Wish
review by Bobby Blakey
Love them or hate them, there is no denying that Disney continues to churn out some of the best and most creative in animation. Their previous animated feature Strange World didn’t blast the box office as some expected, but I loved it and found it to be one of the more creative in some time. Their latest film, Wish looks to bring of the classic tropes of Disney back and features a great voice cast including Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillén, Ramy Youssef, Niko Vargas, Della Saba and Jon Rudnitsky from directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn. Could this be another great addition to the Disney archive, or will it fail to grant its own wish?
Wish follows the magical kingdom of Rosas, where Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.
I can honestly say that the trailers to this film never really pulled me in. There was just nothing about it that made me all that interested except for it feeling more old school than some of their previous outings. I could have seen this one in the princess era easily in 2D animation fitting right in. So heading in, I tried to keep my mind open and just let it play out and see what it had to offer. It ended up being more than I expected, but also nothing all that new that really stood out for me.
Right out the gate the story itself is interesting, but you instantly know things are not ok in this kingdom. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the shady business going on, but they do make some twists here and there to try to make you think maybe you don’t really know what is happening even though you do. They don’t keep much all that secret, so it relies more on the journey and world than anything to make it work and it does fine for the most part.
One of the things I always look for, especially in Disney films, are those memorable characters that really stand out. They are the fun or important ones that help to elevate the story to something more than its base ideal and when they work end up typically being the fan favorites. This one didn’t have anyone that filled that spot for me even though it was clearly trying to make a couple of them stand out.
The film isn’t bad, and I enjoyed it more than I had thought I would, but it never really stands out for me as anything all that special. The animation is beautiful filled with vibrant visuals that pop off screen. Where the film might not stand out in story, it for sure does in regards to the animation.
There is one specific scene after the credits that is the best thing about the entire film that harkens back to everything fans know of Disney. It is the defining moment connected with the promotion quote regarding years in the making. For some strange reason it is put in a place that some might never see it and is the best part of this film. The credits themselves are fun seeing all the various Disney characters in star constellations making the entire film really seem like it was more for celebrating the 100th anniversary than much else.
In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including deleted scenes, sing-a-longs, featurettes and so much more. Witness the magic of Wish available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on March 12th from Disney Home Entertainment.
