‘Wish’ Review: A Strangely Subversive Take On 100 Years Of Disney Magic

This year, Walt Disney Animation, the studio behind the most successful animated films of all time, is celebrating one hundred years of stellar filmmaking. Their new film, Wish, directed by Chris Buck (Frozen & Frozen II) and first-time feature director, Fawn Veerasunthorn, functions as a victory lap for the studio. The trailers and marketing have been touting the film as being “100 years in the making” and that’s evident from the story being a layered journey through the past century of films. Packed to the brim with subtle (and some not so subtle) references to Disney properties, Wish is a compelling homage that skillfully strays away from convention.

Unlike most Disney films with female protagonists, our hero is not royalty, nor does she even have the notion of becoming a princess. Asha, played by Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, is a worker. She wants to become the apprentice to the king simply because it might help her 100 year old grandfather’s wish get granted. The Kingdom of Rosas is ruled by King Magnifico, voiced by Chris Pine, a sorcerer who can grant wishes. When a citizen turns 18, they give up their deepest wish to the king with the chance of maybe someday getting granted. In her job interview, Asha learns that the king isn’t as benevolent as the people believe, as he only grants a handful of wishes a year, stringing along the townspeople into subservience. This realization leads her to make her wish, not to the king, but to the stars.

This is when the film really starts to speak for itself. Asha’s wish is answered by a voiceless star, called Star, that bounces around dropping magic and wonder in its wake, giving woodland creatures, trees, and mushrooms the ability to sing and dance. Star is the only overtly 2D animated being in this 3D animated/watercolor hybrid world. The juxtaposition of the opening musical number, “Welcome to Rosas” and the anthropomorphized animals singing, “I’m a Star” is the biggest key into understanding the journey the film is taking. In the opening number, Asha is giving a big expositional song, direct to the audience, à la “The Family Madrigal” from Encanto. As her worldview is shattered, a magical cartoon star is the only thing that can pick up the pieces. “I’m A Star” calls back to legendary Disney songs sung by animals in order to bring the protagonist from a dark moment (“Bear Necessities”, “Hakuna Matata”, “Under the Sea”). The use of the musical iconography from Disney’s past in telling Asha’s story, in addition to Star’s two-dimensional animation brings a lot of metatextual weight to film without being overtly aggressive. 

Asha has a coterie of friends, voiced by an impressive cast including Harvey Guillen, Evan Peters, Ramy Youseff, and Jennifer Kumiyama, who all represent one of the seven dwarves from Snow White. They’re a fun bunch of characters who are brought to life by talented performers, but it’s hard not to find them one dimensional. Unfortunately, this trend extends into the villain. King Magnifico is an amalgamation of several Disney villains, most notably, Ursula from The Little Mermaid and the Evil Queen from Snow White. He’s a magic ruler who is obsessed with power and himself. His villain song, “This Is The Thanks I Get?” fails to revel in his full blown evil because rage keeps getting cut down by little cheeky quips like, “Where was I? Oh yeah, that’s right,” which leads the viewer to question whether or not Magnifico even knows he’s the villain. This makes for a bit of a poor antagonist, but his lack of self awareness leads to the richest themes of the film.

Wish is not a princess story. It’s about an ordinary young townsperson questioning the only authority figure in the kingdom, leading her to start to organize her people against the oppressive power. In Rosas, when you become 18, you must give your most sacred wish to the King and forget all about it. The filmmakers are making a direct connection to adulthood and subservience to whatever life you’ve adopted because there is a small glimmer of hope that one day, your wish will come true. What’s so subversive about Wish is that within the first act, they’re already telling you that not only will your wish not come true, if it does, it’s in service to a higher power you have no control over. When Magnifico grants wishes in the film, they are specifically service roles that benefit him. Asha sees through this because she is told that her grandfather’s wish of inspiring people is too vague and might incite a revolution. It’s a breath of fresh air to see the protagonist recognize what the con is from the get go. We have all seen the century of films that this story is riffing on; it’s refreshing to see an inversion of expectations.

The animation style is by far the most bizarre subversion the film takes. It dabbles a little in the uncanny valley with the familiar and sometimes photorealistic 3D Disney style being translated into the watercolor storybook format. There’s moments when the character designs look gorgeous, especially in close ups. The dark, cel-shaded lines that make the characters look more cartoony really add to the sharp, villainous features of King Magnifico. However, whenever there are crowd shots where you can see the faded watercolor background, it’s a bit jarring. The film opens with the classic story book “Once Upon a Time” introduction which explains why anything past the foreground looks like pages from an old book. One can appreciate the commitment to the style and world building, but the end result came off looking boring and unfinished.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

When Wish works, its faults are permissible. It’s telling a story that is purposefully familiar but has a radical skeleton. The wonderful voice cast keeps you invested, even if the characters are typically one note. It’s a fitting celebration that Disney fans are sure to love.