This article is about the film. For the Disney Cruise Line ship, see Disney Wish.
- “Be careful what you wish for.”
- ―Tagline
Wish is an American computer-animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was released on November 22, 2023 as the 62nd animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon. The film is written by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore and directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn.
Synopsis[]
In the Kingdom of Rosas, located off of the Iberian Peninsula, a 17-year-old girl named Asha senses the darkness that no one else does about the kingdom's ruler, King Magnifico after she visits his castle to interview for a position as his apprentice. This eventually leads to her trying to make a passionate plea to the stars in a moment of need. Soon, an actual star from the sky named Star answers Asha's wish. After the star falls from the sky, it is revealed that the star has magical powers to grant wishes as well. Together, Asha and Star must overcome the evils rising in Rosas and fight for a better future in order to have something better than what they already have and for all dreams to come true for the people of Rosas.
Plot[]
Many years ago, the Kingdom of Rosas was established by King Magnifico and Queen Amaya on a Mediterranean island, equipped with Magnifico's magical ability to fulfill the wishes of the kingdom's residents. Upon turning 18, each citizen surrenders their wish and their memories of it to Magnifico during a ceremony, wherein he preserves them in his observatory. Monthly, Magnifico selects one wish to grant before the city, but hoards all the other wishes for himself.
In the present, 17-year-old Asha, accompanied by her pet goat Valentino, aspires to become Magnifico's apprentice. On her grandfather Sabino's 100th birthday, Asha hopes Magnifico will fulfill his wish in celebration. However, during the apprentice interview, tensions rise when Magnifico denies granting Sabino's wish. This reveals the dark truth that he doesn't intend to return any of the wishes to their owners and additionally refuses to grant her family's wishes.
Despite Asha's attempts to expose Magnifico's deception, her family remains unconvinced. Frustrated, Asha makes a desperate wish to the heavens, summoning a star-like being named Star. Unaware of this, Magnifico perceives Star as a threat to Rosas and seeks ways to counter its power. Meanwhile, Star's magic animates the forest and reveals to Asha the connection between all living things and stardust. Together with Valentino, Asha embarks on a quest to recover Sabino's wish, defying Magnifico with assistance from her best friend Dahlia.
As tension rises in Rosas, Magnifico resorts to dark magic to maintain control and create a magic staff. Asha, armed with newfound knowledge, returns Sabino's wish, but Magnifico retaliates, crushing her mother Sakina's wish and causing profound grief. Asha, her family, Valentino and Star flee, pursued by Magnifico. The truth emerges that Simon, one of Asha's friends, is Magnifico's informant and has been turned into a pawn by Magnifico bewitching his granted wish. Magnifico, fueled by crushed wishes, becomes a formidable force.
Asha rallies her other friends and Amaya to stop Magnifico. Corrupted and powerful, Magnifico drains the wishes of Rosas and seals Star after Asha, with her companions, faced different challenges. The final battle sees Asha pleading the citizens to make a wish, overpowering Magnifico's dark magic. The kingdom is freed, Star is released from Magnifico's staff along with the sealed wishes, and Magnifico gets permanently sealed into it. Every citizen in Rosas reobtains their wish. Regretful of his actions, Simon apologizes to Asha and his friends, who all forgive him. Amaya assumes leadership over Rosas while Magnifico ends up getting imprisoned. In gratitude, Star creates Asha a magic wand. She vows to continue the just fulfillment of wishes, and Star returns to the sky among the other stars.
