Wish (Walt Disney Animation - November 2023)

[Disney Analyst]

So I am writing this from the movie theater.

First reactions is that it was a solid 7/10. The movie is not groundbreaking or anything and it certainly isn’t going to change your life or anything. It is however, a harmless fun time at the movies. In the beginning I was pretty worried that this was going to be cringey. Asha has a very specific personality that everyone may not jive with but as the movie goes on it does get better. The movie really kicks into high gear about 30-45 mins in when Magnifico is allowed to be the villain. This is leaps and bounds better than Strange World. Not sure I’d say it’s better than Encanto, but it’s not a bad little movie either. Just don’t go in expecting beauty and the beast.

EDIT: Oh, and to be clear it doesn’t deserve a 50% on rotten tomatoes.

Agreed on all fronts.

I actually think a fair placement would be in the 75-80% range. But there isn't a lot of nuance on RT, you are either Fresh or Rotten, there is no in between it seems? Unsure how so many see this as rotten though? Far from it.

The crazy thing is the stranglehold RT has on the film industry these days, even I fall into the trap of putting too much weight on it.

 

[Surferboy567]

Agreed on all fronts.

I actually think a fair placement would be in the 75-80% range. But there isn't a lot of nuance on RT, you are either Fresh or Rotten, there is no in between it seems? Unsure how so many see this as rotten though? Far from it.

The crazy thing is the stranglehold RT has on the film industry these days, even I fall into the trap of putting too much weight on it.

If we are dealing in absolutes it’s fresh no question. I remember something similar happened with the Super Mario Bros Movie. Awful RT scores scared me but I definitely enjoyed that movie.

Magnifico alone makes the film fresh in my opinion.

 

[TalkingHead]

Agreed on all fronts.

I actually think a fair placement would be in the 75-80% range. But there isn't a lot of nuance on RT, you are either Fresh or Rotten, there is no in between it seems? Unsure how so many see this as rotten though? Far from it.

The crazy thing is the stranglehold RT has on the film industry these days, even I fall into the trap of putting too much weight on it.

Metacritic is at 49. Highest score is 75. Vast majority of reviews on there are between 40-60. Possible this one is appreciated by the kind of Disney fans who post on forums and few others.

 

[Consumer]

No. Long spoilers ahead.

Spoiler

The King decides who's wishes get granted, under the claim it is to protect everyone, but really it's just him wanting to maintain power and influence. He sees the wishes as belonging solely to him, despite how innocent the Wishes are. You forget your Wish once given, which seems to result in members of the village no longer having the drive or passion they once did. The lack of a wish sort or relates to a lack of a goal, something to strive for, and fight to achieve.

Asha finds out the truth, and wants to try and set the Wishes free, as they belong to each individual, and not some egotistical King who believes he has the right the choose, under whatever criteria he has determined.

The King discovers through dark magic, that if he consumes the wishes, it makes him more powerful, and dark magic corrupts him. Consuming the Wishes causes the wish giver great pain, and a feeling of deep sadness and depression.

Asha was not selectively granting any Wishes by the end, that I recall. The village works together to make peoples Wishes come true, through ingenuity like inventions (someones wish is to fly, the result is building a flying machine...)

Doesn't sound too different from what I heard, just better articulated in a way that favors the movie. Usually I'd say I'd wait to make my own opinion once I see it, but like most of the country I have zero plans to watch this movie.

Your spoilers, combined with the spoilers I read, combined with this review from RT tells me this movie isn't for me.

Agreed on all fronts.

I actually think a fair placement would be in the 75-80% range. But there isn't a lot of nuance on RT, you are either Fresh or Rotten, there is no in between it seems? Unsure how so many see this as rotten though? Far from it.

The crazy thing is the stranglehold RT has on the film industry these days, even I fall into the trap of putting too much weight on it.

Part of the problem is people don't understand how RT works. Far too many people see Wish's 49% and think the movie is a 4.9/10, which obviously isn't what that means. RT is just a good metric to understand the consensus of critics. Right now, the average score is 5.7/10, which obviously isn't good but that is better than 4.9/10.

 

[LittleBuford]

but like most of the country I have zero plans to watch this movie.

I'm not convinced it's going to be a smash hit, but what reason is there to assume it won't get a decent turnout?

 

[Disney Analyst]

EDIT #2: I can also seeing “This Wish” “Welcome to Rosas” and “This is the Thanks I Get” being used a lot. They were solid songs.

I really enjoyed "Knowing What I Know Now", but I am a sucker for a musical theatre "fight/revolution song".

Also, that was the one song the family behind me all clapped at in excitement. The drums and stuff in it, it felt exciting.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I disagree with his statement that the king is the good guy, but they really do a poor job of making him a villain - and it annoys me that a few very minor changes would have fixed that.

Spoiler

My biggest issue with the plot is that they explicitly state that everyone gives up their wishes voluntarily. The King isn't forcing anyone to give up their wish - it's completely up to them - and it's made pretty clear that only a very small number of wishes are granted every year, so it's not like the citizens of Rosa don't know their chances are slim. If they had stated that it was mandated that everyone has to give up their wish when they turn a certain age - THAT simple edit would have made the King much more of a villain.

Other than that, all of the citizens of Rosa are happy! They do a whole musical number singing about how wonderful the Kingdom is. They do an awful job of depicting that giving up your wish means giving up the biggest part of yourself. The only character who looked unhappy for giving up their wish in the movie is Asha's friend who was based on Sleepy - which was a horrible choice because he's based off Sleepy... he isn't meant to look happy!

I don't disagree, and there are certainly aspects that could have been fleshed out a bit more. I still found the film enjoyable though.

 

[Surferboy567]

I don't disagree, and there are certainly aspects that could have been fleshed out a bit more. I still found the film enjoyable though.

