Last weekend, I posted my spoiler-free review of Disney’s newest movie, “Wish.” I ran out of time to do a spoiler-filled section and meant to go back and update the post after a few days.

However, after seeing the film a second time, listening to the soundtrack a bunch and thinking about “Wish” more as a whole, I wanted to do a deeper dive that deserved its own post. So, here we are.

This will contain SPOILERS for “Wish.” So, if you don’t want any spoilers, I suggest you check out my initial review.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at Disney’s “Wish.”

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FINAL WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS!

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As I said, I decided to see the movie again on Tuesday when it officially released. I’m disappointed to say there were maybe 10 people total in the theater Tuesday night. That combined with the similarly low attendance at my early screening leads me to believe this movie won’t be a big hit. I’m sure it’ll make money. Heck, I bet there are tons of families at the theater right now. But, if people were really excited about it, there would’ve been more in those first few screenings. Ultimately, I think it’ll be another underperformer for Disney.

Now, coming out of my second screening I can tell you that I kinda liked it better the second time around, but I was also able to pinpoint exactly what many of the problems were.

I’m about to go into almost excruciating detail about them, but it ultimately boils down to: This movie had potential. It just needed one or two more drafts in the writing process, and either different songwriters or different orchestrations for the existing songs.

The Structure/Pacing

For me, at least, the first 30 minutes or so are really strong. I think “Welcome to Rosas” isn’t a bad opening song; I like Asha’s scenes with Magnifico and their debate about the wishes; I think “At All Costs” is an interesting heroine/villain duet (more on that later); I thought Magnifico’s set-up as a villain was well-handled; and “This Wish” isn’t bad as an ‘I want’ song.

However, I felt like the movie immediately went downhill whenever Valentino started talking and then we get the dumbest and weakest song in the movie “I’m a Star.”

From there, it didn’t get too much worse but it didn’t get much better until the very end.

I felt like Asha’s friends were ultimately forgettable and not fleshed out, and so much of the latter half of the movie revolves around them. Simon betrays her to get his wish granted; five of them break into the tower to free the wishes while Asha tries to distract Magnifico; and Dahlia gets several moments in the spotlight, both musically and storywise.

Other than maybe Dahlia and Simon, I could’ve done without them.

I’m also split on whether “Knowing What I Know Now” is good or not. It reminds me too much of “Night Falls” from “Descendants 3.” Some folks like that the villain got a more upbeat song, while the heroes got a darker song. I agree that it’s unique in that respect, but I don’t necessarily think that was the right decision.

But, something I did notice on second viewing is that while Ariana deBose and Chris Pine are excellent in their respective songs, a lot of the other singers … aren’t. Some of the animal voices in “I’m a Star” and some of Asha’s friends in “Knowing What I Know Now” needed a second take or something. Did they not hire professional singers for these roles? Thinking back on other Disney movies, the heroine and villain usually only get one or two songs each. But, here, Asha sings at least part of every song except Magnifico’s “This is the Thanks I Get?“

Speaking of which, I think the song isn’t bad in concept but definitely could’ve been improved. We either should’ve had a darker reprise later in the movie (like Mother Gothel’s “Mother Knows Best) or had different orchestration in the second half to make it feel darker.

I’ll get into the music more later, but as I said, the second half of the movie really drags for me. Between Valentino, the singing chickens, the underwhelming songs and the emphasis on Asha’s friends, I really felt like they weren’t delivering on what was actually a really interesting premise and set-up.

The Ending

The movie did pick up again, slightly, when Magnifico goes full evil — capturing Star, torturing Asha, and chaining up the townspeople. He even takes a shot at his wife. Damn.

The first time I saw it, I genuinely wasn’t sure how Asha was going to get out of that situation. Of course, we loop back on the “everyone’s a star” thing. Narratively, I was OK with that because at least there was a reason that song existed in the movie, but it still felt a little weak and contrived in execution.

The first time I saw it, I was shocked that it looked like they actually gave Magnifico a real death scene, when he got sucked into his staff and was likely trapped in some hellish dimension. It made me think of Dr. Facilier with the “Friends on the Other Side” reprise. I was down with that. But, then a few minutes later, they completely undercut it by showing that he’s still alive — he’s just trapped inside his staff. Great.

Part of me wondered why. Was it supposed to be a reference to the Evil Queen’s Magic Mirror (because we already got that earlier in the movie) or did they want to give themselves an out in case they make a sequel and want to bring him back?