Cast[]
- Ariana DeBose as Asha
- Chris Pine as King Magnifico
- Alan Tudyk as Valentino
- Angelique Cabral as Queen Amaya
- Victor Garber as Sabino
- Natasha Rothwell as Sakina
- Jennifer Kumiyama as Dahlia
- Harvey Guillén as Gabo
- Niko Vargas as Hal
- Evan Peters as Simon
- Ramy Youssef as Safi
- Jon Rudnitsky as Dario
- Della Saba as Bazeema
- Keone Young as Mountain Climber, Tall Man Tourist, and Guard #1
- Lucas Sigler as Bunny and Baby Mushroom
- Holland Watkins as Mouse and Mountain Climber Wife
- Woody Buck as Stag, Guard #2, and Citizen #5
- Efé as Ship Captain and Fan Tourist
- Nicole Lynn Evans as Mountain Climber's Wife and Mother Tourist
- Heather Matarazzo as Flying Woman
- Nasim Pedrad as Sania
- Abraham Sigler as Tourist Boy
Production[]
It was reported on January 21, 2022 that Jennifer Lee was writing an original film at Walt Disney Animation Studios,[1] and during the 2022 D23 Expo Presentation, Disney Animation announced a new film titled Wish, with Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn directing, and Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes producing.[2] It was also announced that the art style combines Disney's classic watercolor animation and computer animation, which the company utilizes in its modern period.[3]
On March 26, 2023, the film was reported to have entered post-production.[citation needed]
Casting[]
During the 2022 D23 Expo Presentation, Ariana DeBose and Alan Tudyk were announced to have been cast in the leading roles of Asha and Valentino, respectively.[2] On April 26, 2023, Chris Pine was announced as the voice of King Magnifico.[4] On September 18, 2023, Angelique Cabral was announced as the voice of Queen Amaya.[5] The rest of the cast was announced with the release of the full trailer on September 27, 2023.[6]
Music[]
- Main article: Wish (soundtrack)
Julia Michaels was announced to write original songs for Wish at D23 Expo in September 2022.[2] In April 2023, David Metzger was confirmed to compose the film's orchestral score, while Benjamin Rice joined Michaels to write the songs. Metzger previously worked as a composer for Disney's direct-to-video animated films, such as Tarzan II and Brother Bear 2 as well as orchestrating theatrically released Disney animated films, such as Tarzan, Bolt, Frozen, and Frozen II.[7] At CinemaCon in April, Disney showed a clip of Asha singing the song "This Wish", which reporters from Deadline described as "a very pretty, powerful anthem."[8]
Release[]
Twenty minutes of unfinished footage of the film were screened on June 16, 2023, at the 63rd Annecy Film Festival.[9] The first teaser trailer for the film was released on April 27, 2023.[10] The full trailer was released on September 27, 2023.[6][11]
Home media[]
- Main article: Wish (video)
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Wish for digital download on January 23, 2024, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on March 12, 2024.[12]
International premieres[]
- November 17, 2023 (China, Shanghai)
- November 22, 2023 (Belgium, Canada, Indonesia, Netherlands, Philippines)
- November 23, 2023 (United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Singapore, Ukraine, Venezuela)
- November 24, 2023 (Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Lithuania, Poland, South Africa)
- November 29, 2023 (Switzerland, France, Morocco, Tunisia)
- November 30, 2023 (Austria, Germany)
- December 1, 2023 (Estonia, Turkey)
- December 7, 2023 (Denmark, Israel)
- December 8, 2023 (Norway, Sweden
- December 15, 2023 (Finland, Japan)
- December 21, 2023 (Hong Kong, Italy)
- December 22, 2023(India: internet)
- December 26, 2023 (Australia, New Zealand)
- December 29, 2023 (Taiwan)
- January 3, 2024 (South Korea)
- January 4, 2024 (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay)
Reception[]
Box office[]
Wish started off by earning $2.3 million in its Tuesday previews. Its opening day was a box office disappointment as it only earned $8.3 million, which is lower than the opening day for Pixar's Elemental. It also earned $3.9 million on Thanksgiving Day, $8 million on Black Friday, and $564,000 on Christmas Day, resulting it to become a box office bomb.
As of February 2024, Wish has grossed $63,918,394 in the US and Canada, and $187,530,593 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $251,448,987 combined.
