Wish (Walt Disney Animation - November 2023)

[Miss Rori]

Even allowing the flood of new releases this weekend -- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Migration pushed a lot of older titles out, but there's also several awards-season and specialty titles in the lineup -- Wish should have been able to stick it out for Christmas just with all the families looking for something to see. It's embarrassing all around.

The B.O. Boys podcast has not minced words about Wish doing as badly as it has, that it only hung on like it did (as did Trolls Band Together) by being the only family options in the marketplace. But they had an interesting perspective on the streaming issue. Families do want to go to the movies, but it's a hassle, not just a matter of expense, when little kids are involved -- and Wish came across to people as a movie for little kids. It's likely that the families who were interested in Wish are also people with Disney+ subscriptions. So why pay extra money, time and trouble to see that in theaters, especially when that could be used to see something like Wonka instead?

I find this stretch of the linked Deadline article interesting: "Exhibition isn’t shrugging it off — they sure don’t see Aquaman 2 as a “lump of coal” on their end. With three features aimed at three different demos [the others being Wonka and The Color Purple], it’s a smart move on behalf of Warner Bros., and also covers up for the lackluster finale of the Zack Snyder-conceived DC universe. Rather than draw attention to one movie, Warners is telling circuits, “‘We gave you three films.” What made this distribution strategy possible is that Disney didn’t have a big movie, nor did Paramount."

 

[Sir_Cliff]

The movie itself doesn't ask you to think about those questions, though. A viewer should be able to watch it and think, "Okay, this is a Disney fairy tale. We're talking about a world where all of the people's wishes are good. Got it. Let's move on."

If that were the only moment where you had to just go along with the filmmakers, though, I don't think that would be an issue.

I think the reason this film in particular is provoking so much discussion about plot points that at least some viewers are struggling to get beyond is that the barriers to overcome in terms of suspension of disbelief are too high and too frequent. On the first point, the entire logic of the film's plot hinges on several things that require you to just ignore the details or logical flaws. On the latter point, you have to keep just ignoring things right up to Asha becoming a fairy godmother with the power to grant wishes at the very end.

Obviously for some the world of the film is compelling enough to be swept up in the story and just go along with it without thinking too hard about the finer points. I tend to agree with @Miss Rori, though, that the problem for the others is that there isn't much beyond a story and world that feels underdeveloped rather than fantastical. I went into it with a pretty positive predisposition and, as I think has become all too painfully obvious on this thread, the more I've thought about the film the more it has come to irritate me to an extent I don't even understand because of all of these 'just go with it' moments!

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The comedic web short series Pitch Meeting imagines what the pitch for Wish was. (I too only recently thought "Why didn't anybody write their wishes down, or anybody just tell another person what their wish was?")

These are always good for a laugh.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Wow! You guys really hate this movie! Didn't you guys even see the movie in theaters? If you don't, then there's something wrong with some of you.

There is nothing objectively wrong with people not choosing to see a movie in theaters.

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

There is nothing objectively wrong with people not choosing to see a movie in theaters.

Nor for supposed fans to see it multiple times... curious why the user did not do so...

 

[Ghost93]

As of yesterday, Wonka has grossed more in North America in seven days than Wish has grossed in 30! This is the sort of story that will be analyzed by movie marketers for years to come: Why didn't Wish's promotional campaign, which seemed comparable to Wonka's, get people in seats? Was it (as the Pitch Meeting skit ponders) that just positioning it as the centennial movie wasn't enough? Why did Wonka overcome the skepticism its initial trailers evoked and Wish didn't?

The promotional campaign had nothing to do with the failure of Wish. The movie flopped because critics didn't like it. Original movies need good/great buzz and word of mouth to succeed. Wish got mixed reviews from critics and audiences, whereas Wonka was heavily praised.

Had Wish been a better movie and gotten better reviews, it would have legged out to be a success. But negative buzz killed the film the week of its release.

 

[Miss Rori]

Had Wish been a better movie and gotten better reviews, it would have legged out to be a success. But negative buzz killed the film the week of its release.

Well sure, that's the easy explanation! But up through 2019 a lot of bad Disney movies were making lots of money with bad reviews, I'm still amazed Beauty and the Beast 2.0 was a billion-dollar grosser. And like the live-action remakes Wish was just rehashing stuff they did much better decades ago!

 

[Miss Rori]

Obviously for some the world of the film is compelling enough to be swept up in the story and just go along with it without thinking too hard about the finer points. I tend to agree with @Miss Rori, though, that the problem for the others is that there isn't much beyond a story and world that feels underdeveloped rather than fantastical. I went into it with a pretty positive predisposition and, as I think has become all too painfully obvious on this thread, the more I've thought about the film the more it has come to irritate me to an extent I don't even understand because of all of these 'just go with it' moments!

There's a curious coincidence (if not straight-up irony) that Chris Pine previously voiced the heroic protagonist of Rise of the Guardians, another movie with a fair deal of worldbuilding and exposition about how the characters and their magic work (and also has a villain who threatens the heroes and innocents with eternal fear and a big ol' cloud of darkness in the climax), but one which has a far more coherent system and explanations for it.