(P.S. When my roommate went to the preview screening with me, she pointed out how they referenced the King’s previous apprentices earlier in the film, but we never saw any of them. She wondered if that was something that could be fodder for a possible future sequel, and I don’t disagree with that thought.)

The Tone Shift

Anyway, the ending is fine but maybe a bit underwhelming. I still think that the first third or so was the strongest part of the movie for me. It felt like a very mature opening compared to what we got later. Between the talking animals, the jokes and the songs, I felt like the movie went from “family friendly” to “this was made just to entertain your toddlers.”

YouTuber Schaffrillas Productions also felt like there was a clear distinction between how things were treated in the first half of the movie versus the second half. Granted, he was talking more about Magnifico and how his character was treated (more on that later), but I still liked this quote he had: “It’s like the two halves of this movie were written by completely different teams who had conflicting ideas …”

Yeah, that about sums it up for me. I’ve heard rumblings online that the Disney executives either didn’t give the creative team enough time to properly develop everything in the writing process and/or forced them to change things during production.

Look, y’all know how much I love the Miyazaki films. I feel like those are a classic example of how different animated movies can be tailored for different audiences. “Ponyo” was clearly made with very young children (3-6yo) in mind, while something like “Spirited Away” was more for older children (8-12yos), and “Princess Mononoke” was more for preteens, teens and adults.

Here, it’s like they wanted to make a movie for that 7- to 10-year-old demographic who doesn’t need singing chickens or talking animals or butt jokes every two seconds, but then someone said “No, we need to do something to keep the toddlers entertained.” That’s why Asha is so quirky and awkward in the first half — because we needed some comic relief since Valentino couldn’t talk yet — but seems to be more put-together and mature in the second half.

And, granted I’m an adult so I wasn’t the target demographic for a lot of these jokes, but I felt like the humor didn’t land at all. There might’ve been one or two times when I sniggered, but that was it. And some of the humor, the tone shifts and the “modern” vibe undercut what could’ve been a really good and dark story.

The Villain Song

So, the best example I can give of this “undercutting” is in the song “This is the Thanks I Get?“

When Magnifico gets out the book of forbidden magic, the song takes on a darker tone and orchestration, and Pine’s singing reflects that, becoming deeper and raspier.

But then, he suddenly stops and is like “Where was I? Oh yeah.” And then we get another verse WITH THE EXACT SAME ORCHESTRATION AND MELODY.

What. The. (Expletive).

This is a Disney movie! This is your villain song! Go big or go home!

In opening this book and tapping into its dark magic, this guy essentially sold his soul to the devil. As we find out later in the movie, using that magic has an irreversible impact on a person’s soul/psyche. The “old” Magnifico is gone now, and he’s never coming back.

And the music … doesn’t reflect that at all. Hell, I’d argue even the visuals don’t.

Yes, at the VERY end of the song, we get this moment where it’s clear Magnifico has gone over the edge. But, I wanted that moment earlier. I wanted that to be clearer.

Frollo’s “Hellfire” is probably the obvious example of showing a villain slip from “sanity” into complete madness — and proverbially selling their soul to dark forces. But honestly, I think the better comparison would be “No Good Deed” from the stage musical “Wicked.”

Quick background: “Wicked” is like the “story you didn’t know” behind the classic “Wizard of Oz,” going into the witches’ backstories and so on. Elphaba, who we later know as the Wicked Witch of the West, is actually a heroine through most of the story. But, there’s one moment where she’s pushed over the edge by never-ending loss and desperation. And, in the song “No Good Deed,” she finally snaps and decides to become the monster the people of Oz already believed she was.

While the story isn’t quite the same as Magnifico’s, I think the impact is similar. Both are “good” people who have been pushed over the edge by desperation. They’ve tried to do what they thought was the right thing, and they’ve only been “punished” for it. Magnifico literally sings about how he’s done ~everything~ for the people of Rosas, and they’ve only been ungrateful and demanding in response.

We’ll dive more into Magnifico’s character in a bit, but this was an opportunity for the movie to “show his true colors in shades of green,” as Asha sings about later. Instead, we get this very upbeat, very lighthearted song — all things considered. Given that the movie has a lighter tone in the first half but goes VERY dark by the end, this could’ve been that big shifting point. The song could parallel the movie, starting very light and upbeat, and going very dark by the end. Again, I think “Hellfire” is a great example of this. As it is, it’s still too light even at the end to properly reflect the movie’s darker second half.