Critical response[]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 48% of 212 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Wish earns some tugs at the heartstrings with the way it warmly references many of the studio's classics, but nostalgia's no substitute for genuine storytelling magic – no matter how beautifully animated it might be."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[14]
Videos[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- As this film comes out during Disney's 100th anniversary celebration, the fact that the plot is based on a wishing star similar to the one introduced in Pinocchio, and the stars seen in many subsequent films, such as Peter Pan, The Rescuers, Oliver & Company, and The Princess and the Frog, which serve as Disney's most iconic symbol, being mainly used in the very first shot of the Disney castle logo since 2006, it can easily be considered a celebration for the company's centennial and possibly a 'spiritual prequel' to Pinocchio.
- In reference to Disney's 100th anniversary, trailers for the film refer to it as "a story a century in the making".
- Following the theme of the celebration, there are numerous scenes in the film referencing various Disney films. Disney+ released a "Wish D-Classified" video as an extra for the film, showcasing the various nods and references.
- Like some CG animated films in recent years (like the Spider-Verse franchise, DreamWorks Animations' The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Paramount/Nickelodeon Movies' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), the art style of the film resembles 2D artworks with CG animation, but there are some differences between Wish and other films using same style:
- Wish combines traditional hand drawn animation, Disney's original art style, with CG animation[3], while the other films combine comic style or oil-painted style with CG animation.
- For Wish, buildings and environments are also rendered like hand drawn animation, while the other aforementioned films just use standard CG rendering for buildings and environments.
- Based on the teaser trailer, Wish still uses the standard 24 frames per second to render character's movements, but the aforementioned films all use less frames per second (similar to characters' movements in 2D Japanese Anime).
- The way the CG looks like hand drawn is similar to the Meander system used for Paperman, Feast, and Far From the Tree (the former two of which are Oscar winners).
- The film's logo has a very similar structure to that of Fantasia 2000.
- This is the third Walt Disney Animation Studios film to be released on November 22, after Beauty and the Beast and Frozen II.
Star during Strange World credits
- The film has dozens of Easter eggs referencing past Disney Animated Canon films.
- Star first appears as an Easter egg during the end credits of Strange World, similar to other recent films from Disney Animation foreshadowing the films that will follow them in their end credits, such as the Ralph Easter egg during Moana's end credits, the butterflies from Encanto during Raya and the Last Dragon's end credits, and the Venture ship from Strange World during Encanto's end credits.
- This is the first film score for Dave Metzger in a Walt Disney Animation Studios film after previously scoring selected episodes of The Legend of Tarzan and Disneytoon Studios' Brother Bear 2.
- Unlike previous Disney Animated Canon films' trailers, the "From the studio brought you" title card in the teaser trailer shows 6 Disney Animated Canon film titles, including recent hits (Frozen and Encanto), a previous non-Frozen female-led film (Moana) and classic Disney hand-drawn films (Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King), while all previous films only show 2-3 recent Disney hits.
- This is the first Disney animated film to use CinemaScope since Lady and the Tramp.
- This is Ariana DeBose's second role in a Disney-owned film in the 2020s, after the 2021 remake of West Side Story, which was distributed by 20th Century Studios.
- This is Jon Rudnitsky's second voice role in 2023, after Paramount Animation's Under the Boardwalk.
- Following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2023 and Iger's reorganizing plan, Wish will return to a traditional 2-3 month theatrical run before being released on PVOD and Disney+, rather than a 30-day theatrical exclusive run like Encanto and Strange World.
- According to some sources, this plan was also caused by the box-office under-performance of Encanto (although it became a financial success after its release on Disney+) and the failure of Lightyear and Strange World, and Iger stated that he wanted more families to see the movie in theaters rather than wait for it to be available on Disney+.
- Asha's seven teenage friends, known as the "Seven Teens", are inspired on the Seven Dwarfs,[15] each sharing the first letter of their respective names:
- Dahlia, Asha's best friend and the unofficial leader and brains of the Teens, is based on Doc.
