Disclaimer
I rarely put up disclaimers in my reviews, but for a movie that is at the receiving end of so much hate, I have to add this one.
Before we dive into this review, let me be clear on one thing: I had not taken the absolute disclosure this movie is suffering into consideration, whether on various social media sites or on review sites such as Letterboxd. Whenever I review movies, I only considered my overall thoughts into consideration. In fact, my opinion is not an absolute option, as other reviewers have different perspectives, and therefore different opinions about the same movie. No one is right or wrong regarding Wish, so my advice is to take those reviews with a pinch of salt, this one included.
In fact, regardless of the studio that is animating the movie (although a handful of animation studios can negatively affect the movie), the people in charge, where this movie comes from, the issues the movie suffers from behind the scenes, its box office returns and critical returns, what’s most important is the movie itself and judging movies as it is fits my review style, though it’s important to note that not all reviewers adopt the same reviewing style as me.
With that said, back to the review proper.
Introduction
Hi there, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for yet another adventure and given it has been 100 years since the founding of the Walt Disney Company, let us celebrate this very special occasion with their latest animated movie, Wish!
Directed by long-time Disney veteran Chris Buck (of Frozen and Surf’s Up fame, although the latter was not a Disney movie), Wish is the first Disney musical animated movie since Frozen 2, focusing on a world full of wishes in the Kingdom of Rosas ruled by King Magnifico (Chris Pine) who has the power to grant wishes. However, when Asha (Ariana DeBose) sensed a darkness about Magnifico, she made a passionate wish which brings forth an actual star that could answer Asha’s wishes, which could help her bring down an evil lurking in Magnifico’s reign.
Say what you will about Disney, but despite a series of controversies, bad business decisions and above all, Bob Chapek, Disney remains a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, especially with animation. However, considering that the previous Disney animated movie, Strange World, was a disappointment for me, it is time to reset and look to the brightest stars as we kick off this very special animated movie adventure worth waiting for 100 years!
Are you ready? Because I had packed my baggage for my voyage to the Kingdom of Rosas, so here we go!
Key Information
- Directors: Chris Buck (with Fawn Veerasunthorn)
- Animation Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Country of Origin: United States
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 24 November 2023 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Story and Characters
I got to be honest, I came into this movie being prepared for what was to come, especially given the early reviews and its lacklustre opening weekend. I got to be very frank, I don’t think the writing was perfect, but I still find some great moments with this movie.
Starting off with the negatives first just to get that out of the way, considering this is Disney’s 100th anniversary movie, I have to agree with some reviews that the movie’s story did not go far enough, especially in terms of taking risks. Considering that we are seeing animated movies this year that with more daring stories, such as Unicorn Wars and Nimona, the movie’s slight lack of depth felt kind of disappointing. Whether it is not having unexpected twists or having a lack of depth in certain characters, Wish suffered from well-needed complexity to make it a slam dunk.
The same thing could be said for some of the tropes this movie uses. I remember watching Pixar’s Coco, owned by Disney, and how that movie turned pretty much every animated movie cliché you could think of on its head and subvert those tropes expertly. Here, Wish could have played with the tropes and the jokes that were in the movie and use them differently, but it did not.
However, taking those negatives aside, I understand what Wish was going for in terms of the writing. Wish is going for a more fairytale-like approach as it tells a “Once Upon a Time” story that some of Disney’s classic animated movies went for, and while the execution of this storyline could have been more cohesive, I appreciated how well-grounded this movie is.
I also think the pacing is just right, maybe apart from the first act where it took some time to get the story going. However, once Wish gets through the first act, the pacing makes it a breeze to get through. While there were just a couple of boring parts, it is a palatable movie to get through, which can something be not a bad thing for all.
With regards to the characters, despite having a lack of depth in some characters, I still Disney did a solid job with the characters. Asha is a relatable and well-rounded protagonist, even if her arc felt kind of typical. Chris Pine’s King Magnifico, on the other hand, is such a fun and surprisingly, straight and irredeemable villain that is easy to hate. However, Star honestly took the entire spotlight and their (I do not know what gender Star is) playfulness and comedy is a joy, which is exactly what Disney was going for. Kudos to them for that.