Other Songs

I could talk all day about how underwhelming Magnifico’s villain song is in the context of the movie, but I have plenty of other gripes about the soundtrack. But to save on your time and mine, I’ll only touch on a few.

I’ve already mentioned how I dislike “I”m a Star” and how I’m split on “Knowing What I Know Now,” but I have a larger problem with the musical compositions overall. I agree with Schaffrillas that the compositions sound too pop-y and should’ve been more in the traditional Broadway style; how weak many of the songs’ lyrics are; and how everything generally sounds like Lin Manuel Miranda Lite.

The big thing for me is the lack of a “showstopper” song.

Let’s say you’re a Broadway producer and you want to turn “Wish” into a stage musical. What song is going to be your big blowout number — the one you pull out all the stops for? In the Disney Renaissance movies, these were clear because the movies themselves often treated them like showstoppers. “Under the Sea,” “Be Our Guest,” and “Friend Like Me” are the best examples. The animation, the choreography, the orchestration… everything is designed to pump up the audience and leave them like “Do that again!”

“Wish” doesn’t really have one. I think they were trying to make “I’m a Star” the big number. It does have ensemble vocals with a lot of moving pieces and unique visuals. But, how the song’s arranged both musically and in the movie, it doesn’t feel like a big showstopper. It feels like a pop song that’s one day going to be performed terribly at a bunch of first-grade music programs. Kill me.

“At All Costs”

One final beef I’ll bring up is “At All Costs.” After both viewings, this was definitely my favorite song in the movie. It highlights the two best singers in the cast, and really took me by surprise on first viewing. “Wow. We’re getting a duet? Between the hero and villain? This early in the movie?” Looking back on the structure, it makes sense. The latter half is so much darker, that this really had to be one of the first songs out of the gate. Usually the ‘I want’ song is second on the docket, but this honestly kind of worked.

So, the bad: some of the lyrics are weak, and it really suffers from that pop-y style. It’s also not clear from the lyrics/style exactly who or what these characters are singing about.

I sent this to multiple people who hadn’t seen the movie yet, and asked them to guess what it was about. Everyone’s first guess was a couple singing about how much they love each other; and the second was parents singing to their child. The first one is exactly what I’d guess just from the lyrics and style. It’s a Disney movie after all. If it has a duet, especially between a man and a woman, we’re just going to assume ~romance~. But, I think the lullaby aspect is more what the movie was going for.

The instrumentation definitely leans into the chimes in the first verse. But, when the strings and percussion pick up in the chorus, I’d argue it takes on more of a romantic ballad sound. If they wanted to play up the lullaby aspect, they should’ve just stuck to the chimes and maybe had just like a harp or something soft underneath it.

One more suggestion is to have the song play up the differences in how Magnifico views the wishes versus how Asha does. Yes, we see some of these differences in the visuals, but the song would’ve worked better if the lyrics had matched it. I’ve listened to “At All Costs” more than a dozen times now, and it’s clear that both characters really want to protect these wishes.

But, while the visuals tell us that Magnifico sees them as this larger collective and a symbol of his power and respect as king, Asha connects with them more individually.

She sees the wishes as extensions of the people she knows and loves. The very end of the song is Magnifico using his magic to make all the wishes fly around the tower while Asha lovingly cradles her Saba’s wish. The visuals show the distinction, but the lyrics should’ve too!

I think this is only the second time we’ve gotten a duet between a Disney heroine and a Disney villain. (The first time was “Frozen,” I think. And that was explicitly a love song.)

It could’ve been a great opportunity to show both the similarities and the differences between Asha and Magnifico, almost acting acting like a secondary ‘I want’/villain song for both of them. I also think it would’ve been really cool if we’d gotten a darker reprise of “At All Costs” toward the end, maybe when Magnifico goes crazy and tries to control everything. Something like Jafar’s “Prince Ali (Reprise)” moment. If we couldn’t get a darker reprise of “This is the Thanks I Get?,” this would’ve been my second choice.

The Villain

As I said in my spoiler-free review, I actually thought Magnifico was a pretty good villain. I was thankful the narrative didn’t make him too sympathetic or neutered, for lack of a better word. He has his moments where he’s incredibly dark and evil, harkening back to classic Disney villains. I won’t say he’s better or worse than any of them, but he’s definitely better than any Disney villain we’ve gotten since Mother Gothel 13 years ago.

