{"id":32513,"date":"2023-12-10T01:06:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T01:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shows4.com\/?p=32513"},"modified":"2023-12-10T01:06:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T01:06:21","slug":"wish-review-disney-celebrates-itself-in-this-sweet-minor-animated-musical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shows4.com\/?p=32513","title":{"rendered":"Wish review: Disney celebrates itself in this sweet, minor animated musical"},"content":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s a small tragedy that Disney\u2019s centenary happened to coincide with a moment of internal crisis for the studio, in which its empire of intellectual property has been stretched so thin that it\u2019s on the verge of total collapse (for a cautionary tale about what happens to overzealous conquerors, see Ridley Scott\u2019s Napoleon). We\u2019ve been told this is a year of celebration for Disney, except it\u2019s not entirely clear what we\u2019re meant to be celebrating beyond the vague reminder of past glories. Considering the studio\u2019s incessant production line of live-action remakes in recent years, it\u2019s been Disney\u2019s go-to strategy for a while now. There\u2019s a streak of that same futility that\u2019s come to shape the otherwise sweet and mellow Wish, which plays comfortably as a minor-key entry into the Disney canon, but doesn\u2019t hold up all too well under the burden of expectation. Its story, scripted by Frozen\u2019s Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore, is a spin-off film \u2013 of sorts \u2013 for the wishing star that every Disney princess, puppet, mermaid, street rat and Greek demigod has gazed up at and sang of their heart\u2019s desire.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re welcomed into the Kingdom of Rosas, a beautifully detailed mix of medieval Iberian influences, ruled over by King Magnifico (Chris Pine). He\u2019s a vainglorious sorcerer-type who insists he\u2019s taking good care of his people\u2019s wishes, when all he\u2019s really done is shove them into little, floating bubbles so he can happily gloat over his private, enchanted Orbeez collection. But, when a plucky teen girl, Asha (Ariana DeBose), is chosen to be his next apprentice, she discovers that Magnifico isn\u2019t as benign as he makes out to be. Frustrated, she turns to the night sky itself for an answer. And, surprise! A star replies. Thankfully, directors Chris Buck (also of Frozen fame) and Fawn Veerasunthorn have fended off the very worst impulses of modern, mainstream cinema. Wish is less Ralph Breaks the Internet and its crossover overdrive, and more Shrek minus the outsider cynicism. Cut out the few moments of real indulgence in the film\u2019s closing scenes, and you\u2019re left with a mishmash of traditional fairytale tropes, with a sprinkle of revisionism. Visually, it borrows heavily from the classics, most noticeably 1937\u2019s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and 1959\u2019s Sleeping Beauty \u2013 with its storybook prologue, widescreen 2:55:1 aspect ratio, and rich, watercolour aesthetics.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a traditional villain and a traditional villain song, which Pine delivers with gusto. \u201cThis Wish\u201d, the film\u2019s leading track, would sit comfortably alongside Moana\u2019s \u201cHow Far I\u2019ll Go\u201d, and is so powerfully delivered by DeBose that it\u2019s physically impossible not to resort to that nine-month-old, \u201cShe did the thing!\u201d meme. There are cute animal sidekicks aplenty, and Disney veteran Alan Tudyk sneaks in a few stellar moments as a tiny goat in pyjamas named Valentino.\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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