Animation
Whenever I talked about a Disney movie, the element that I am worried about the least is the animation, and for good reason. Disney’s animation has usually been top-notch, even in their weaker movies such as Strange World last year. After seeing the movie, I honestly find it surprising over how much I underestimated Wish’s animation, even though I should not.
Wish is going for a fairytale-like aesthetic with a Mediterranean setting as this movie presumably takes inspiration from Spain (which I think is how Disney crafted the Kingdom of Rosas) and seeing that animation style felt very nostalgic. It is very familiar to the settings in Disney’s classic movies but modernised for the 21st century, which I appreciate. The storybook-like styling in both the backgrounds and characters fits the movie almost perfectly.
In fact, Wish is honestly more 2D than what I was anticipating, which has to be shocking for me. I grew up during the modern era of Disney, so seeing Disney having a more stylised CG approach is something I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it is not as exciting as the likes of the two Spider-Verse movies and last year’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, but you have to remember, Wish has less action than such movies, so the 2D elements are not as pronounced as they need to be.
I did not need to talk much about the animation quality, because honestly, the animation work speaks for itself. The overall execution is as rock solid, which should be expected of Disney at this point. Very minimal animation errors, if any at all.
So yeah, I love the animation style in Wish. It is far from my most favourite animation in any of the modern Disney movies, but for what it is worth, the overall animation quality is impressive on its own.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
I loved covering animated movie soundtracks, as soundtracks can help to elevate a movie to new heights. It is why that even in the smaller foreign CG animated movies, a good score and soundtrack can make a difference, especially in a musical like Wish.
In fact, one of the best parts of Wish is making me feel nostalgic over the old era of Disney’s animated movies with memorable songs throughout their 100-year history in a good way. For sure, the songs may not feel elevated, but some of the songs spoke out to me. Of course, Ariana DeBose’s “This Wish” is a likely nominee for Best Original Song, utilising the same vocals that won DeBose her Best Supporting Actress Oscar in West Side Story, but I was so excited to see a great villain song for the 21st century with “This is the Thanks I Get?!”, probably one of the most memorable Disney villain songs for the past few years.
Of course, this movie has Easter Eggs galore given that it was Disney’s 100th anniversary movie, and while there were a few Eggs peppered throughout the movie, do watch the end credits all the way till the end, and you will find a truckload of them.
As for my level of enjoyment, once I got through all the social media disclosure and just focused on the movie itself, I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I should. Yes, this is not nearly the peak of Disney, but as long as I am having fun with this movie, nothing matters. In fact, I know I am biased given that I am a casual Disney fan, but I simply loved the level of nostalgia Wish brings to me.
Conclusion
I am going to play devil’s advocate in this one: I still feel that even with all the disclosure, you should watch Wish, mostly to give thanks to the writers, animators and the rest of the crew that worked on Wish to celebrate 100 years of Disney. In fact, go see Wish just to support the animation and writing crew in charge of this movie, considering how difficult producing animated movies can be, even in established studios.
Yes, this movie was not executed perfectly, which is at this rate most cinemagoers’ expectations for all Disney movies. However, if you take those expectations aside and watch it as it is, Wish feels like an actual fairytale, which is what this movie was going for. The story is mostly well-executed, though pretty safe, the characters are honestly great (especially for Star and King Magnifico), the animation is properly executed with enough flair to make it stand out, and the musical numbers, while far from being Disney’s best, is spectacular.
At the end of the day, I had to critique this movie based on what it was going for, and I think Disney’s Wish did a great job with this one. Let us hope Disney continue to work or even elevates their magic for the next 100 years, and I am sure that once they sort out the business side of Disney which is still very messy, they will get there.
Thank you so much for joining me on this magical journey. We are getting closer and closer to the end of the year, and there is still slightly more than one month before we bring 2023 to a close. However, just as my plans for the rest of the year are settled, the legendary Hayao Miyazaki saw my plans and thought, “Hold my Spirited Away.” That’s right, the next adventure will be a Hayao Miyazaki animated movie that is easily the most anticipated animated movie of this year.
Tune in next time as we return to the world of Studio Ghibli. I will see you on the next adventure, and until then, k thanks bye!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