I also thought his descent into madness — minus the songs — is fairly well done. This is one point I actually disagree with Schaffrillas on. He complained that Magnifico took a “hard left turn” from being a charismatic manipulator in the first half to just being possessed by the book in the second half.

We first meet Magnifico on his on terms. He’s powerful, well-loved and well-respected by the people of Rosas. He actually has a few moments of vulnerability with Asha, seeing in her a kindred spirit who’d do anything to protect the people of Rosas. This is something I’ll get into later, but I really thought he and Asha had great (non-romantic) chemistry, and their dynamic is something the story should’ve done more with.

However, the minute Asha questions his decision-making, he gets dismissive then confrontational, almost gleefully so.

His remark to her as he’s leaving the first Wish Ceremony perfectly conveys this: “I’ll keep their wishes safe, along with all the others.” He’s acknowledging that he has leverage over the people of Rosas, and what’s more, he LIKES it.

Then Star appears, and Magnifico notices how it impacts the wishes. As he tells his wife, he feels as though he’s being challenged or threatened. There’s another source of magic in Rosas, and he doesn’t know what it is. He only knows that it impacted his own magic, meaning it’s likely stronger than he is.

So, he searches for answers. He almost opens the book of forbidden magic, but his wife talks him out of it. Then, after summoning the people and hearing them question him and what he’s done/doing, he feels like he has no choice. If he wants to hold onto his power, he has to open the book.

I pointed out to others how Magnifico chooses to keep the book prominently on display in his study, rather than under lock-and-key in the dungeon (as we find out he has later and easily could’ve done). Why keep such dark magic so readily available? It’d be like having the Necronomicon in one of those clear candy safes on your bookshelf.

If he wanted to keep it out of others’ hands, the dungeon or another secure and out-of-sight location would’ve been a better option. The dungeon (or whatever that room below the King’s tower is called) was only accessible by magic. As it is, it seems anyone can break into the tower, as Asha demonstrates. And, yes, he does have some basic magic protecting it, but he seems to break past it no problem when he wants to use the book. If another powerful sorcerer wanted to find and use the book, they very easily could.

My point is that it’s almost like Magnifico had it so accessible because he wanted an excuse to use it. While he might’ve told his wife it was a “last resort,” he was quick about reaching for it the minute he felt he was being threatened or challenged. He didn’t even have basic information about what caused the light or whether it’s still in Rosas, but he reaches for his “last resort” anyway.

As expected, once he taps into the book of dark magic, whatever goodness he had in him quickly vanishes. The minute he realizes destroying wishes gives him more power, all his promises in “At All Costs” are forgotten. He only cares about power, as his wife says in “Knowing What I Know Now.”

Not to say he didn’t care about power before — because he clearly did — but it was couched in keeping Rosas, its people and their wishes safe. I think he honestly believes that people will only like him and stay in Rosas if he promises to grant their wishes. I think that’s part of why he only grants like one a month, and admits most of them will never be granted. Again, they’re leverage to keep people liking him and staying in Rosas.

Side note: I also think it’s quite possible that he can’t grant many of the wishes, even with his powerful magic. We only see him grant two: the dressmaker gets a pair of enchanted scissors, and Simon gets a suit of armor. That’s it! First, I’m not sure how enchanted scissors = best dressmaker in the world. There’s a lot more that goes into dressmaking than simply cutting fabric. Wouldn’t she need an enchanted needle too? But, honestly, I think Saba’s wish is the perfect example of one Magnifico CAN’T grant. As he says, it’s vague; but moreover, it’s intangible. It centers on people’s feelings. What exactly could Magnifico do or give Saba to help him inspire the next generation? Even if he gave him an enchanted guitar, that doesn’t automatically mean the next generation will be inspired.

Anyway, I could see some other version of the script where Magnifico admitted that he couldn’t grant all the wishes. That’s why he only picked one (and probably did so very carefully) to grant each month, and made everyone forget what exactly their wishes were.

Back on track, though: I thought it was actually a nice touch how he seems to guard the wishes like a mother bird guarding her nest. The only time we see him leave the tower is for the Wish Ceremony and to ask for information about Star. Before he starts singing “This is the Thanks I Get?” he tells his wife: “I’ll be with the wishes. Don’t disturb me unless you have good news.”

