Movie Review: Wish

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

While it may not be top-tier Disney, Wish is definitely a good movie and a treat for Disney fans. 

One thing that enticed me to see this movie (besides just being a huge Disney fan) is the look. From seeing the first trailer, I feel in love with the look of this film and it did not disappoint. This film is a real visual marvel. Production designer Michael Giamo stated that this look originated from when the filmmakers tried to see if a 3-d computer animated character could mesh against a water color background from a classic Disney feature film. Using a background from Pinocchio (1940), they found that this worked very well. Wish therefore combines a newer style of animation and a more traditional look. The result is magnificent. Like Disney's very first feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), this movie visually makes us feel like we entered into a storybook world. This is even prevalent in having an opening that is very much an homage to the earlier Disney classic. With an opening title that looks very much like the one at the start of Snow White, followed by the opening up of a storybook to start the film (which not only Snow White but many classic Disney features do), this homage is a treat to fans of that 1937 classic. 

Yet this movie does quite well in the story department as well. Feeling that they should do a special film for the studio's 100th anniversary, Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck (the directors of the Frozen films) looked back on the studio's past films. They decided that what defined Disney magic was the idea of a wishing star (which of course was a major part of Pinocchio). Writers Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore (in her first feature film credit) as well as directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn (who makes her directorial debut here, though she has worked as a storyboard artist on multiple Disney and Illumination movies) fashioned a story that is very charming in its simplicity. This is not a film full of shocking plot turns nor does it have an epic feel to it. However, the classic storybooks this is trying to emulate do not have these things either. Because of this with this simplicity, the movie captures the charm of these storybooks quite well. Asha is a great protagonist. She is charming, relatable, and easy to root for. The villain is fantastic. While many Disney movies of late have been lacking a strong villain, or sometimes any villain, this movie brings back the classic Disney villain in full force. What makes the character work so well is that we can see him evolving from a man with good intentions, who carries those intentions too far, to a complete villain in a completely believable way. 

The songs in this movie are pleasant but ultimately forgettable. While there is nothing wrong with these songs and they are nice to listen to, they don't have the lasting impact that the best Disney songs do. Sadly, you will not leave the cinema humming any of these songs. 

Where this film really falls flat is the humor. While there are a few good jokes here, most of the humor simply left me (and most of the audience in the theater with me) completely silent. Another flaw is that Asha's human friends (I like Valentino and Star) are quite bland and forgettable. 

While it may have its flaws, this movie is still a real treat for Disney fans.