Certainly isn’t a perfect movie, but all and all I had a fun time.

 

[MisterPenguin]

 

[Miss Rori]

I disagree with his statement that the king is the good guy, but they really do a poor job of making him a villain - and it annoys me that a few very minor changes would have fixed that.

I've noticed a lot of the negative reviews feel this way -- that the whole business of how the wishes work, what the wishes actually are (and why no one tries to achieve them on their own), what his motivations are, and why it is overall a bad system that Asha is noble to rebel against rather than the cost of living in a thriving, peaceful, safe community are muddled, to the point that a lot of critics struggle to explain it clearly/correctly. Like -- is he a misguided ruler who genuinely means well and overreacts to a challenge, or was he a fraud all along? And since all this is central to caring about the story, the filmmakers apparently badly failing to make things clear affects enjoyment.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Just got out. I loved every single minute of it. It felt like classic Disney to me from start to finish, including the credits. Stay for the credits.

It took me a bit to get used to the animation style of the background, but it ultimately didn't bother me. Disney has experimented with this type of thing before.

The voicework is all fantastic, as is the character design.

The songs work better in context of the film than when they have been posted out of context. I loved "The Wish", both the original and the reprise. "This is the Thanks I Get" is another standout.

The people who have been saying King Magnifico is not a real villain did not see the same movie that I did.....or they didn't see the movie at all. He acts like a total sweetheart in the first scene but then he reveals himself as a raging, snarling villain hellbent on power and control and he gets worse and worse until the end. Chris Pine is perfect here.

If I have one criticism, it is that little star thing is too cutesy-poo, but it honestly didn't bother me that much.

Kids are going to absolutely LOVE this movie.

I can see how cynical adults (of which there are many on here) would not care for any of this. Whatevs. Go see Eli Roth's Thanksgiving instead and you can enjoy watching a bunch of people slaughtered by Thanksgiving implements like corn holders, ovens, freezers, and parade floats (it's actually very well made, if you are into horror).

But Wish is pretty wonderful. It's hard to see how a Disney fan would not love this. It is classic Disney magic.

 

[TP2000]

But Wish is pretty wonderful. It's hard to see how a Disney fan would not love this. It is classic Disney magic.

How many standing ovations did it get in your packed theater?

 

[BuddyThomas]

I've noticed a lot of the negative reviews feel this way -- that the whole business of how the wishes work, what the wishes actually are (and why no one tries to achieve them on their own), what his motivations are, and why it is overall a bad system that Asha is noble to rebel against rather than the cost of living in a thriving, peaceful, safe community are muddled, to the point that a lot of critics struggle to explain it clearly/correctly. Like -- is he a misguided ruler who genuinely means well and overreacts to a challenge, or was he a fraud all along? And since all this is central to caring about the story, the filmmakers apparently badly failing to make things clear affects enjoyment.

He is not a "a misguided ruler who genuinely means well". He is a classic Disney villain. It's a pretty simple story, and if professional reviewers cannot comprehend this, they shouldn't be writing reviews. I mean:

The guy even throws his own wife under the bus.

 

[DKampy]

How many standing ovations did it get in your packed theater?

What are you talking about? Unless you frequent festivals like Venice or Cannes you are not likely to experience standing ovations in a movie theater

 

[BuddyThomas]

What are you talking about? Unless you frequent festivals like Venice or Cannes you are not likely to experience standing ovations in a movie theater

I have him blocked but I can tell that he is attempting to troll me. It will make him so very excited to know that there were only 6 people in the theatre, and there was no standing ovation. I hope he will be thrilled with this information.

 

[Figments Friend]

Is there supposed to be a McDonalds toy for this movie? Right now they have super cheap Disney 100 ones.

The current McD’s Disney 100 promotional toys of boxed mini figures include four characters from ‘Wish’.
Asha, the King, Star, and Valentino.

So yes….

-

 

[TsWade2]

I prayed and hope that Wish becomes a box office success. If I said that before, I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.

 

[BuddyThomas]

I prayed and hope that Wish becomes a box office success. If I said that before, I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.

Don't worry about it. It's a very good movie. Go see it and have fun.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Just got out. I loved every single minute of it. It felt like classic Disney to me from start to finish, including the credits. Stay for the credits.

It took me a bit to get used to the animation style of the background, but it ultimately didn't bother me. Disney has experimented with this type of thing before.

The voicework is all fantastic, as is the character design.

The songs work better in context of the film than when they have been posted out of context. I loved "The Wish", both the original and the reprise. "This is the Thanks I Get" is another standout.

The people who have been saying King Magnifico is not a real villain did not see the same movie that I did.....or they didn't see the movie at all. He acts like a total sweetheart in the first scene but then he reveals himself as a raging, snarling villain hellbent on power and control and he gets worse and worse until the end. Chris Pine is perfect here.

If I have one criticism, it is that little star thing is too cutesy-poo, but it honestly didn't bother me that much.

Kids are going to absolutely LOVE this movie.

I can see how cynical adults (of which there are many on here) would not care for any of this. Whatevs. Go see Eli Roth's Thanksgiving instead and you can enjoy watching a bunch of people slaughtered by Thanksgiving implements like corn holders, ovens, freezers, and parade floats (it's actually very well made, if you are into horror).

But Wish is pretty wonderful. It's hard to see how a Disney fan would not love this. It is classic Disney magic.

Meanwhile Star was my favourite, I loved how cute it was!

First time I left a movie saying “I need one”.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Meanwhile Star was my favourite, I loved how cute it was!

First time I left a movie saying “I need one”.

He seemed to have a different animation style from the rest of the movie. I don't know. I still loved it and Star didn't bother me that much.