 

[LittleBuford]

Well sure, that's the easy explanation! But up through 2019 a lot of bad Disney movies were making lots of money with bad reviews, I'm still amazed Beauty and the Beast 2.0 was a billion-dollar grosser. And like the live-action remakes Wish was just rehashing stuff they did much better decades ago!

Beauty and the Beast was a recognised IP; Wish wasn't/isn't. This same distinction probably contributed to The Little Mermaid's relatively decent performance this year.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

My opinion is that Wish’ animation style was a good idea that was poorly executed, that coupled with the poor word of mouth and reviews probably lead to its poor box office performance. There are also some of the general public that has lost interest in Disney, for whatever reason.

The film was not bad, and definitely not one of their worst. It just has really poor pacing problems, and the music is not great. If they wanted it to sound like a Lin Manuel musical, they should’ve hired him. There’s also not really any stakes to the story, it’s hard to keep interest. There are some fun Easter eggs/nods but at the end of the day if they wanted a hit for their 100th they should’ve done a Mickey feature film.

 

[TP2000]

As of yesterday, Wonka has grossed more in North America in seven days than Wish has grossed in 30! This is the sort of story that will be analyzed by movie marketers for years to come: Why didn't Wish's promotional campaign, which seemed comparable to Wonka's, get people in seats?...

Wish should have been able to stick it out for Christmas just with all the families looking for something to see. It's embarrassing all around.

It's more than just embarrassing; because Wish was touted for years as the big Disney 100th! celebration movie, Wish being a global bomb is utterly humiliating. And it's obvious that PG rated family films can still perform in the 2023 marketplace. But apparently nothing from Disney is capable of that any longer. Humiliating for Burbank.

 

[TsWade2]

It's more than just embarrassing; because Wish was touted for years as the big Disney 100th! celebration movie, Wish being a global bomb is utterly humiliating. And it's obvious that PG rated family films can still perform in the 2023 marketplace. But apparently nothing from Disney is capable of that any longer. Humiliating for Burbank.

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I don’t want to hear from you!

 

[brideck]

Well sure, that's the easy explanation! But up through 2019 a lot of bad Disney movies were making lots of money with bad reviews, I'm still amazed Beauty and the Beast 2.0 was a billion-dollar grosser. And like the live-action remakes Wish was just rehashing stuff they did much better decades ago!

I honestly don't understand how any of the live-action remakes were hits at all. Not because they're all necessarily bad, but they're just painfully redundant for the most part. That trend should have been nipped in the bud right away. I guess that's more evidence of how audiences will pony up for things that feel familiar.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

The promotional campaign had nothing to do with the failure of Wish. The movie flopped because critics didn't like it. Original movies need good/great buzz and word of mouth to succeed. Wish got mixed reviews from critics and audiences, whereas Wonka was heavily praised.

Had Wish been a better movie and gotten better reviews, it would have legged out to be a success. But negative buzz killed the film the week of its release.

Yes, I think the marketing campaign picked up quite nicely for Wish closer to its release and Ariana Debose was a great ambassador for the film who did a lot of promotion. The reviews really seemed to kill the film's momentum, though, particularly coming amidst broader discussions about Disney having lost its way. Then all indications are that word of mouth didn't do anything to correct the situation.

If Disney's postmortem on this film focusses on the marketing, then I don't think they've really learnt anything. The only justification I could really see for that is if the film lands on Disney+ and suddenly becomes a huge hit.

 

[TalkingHead]

If Disney's postmortem on this film focusses on the marketing, then I don't think they've really learnt anything. The only justification I could really see for that is if the film lands on Disney+ and suddenly becomes a huge hit.

Disney’s takeaway from Wish will be “Can we get a toy license that needs to be Barbie’d?”

 

[WorldExplorer]

Disney’s takeaway from Wish will be “Can we get a toy license that needs to be Barbie’d?”

My money's on their oblivious takeaway being "see! People don't want 2D animation/stuff that kinda resembles it!".

Edit: I know the thing doesn't actually look like 2D and instead it looks like crap. The point was that I predict them coming to a blatantly wrong conclusion and realizing no fault with their own methods.

 

[networkpro]

Disney’s takeaway from Wish will be “Can we get a toy license that needs to be Barbie’d?”

Oh theres lots of Wish merch in the parks, but the problem is not one is buying it because no one likes it. The color palet is wonderful, but the Hardee's Star and Goat are not driving any sales, and neither is Asha (nee mini Che Guevara)

 

[LittleBuford]

My money's on their oblivious takeaway being "see! People don't want 2D animation/stuff that kinda resembles it!".

I very much doubt anyone will go that route given that it didn’t really resemble traditional animation to begin with.

 

[WorldExplorer]

[

I very much doubt anyone will go that route given that it didn’t really resemble traditional animation to begin with.

Yes, the point of the post was that they would get something stupid that blatantly wasn't true out of it, thank you for reiterating.

 

[LittleBuford]

[

Yes, the point of the post was that they would get something stupid that blatantly wasn't true out of it, thank you for reiterating.

I understood your point, but I don’t agree with it. They actually have a vested interest in not repeating the same mistakes, so they’re hardly going to gravitate towards something bogus, especially when it’s so farfetched as to be untenable.