Wish review by Jordi Gomez

King Magnifico is the guardian of all the desires of the people of Rosas. Asha longs to become the king’s apprentice, but then discovers that his selfish nature prevents him from fulfilling his desires.

Desire through Jordi Gomez on November 23, 2023 Rated A 6.5 / 10.

Disney has been around for a hundred years. To further emphasize this, their latest animated film, Wish, uses the same ingredients that made the studio great. Think of a kingdom, songs, a talking friend, and in this case a wannabe star who will make your dreams come true.

Wish’s animation is immediately noticeable. The character models are still computer generated, but an effort is made to convey this in a more traditional way. The film achieves this by combining 2D and 3D. The Kingdom of Rosas comes alive so beautifully. With backgrounds in particular; They appear to be hand-painted with soft watercolors for an aesthetically pleasing animated film. It gives Wish a unique look; Modern with a touch of nostalgia. Although I think Disney could have made a real impression by going back to a traditional hand-drawn animated film – it’s a shame they didn’t take advantage of that opportunity.

“Disney’s Desire is entertaining enough, but it doesn’t excel anywhere.”

The story revolves around a magical wishing star and a sneaky king who keeps all the wishes for himself. Chris Pine plays the selfish kingpin and no doubt had fun in the recording studio. His charisma makes the character fun to watch, and his singing voice is surprising as well. We can already hear that Ariana DeBose has a beautiful voice in West Side Story (2021), and here too her high notes, for example during the song “This Wish”, are music to our ears.

The other songs are, in a word, good. They do their job, but some of them sound a lot like pop songs you might hear on the radio. This is a movie that celebrates Disney’s anniversary, but they hired a composer known for his work on Disney’s direct-to-video sequels, and he’s not good repertoire. It is incomprehensible that this choice was made.

Why were the famous duo Alan Menken and Tim Rice (Aladdin) not brought back? Especially if you want to convey the sound of old music. If you want to give the film a more modern look, Disney could turn back to Lin-Manuel Miranda (Moana, Encanto), or use this team together for a good mix of both. It would definitely have improved the soundtrack, because most of the songs from Wish don’t stick in your mind. Disappointing, because the soundtrack is usually one of the highlights.

Disney’s Wish is entertaining enough, but it doesn’t excel anywhere. It’s an entertaining animated film in which everything is presented and developed simply, without any real surprises or hidden ideas. I think Wish, unlike many other Disney family films, may appeal better to younger audiences than older viewers. Fortunately, Disney’s animation department also received rave reviews this year thanks to their new short: Once Upon a Time at the Studio.

Now in cinemas