Then the minute he taps into the book of dark magic, where does he go? Not only does he literally spiral downward from his tower, but HE LEAVES THE WISHES. Perfect.

See? It’s those little touches that make me think that this could’ve been a great Disney movie rather than this middle-of-the-road film we got.

So that brings me to my final section:

How to Make “Wish” Better

I know I’ve made a ton of suggestions already on how to fix this or that, but they were all relatively minor points. Now, I want to focus on big-picture stuff — the story and the characters — and not so much the song’s orchestrations or nonsensical lyrics.

Here are three changes they could’ve made to improve the movie we got:

1. MAKE ASHA THE KING’S APPRENTICE

To be honest, based on the marketing, that’s exactly who I figured Asha was going into the movie.

In the trailer, we get Dahlia’s comment about her being the King’s apprentice. Then we see her giving a tour, generally hanging out at the castle and seated next to the Queen during the Wish Ceremony, so she seemed to have some kind of importance in the kingdom. Then, when “This is the Thanks I Get?” was released ahead of the movie. there were a couple of lyrics that made me think the King was singing to Asha. The line about “I let you live here for free … I clean up all your messes and I’m always there when you need to vent” made me think he was talking to/about her and her role as his apprentice.

So, I was disappointed to find out Asha was only APPLYING to be the King’s apprentice. Why? Why couldn’t she be his apprentice? You could easily make that change, and improve both Asha and Magnifico’s dynamic and arcs. It’d also add to the drama of the story, because I think the best Disney villains are the ones who have a past connection with the hero/ine.

Let’s say: Asha’s been the King’s apprentice for maybe a year or two when the film starts. She helps give tours and hangs out at the castle, which is how she became friends with Dahlia & Co. She’s only done low-level tasks like cleaning out the fireplaces and running errands for the King, but Magnifico feels she’s proven herself and she’s ready to learn magic like a real apprentice.

So, the first thing he does is show her the wishes. Instead of showing a complete stranger something very precious to him as he does in the movie, have that moment be a sign of his trust and faith in her — kind of like when your parents finally give you the keys to their car.

And then Asha turning around and immediately asking him to grant her Saba’s wish would cause him to waver. Maybe he put too much faith in her — maybe she’s selfish, just like all the others. Having that previous connection between them would also explain why Asha feels comfortable asking Magnifico to grant her Saba’s wish, rather than asking a complete stranger as we see in the movie.

They can have the exact same conversation about why he doesn’t grant all the wishes, and Magnifico sees it as Asha challenging him and being ungrateful after everything he’s done for her. And, of course, he’d be upset. Maybe he’d dismiss her altogether, or at least temporarily, and the rest of the movie can play out almost the same.

But, of course, as master/apprentice, there’d be a stronger connection between them. When he finds out Asha was the one who betrayed him, it’d help justify why he goes so dark so quickly. One of the two people he thought he could genuinely trust — his wife and his apprentice — betrayed him, and the other one soon follows suit. Could’ve been a nice opportunity for a dark “This is the Thanks I Get?” reprise, but I’ll stop beating that drum.

It’d also set up an interesting dynamic as Magnifico was supposed to teach Asha magic, but she ends up learning it or acquiring it through Star. It’d ultimately be a story of how she initially chose Magnifico as her teacher, but when she discovered his true nature, she basically chose Star as her teacher instead.

I really don’t know why Disney didn’t make Asha his apprentice from the start. The marketing seems to indicate that’s what the story was. If there was one aspect where I felt like corporate Disney tried to course-correct and put its fingerprints on this movie, this would be it. “Oh, we can’t have the heroine be the villain’s apprentice. Then she’d be complicit in his evil deeds!!” or some crap like that.

2. GIVE THE WISHES A TEMPTING ALLURE TO TEST THE CHARACTERS

Honestly, this wouldn’t change the movie too much. I just really like the idea.

So, in the movie, there are a few lines that indicate that the wishes have some kind of strange allure. Both Magnifico and Asha feel compelled to protect them “At All Costs,” despite one having been around them for years and the other only seeing them for the first time. Asha even says they’re “everything.” They have a special pull on both these characters, and of course, they’re central to the story.

