Rent Wish (2023)

Wish review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Marking Disney’s Centennial, Wish feels like it should be an exceptionally special Disney animated film. Indeed, the film has been made with a certain knowing nature of the studio’s nostalgic history and adheres to the classic hallmarks of its many animated features. That said, it comes with the same stock level of being highly referential of the past. This film won’t outright say it stars the seven dwarves, the fairy godmother, the evil mirrors from Snow White, the youthful Peter Pan, or the wish-granting star from Pinnochio. But it will still present all these characters with so many winks it’s enough to make one think the film has something in its eye.

The film's plot feels like a generic Disney animated in desperate need of a second draft. The Kingdom of Rosa is set on a remote Mediterranean island and is protected by the magical King Magnifico (Chris Pine), an egotistical sorcerer. He offers up free housing, food, and services for all who come to his kingdom, so long as they put their “wish” of personal growth on hold. There are some immediate red flags about this society, but the young Asha (Ariana DeBose) probably doesn’t know any better. She lives in a kingdom where these hoarded and, apparently, mind-wiped wishes will be gifted in due time. Asha hopes that her new gig as the king’s apprentice will finally grant her grandfather his wish, given that he’s now 100 years old.

In a twist that even the most novice of Disney fans should be able to deduce, Magnifico has no intention of granting wishes he deems unworthy. Luckily, Asha exists in a Disney movie, and wishing upon a star yields magical results. Her star gazing takes a fantastical turn when a cute star emerges from the sky and starts shooting off magic. The star makes Asha’s pet goat, Valentino, able to speak English with a voice provided by Alan Tudyk. As Valentino becomes the cute comic relief, Asha teams up with her friends to defeat Magnifico before he becomes too powerful and robs the world of wishes.

The idea behind Wish is not bad, but it’s never given much time to be fleshed out. The concept of wishes being stolen is strong but lacks the surprise in the king’s motive and the drive for the motivations of our hero and protagonist. Few moments slow down enough to appreciate Asha’s pluckiness or Magnifico’s self-absorbed perceptions. There’s too much time spent on the exposition of the wishes and magic and the musical numbers. The expected musical sequences are fine, but one would expect more earworm-worthy tracks from Disney, and these numbers feel more pleasant and passive than they do compelling songs worth listening to repeatedly. The animation is also decent considering this attempt at cel-shaded 3D that looks more 2D, making one question why Disney didn’t return to traditional cel animation for this film.

While there are a lot of high standards placed upon Wish, the film brings it on itself without clearly trying to reflect Disney’s entire legacy. Within the first act, we get a handful of subtle Easter eggs from previous Disney films. By the second act, we get blatant references to Bambi and Peter Pan, even calling out the characters by name. By the third act, even the most dim of viewers will be able to read every referenced film, considering the end credits feature line art from various characters of Disney’s many movies. All of this wouldn’t be a bother if the film had an energy that didn’t feel rushed and artificial, where all the components for a strong Disney animated movie are present but rarely fire with the same range as something like Tangled, Moana, or Encanto.

By the low standards of family animation, Wish is fine for the kids, considering the easy-to-read messaging, some cute slapstick, and some mildly amusing songs. But when being posed as a Disney centennial picture, rubbing that fact in your face by the final few minutes, it’s an incredibly underwhelming experience. Time will tell how this movie shapes up with Disney’s legacy, but, for the moment, it’s one of the weakest CGI films to come out of Disney Animation Studios in the past decade.