“Wish” Review
Voiced by Ariana DeBose, Asha strives to grant with wishes of everyone in her kingdom in “Wish”, the latest Disney animated film.
This year has been rough for Disney as the company celebrates its one hundred year anniversary. While I have enjoyed some of the films they have released through their various subsidiaries (like “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Elemental”), many of them haven’t done too well at the box office (either underperforming or bombing) and a good deal of them have been lacking that bold imaginative spark that we associate with this company. “Wish” is another film like that. Despite talented people working hard on this film, “Wish” just doesn’t inspire the whimsical feelings that Disney has proven time and time again that they’re capable of.
On the Mediterranean island kingdom of Rosas, the benevolent King Magnifico (Chris Pine) is a powerful sorcerer who can grant the deepest wishes of anyone in his kingdom. When the residents of Rosas turn 18, they entrust their wish with Magnifico and the king grants one wish every month. Wanting her 100-year-old grandfather’s (Victor Garber) wish to be fulfilled, a young woman named Asha (Ariana DeBose) applies to be the apprentice to the king in hopes of making a real difference in Rosas. When Asha discovers that Magnifico only grants the wishes that will benefit him and his position of power and leaves the others to be permanently discarded, she wishes upon a star for the power to help grant those wishes that have no hope. When The Star falls from the sky and develops a personality, as well as makes Asha’s goat Valentino (Alan Tudyk) able to talk, Asha, her friends and family and The Star all join together to save everyone's wishes and defeat the king who has begun using dark magic to keep his position of power secure.
Throughout the film’s runtime, it feels like “Wish” was trying to really capture the style of classic Disney films (both in terms of visuals and storytelling) but add modern elements as well, not unlike what “Frozen” did ten years ago or “Tangled” and “Princess and the Frog” before that. However, the film’s biggest weakness is that it doesn’t have a strong identity. There are plenty of other references, character archetypes and Easter Eggs to serve as nods to past Disney animated films but many of these characters and story threads feel tired without any new life. Having elements of other Disney films is great but, if you don’t mix them together properly, you’re left with an unfocused mess instead of something unique. Many of the allusions to past Disney films feel forced and don’t serve the story too much.
One aspect of the film that successfully pays tribute to the films of the past is the animation which is quite beautiful and blends the traditional styles of Disney (watercolor backgrounds and lush forest environments) with modern technology and 3D animation. While I wish Disney would just make another 2D animated film, it is nice to see such a lovely homage to their earlier work.
Ariana DeBose is also very engaging as Asha because, despite having a noble mission, she does find herself wondering if she’s doing it for the right reasons. Is she wanting to help others’ wishes because she wants her kingdom to be happy or is it so that she can be seen as important? I find this dilemma to be more down-to-Earth and I think DeBose’s performance really sells it. On top of that, as we know from her Oscar-winning performance in “West Side Story”, her two-time hosting of the Tony Awards and her various roles on Broadway, she has an amazing singing voice and uses it as skillfully as a chef with the knife.
The film’s villain Magnifico (Chris Pine) feels unfocused and doesn’t have the strengths of Disney’s most evil and complex antagonists.
While the hero is someone who I found no trouble rooting for, I was not as interested in the film’s villain. Chris Pine certainly captures Magnifico’s charm and ruthlessness, balancing them well in a fine vocal performance, but the character’s faults lie in the writing. As opposed to many of Disney’s past films (like “Frozen”, “Zootopia” and “Moana”) where the identity of the villain is a surprise saved for the third act and most of the film revolves around conflicts with and within the protagonists, “Wish” reveals its villain early on and tries to make him an unstoppable force who becomes more and more desperately evil. There’s nothing wrong with this, in fact many of my favorite Disney villains (like Maleficent, The Wicked Queen and The Shadow Man) are like that but “Wish” also tries to make him sympathetic sometimes by giving him a backstory about how his family was taken from him, how he built the kingdom of Rosas from nothing and how he is desperate to protect his hold over it.
The problem is that the film is indecisive with how to approach its villain and there are plenty of ways where you can give some sympathy to the villain while also making them into a monster. Judge Frollo from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is a good villain because he believes that he is doing good and the eyes of God and now feels tempted by his lust for Esmerelda. In “The Lion King”, Scar is an irredeemable horror but you get the feeling that he’s been passed over in favor of his brother Mufasa so you have an understanding why he’s evil. I think that the arc of Magnifico was envisioned like Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast” as a confident man that everyone loves who becomes more and more animalistic when he’s challenged by the protagonist. But while Gaston’s transformation felt gradual (in fact his big villain song is just about how great he is), Magnifico’s journey from king to dark sorcerer feels rushed.
“Wish’s” humor also just doesn’t land with most of the jokes barely mustering a polite chuckle. Most of the jokes are one-liners and I consider that a missed opportunity when the film could have just given us some crazy imaginative visuals for comedy. When The Star makes the animals talk, there’s some funny moments including a choir of dancing, singing chickens being conducted by Valentino.
The film is also poorly edited which is a shame because Jeff Draheim has edited several great animated films like “Frozen” and “Moana”. The films he’s worked on usually have excellent pacing and keep a strong balance between the quiet dramatic moments and the louder scenes of action and music. But that’s nowhere to be found in “Wish”. The songs themselves are well-composed and I can see a few of them being new favorites of Disney fans, but their placement within the story feels off. “Wish’s” climax is also poorly put together with the film cutting way too much between each character as they seek to overthrow Magnifico’s rule.
While “Wish” isn’t the worst thing I’ve seen from Disney recently and will certainly entertain many in the moment but there’s a lackluster feeling attached to the film and it doesn’t seem capable of leaving any lasting impact. I still remember the emotions I felt from that first time watching films like “Ratatouille”, “Up” and “The Princess and the Frog” in theaters when I was a child. I don’t think I’ll remember too much about “Wish” by the end of this month.