I wish the creators had played with this idea more. Maybe the wishes are almost like a “good” version of The One Ring from “The Lord of the Rings.” Everyone who sees them is mesmerized, captivated, and almost entranced. They feel this overwhelming urge to physically hold them, to emotionally connect with them, etc. They’d give up everything to protect them at the drop of a hat, but in a good way — maybe like the Pearl of Great Price from the Christian Gospels.

But, of course, with that feeling comes the reluctance to let them go or give them back. Maybe that’d give more layers to Magnifico wanting to hold onto the wishes. He refuses to return them or release them. He’s not just protective of them; he’s possessive of them. They’re not the people’s; they’re his.

Again, we get a lot of this in the movie. But, either the filmmakers should’ve played it up more, or been a bit clearer about it.

We only really see their impact on Magnifico and Asha. I guess Queen Amaya maybe walks by them once or twice — did she ever have the same feelings toward them that Magnifico or Asha did?

Star is obviously immune to their effect, as its a literal wishing star. But, what about Asha’s friends who break into the tower — did they feel it too? I think there might’ve been a line or two that suggests they did, but then they very quickly get to work. It would’ve been cool if the movie had taken a second and really sat with that moment. Seeing a room full of the embodiment of people’s wishes must be an incredible sensation. The friends should’ve had a moment where they felt compelled to hold them and keep them close, and interacted with them the way Asha did. Maybe Star would’ve had to intervene and indicate that they needed to get to work, and remind them that the wishes aren’t theirs and they need to give them back.

Again, it’d be like those moments with The One Ring where each character is tested. Everyone who approaches the wishes has to decide whether to hold onto these very special things or whether to let them go/give them back. It could show that not even our heroes are immune to temptation.

But, of course I’m asking for a moment of nuance in a Disney movie, and we ain’t got time for that!

3. STREAMLINE THE SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

Others have talked about this, so I’ll keep this brief.

Asha has: a mom, a grandpa, seven friends, a talking goat sidekick, a sentient but non-talking Star sidekick, various other animal friends, and an eventual ally in the Queen. I think we only needed about half of them.

For comparison, Moana had a mom, dad, grandma, a non-talking rooster sidekick and the sentient but non-talking Ocean sidekick. Mirabel had her various family members and the sentient non-talking Casita sidekick.

If it’d been up to me, I would’ve given Asha a grandparent to help kick off the wish storyline. Maybe a parent too, so she wouldn’t leave her grandparent on their own when she returns to free all the wishes.

But then, instead of her seven friends at the palace, I’d only have two or three people. One of them could be an older brother or cousin, which could help explain why Asha’s at the palace so much if she’s NOT the King’s apprentice. We need one of these people to betray her as Simon does in the movie, and then the other one/two can join her in returning the wishes.

I personally would not have given her a talking animal sidekick. Maybe you can have Valentino but he just never talks, or maybe there are talking animals but they’re not her sidekicks. I think Star is sufficient as a non-talking sidekick. Those types of characters worked just fine in “Moana” and “Encanto.”

The Queen can still be her eventual ally — that’s fine. I honestly think the only reason her character exists is to 1) give Magnifico someone to talk to through the middle chunk of the movie and 2) be there to rule Rosas whenever Magnifico’s eliminated. I’ve seen other people suggest that she should’ve been evil so we could’ve had our first evil villain couple since the King and Queen of Hearts in “Alice in Wonderland,” but I don’t feel that strongly about it.

There were far too many supporting characters and most of them faded into the background for me. We were really missing fun characters with memorable personalities — like Sebastian, Cogsworth and Lumiere, the Genie, or Timon and Pumbaa. I think they tried to slot Valentino into that role, but even I don’t think he got enough screentime to fill it.

Ultimately, I think audiences would’ve connected with the supporting characters more if there were fewer of them and we spent more time with each of them.

TL;DR

Again, as I said, this movie had potential. It just needed a script-doctor and different songwriters. I thought the character designs and animation were well-done; some of the voice acting and songs are fun; and the Disney in-jokes and homages were a nice tribute.

But, as time passes, I don’t think “Wish” will join “Moana” and “Encanto” in the modern Disney pantheon. I’m sure some folks out there will have a soft spot for it, the way I do with “The Princess & the Frog,” but I doubt it’ll receive the status of a “new Disney classic” for most households. I mean, it didn’t even crack the Top 3 Best Animated Movies in 2023 (at least in my book) and that’s saying something for a Disney princess/musical movie.

But, maybe I’m wrong and Disney’s 100th anniversary “Wish” will come true…