- Simon, described as a "strong guy with a big heart and an even bigger yawn", is based on Sleepy.
- Gabo, described as cynical but with a heart of gold, is based on Grumpy.
- Safi, plagued by allergies, is based on Sneezy.
- Hal, who is joyful and smiling, is based on Happy.
- Bazeema, who is very shy, is based on Bashful.
- Dario, described as being Asha's "rosy-cheeked wiggly-eared pal", is based on Dopey.
- This film is dedicated to Burny Mattinson, a Disney Legend who worked at the studio from 1953 before his death in February 2023.[citation needed]
- This is the third Disney animated film to be produced in a 2.55:1 aspect ratio after Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty; most Disney animated films from the past decade were produced in a shorter ratio of 2.39:1.
- In the opening credits, the phrase "A Walt Disney Feature Production" has a font that is similar to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
- Asha is the second Disney heroine to have a duet with a villain after Anna from Frozen.
- Yifei Liu, the actress who portrayed Mulan in the 2020 remake, provided the speaking voice for Asha in the Chinese dub of the film.
- She did not provide the singing voice for the character.
- This is the first Disney animated film to receive a "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes since 2005's Chicken Little.
- This is the first Disney animated film to not have a 100+ minute runtime since 2011's Winnie the Pooh.
- It's also the first Disney animated film to be within the 90+ minute runtime since 2009's The Princess and the Frog.
- During the end credits, some of the characters from past Disney Animated Canon films in gold dust forms made by Star are featured in celebration of Disney's 100 year anniversary in chronological order, including:
- Snow White with a baby bird (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
- Pinocchio
- Mickey Mouse in his Sorcerer's Apprentice outfit. (Fantasia/Fantasia 2000)
- Dumbo
- Bambi
- Ichabod Crane (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
- Cinderella
- Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)
- Peter Pan
- Lady and Tramp (Lady and the Tramp)
- Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
- Pongo (One Hundred and One Dalmatians)
- Merlin (The Sword in the Stone)
- Baloo (The Jungle Book)
- Marie (The Aristocats)
- Robin Hood
- Winnie the Pooh (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)
- Tod and Copper (The Fox and the Hound)
- Basil of Baker Street (The Great Mouse Detective)
- Oliver (Oliver & Company)
- Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
- Belle and Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
- Aladdin
- Rafiki holding Simba (as a cub) (The Lion King)
- Pocahontas
- Quasimodo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
- Hercules
- Fa Mulan (Mulan)
- Tarzan
- Yo Yo Flamingo (Fantasia 2000)
- Aladar (Dinosaur)
- Yzma (The Emperor's New Groove)
- Milo Thatch (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)
- Stitch (Lilo & Stitch)
- Jim Hawkins (Treasure Planet)
- Koda (Brother Bear)
- Maggie (Home on the Range)
- Chicken Little
- Bolt
- Tiana (The Princess and the Frog)
- Rapunzel (Tangled)
- Wreck-It Ralph
- Elsa (Frozen)
- Yokai (Big Hero 6)
- Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps (Zootopia)
- Moana
- Raya (Raya and the Last Dragon)
- Mirabel Madrigal (Encanto)
- Splat (Strange World)
- Missing non-sequel films during the closing credits include the other War-era films outside The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, and Melody Time); but more significantly three films from the WDAS canon: The Rescuers, The Black Cauldron, and Meet the Robinsons.
- While she doesn't stand out compared to all the other closing credits characters, Moana appearing in the credits continues the theme of "closing credits connecting to the next movie" with Moana 2 announced as the film after Wish.
- Aurora and Jasmine are the only Disney Princesses not to be seen in the end credits of Wish.
- Following the announcement of Disney shifting physical media to Sony Pictures Entertainment, this film is the final Walt Disney Animation Studios film to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment themselves on physical media in the United States and Canada.
- The film was released on the same day as The Naughty Nine.
References[]
External links[]
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