes were taken from them. The contrast of animation and artwork really brought the story to the next level in that way. I felt like Asha’s goat companion, Valentino, was reminiscent of the Bambi or Lady and the Tramp style of animals.
The storyline throughout had some excellent beats and arcs, especially around the second and third acts. I thought they kept a tight first act with Asha narrating the story of Rosas and King Magnifico. The songs worked perfectly in the right scenes. There was enough attention to lore-building that did not make me feel bogged down, either. I genuinely cried at multiple points in the film, especially when Victor Garber’s 100-year-old character Sabo was speaking.
Garber’s performance as Sabo presented so many quotable and inspirational lines. A lot of the lines dealt with contemplating whether the concept of wanting to know your wish would be a detriment to him rather than a benefit, which Asha thought it was. Chris Pine’s King Magnifico was on a different level than I am used to seeing/hearing him play. Of course, I last experienced him in the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but this was a different level for him. There were a lot of elements from other Disney villains blended into his character, and I really liked that they did that.
Another fantastic callback from other Disney villains was the use of green magic being the forbidden magic/bad magic, as seen prominently by Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. The running themes of Wish really had me in tears throughout the film for its all-encompassing focus on love, family, friendships, dreams, and wishes. I liked that it steered away from the trope of ‘be careful what you wish for,’ as it affected the main character. Typically, it has been more of the hero’s journey of learning what not to wish for, whereas this film was about wishing for the right things and fighting for those wishes.
Wish was a total knockout in all aspects. It dazzled and rattled my emotions. Its 95-minute runtime really kept the story tight and clinically structured. The mix of serious and humorous moments was a perfect blend, with Asha playing the more sincere character and Valentino being the dumbfounded comedic relief. That duo fit really well against Magnifico’s more sarcastic, sinister humour. This was definitely a treat for true Disney fans, filled with many easter eggs and references! Stay seated for a nostalgic credit scroll and for the post-credit scene—which was an absolute tearjerker no one asked for, but you will get it anyway.
