Wish : Asha et la Bonne Étoile

As a 100th anniversary celebration, this was seriously below par, given Disney's recent, dreary output, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was woeful.

It felt as though they'd borrowed bits of Disney classics, and bolted them together as a kind of eco friendly Frankenstein. It doesn't manage to spark into life, arguably the most forgettable Disney characters to date.

I've read several comments about the animation, and plenty seem to applaud the style, quality and colours, let me be honest, this sucks, the most basic and unimaginative animation I think I've seen, to me it looks unfinished, did they get it out in a rush, or were there budget cuts, this isn't Disney standard, let alone a Centenary special.

I genuinely fear for Disney, everything they're touching seems to be going to pot, they need a major shake up, Snow White doesn't look like a classic, where do Disney go from this?

Woeful.

4/10.

There was once a time not so long ago, when the word 'Disney' in an animated project meant so much; a great storytelling experience was guaranteed and a masterpiece was always possible. But as of late, each Disney project has come to feel like a rehash of every other Disney project; slowly killing any amount of excitement one might have looking forward to each new project.

Wish is no different and is as every bit forgettable and uninspiring as people are accusing it of being. If there's anything worth remembering though, it would have to be the watercolor-esque art style, but not even that justifies the movie's existence. Wish lacks depth and is painfully a face-value movie. It has a Disney-protagonist, a Disney-antagonist, a Disney-merch mascot, some Disney-music, and well yea, that's about it.

The question though, is if kids would enjoy it. After all, that's who the movie is primarily aimed at. And the answer might be 'yes', but probably at a level no different than how they might enjoy say Cocomelon or something. There's nothing magical that might stand out and nothing that might inspire. It's yet another Disney showcase of good animation with less than nothing else to accommodate.

Disney's 100th celebration falls flat with "Wish," a film that struggles to maintain its own identity in the beloved Disney animated canon.

Unfortunately the problem with the film is the story is so underdeveloped and poorly executed. There are no stakes and the end result is a muddled theme, uneven pacing, and boring, flat characters. The film attempts to pay homage to older Disney classics and all the ingredients are there: lovable characters, a menacing, tongue-in cheek villain, cute animal sidekicks, and interesting concepts; but instead of "showing" the character beats like older films, we are "told" the story through bland dialogue and little action. Asha joins Disney's recent line of uninspiring "adorkable" female protagonists, with no defining motivations or character growth. This quirky, clumsy character archetype for Disney princesses has been recycled for the past decade with Rapunzel, Anna, Moana, and Mirabel. The animation and sound don't fair better, with bland, pop-y music that feels like filler and a combination of animation styles that look unpolished. There is no "Be Our Guest," "Part of your World," "Let it Go" or "We Don't Talk about Bruno".

It's laughable that one of the lyrics to the song "I'm a Star" in the movie is "in this universe we are all shareholders." Wish remains harmless entertainment for families but is a painful reminder of what this film sets out to do: please investors. This film is a rushed, soulless, by the numbers paint-job with no innovation in storytelling or animation. A massive disappointment to Disney's legacy and a poor excuse for their 100th animated film.

As a whole I really enjoyed this film, it felt how a Disney movie should feel! However there were a few things that happened that make me understand why people are a bit disappointed with this film.

It did feel a bit unoriginal, it pulled things from other Disney films and just mushed them together, for example when Asha is singing through Rosas it felt very much like when Rapunzel was dancing in Corona.

The animation of this film also made my brain feel fuzzy, I don't understand what was wrong with it but it just kept bothering me!

I did really like the villain, the crazy really showed on his face!

The songs in this film I really enjoyed also, I think my favourite was "knowing What I Know Now" the scene with this song was really fun to watch and really made the song what it is!

This movie was boring af. The first song is pretty and I appreciated the chalky animation that appears inspired by the Puss in Boots sequel. Beyond that I was bored to tears.

The plot is beat-by-beat, the villain is pure formula & paper-thin, and they don't invest in any running gags or in enriching any side characters. It's as if they had to reach a deadline so put in the minimal effort necessary to get it finished, which left us with a hollow movie devoid of any magic, held together only by its mind-numbingly predictable narrative.

I feel bad for those who worked hard on this film because this could have been a good movie if the studio just took the time to fill it with personality and character. Instead, Wish is a pretty lifeless addition to the Disney canon.

Note: Apparently there has been a hate-train trashing this film trending all over TikTok. It is why my niece already had a well-formulated opinion on the film at Thanksgiving dinner without having even seen it. Sadly, the thoughts she echoed were pretty spot-on, so she just saved me the trouble of warning her against it.