User reviews

I had high hopes for this movie. After the box office flop 'Strange World', which looked loud and unappealing and most of all very un-Disney, it seemed this movie was going to be a return to form. It even promised the return of the great Disney villain, a concept strangely abandoned by the studio for almost a decade (preferring 'twist villains' or no villains instead).

Sadly, the return of the villain is the only real benefit of this movie. For what it is, it's not terrible per se, but all is wholly forgettable, from the music to the animation to the characters. I'd say the latter is the most problematic aspect of 'Wish'. Asha is the most unoriginal, uninspired protagonist of any Disney movie. Even annoying leads in a Disney picture leave an impression, like the cows in 'Home On The Range'. Asha, on the other hand, not only looks like an identical twin of recent heroïnes like Anna, Mirabel and Rapunzel (the latter of whom she resembles most) but also acts like them. It's the exact same 'quirky awkward nervous teen girl' all over again without a shred of uniqueness that would make her a recognizable character of her own.

It's hard to root for a heroïne as empty and shallow as that. Especially when the villain's objectives are equally as empty and shallow. He wants power over people because... he wants power over people? The story is severely lacking. You would expect more from Disney's outing in its 100th birthyear, but it basically boils down to something as banal as 'he has the wishes and she wants to give the wishes back'. It's not a very exciting proposition and there's not much you can do with such a bare bones simplistic story. Which I guess is where all the padding comes from. And by god, is it terrible.

None of the goat's lines are funny. He's clearly meant as the funny sidekick but he didn't make me laugh even once. Nor did any of the other side characters, who are even more bland than Asha. Does anyone remember any joke from the movie that cracked a smile for them? I found the humor very much aimed at little kids, but then again I would say most of this movie is aimed at little kids. Even the animation looks like a saturday morning cartoon. It had a lot of potential, the blend of 2D with 3D. I will give the movie this: at least it looks different than the other Disney computer animated movies, the way handdrawn movies looked different (compare, say, 'Atlantis' to 'Lilo & Stitch').

The most underwhelming aspect of this movie were the songs. Most of them are pointless, the lyrics are laughably weak and they fail to illuminate important plot points (as is customary in Disney musicals). I found them sadly unimaginative, not catchy or memorable, and with the villain song I was even hoping it would be over soon, that's how bad that one was. I also dislike the modern pop sound the songs had, which is jarring when shoehorned into a supposed fairytale. It makes you long for the days of the Disney Renaissance.

All in all, 'Wish' is not the worst Disney movie by a long shot and it's wholly unoffensive and it had some potential but that potential was never realized. As it stands, it's a pretty mediocre film that serves as babysitter material on Disney+ but can't stand alongside the Classics of (even the recent) past.

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.

Yet another disappointment. Not a bad movie, but surely not a good one either. Even kids at the cinema were bored and almost none laughed throughout the movie, except just a handful of times. The plot was literally what you see on the trailer, there is no twist, nothing exciting to keep you interested, it was as bare bones as it could get. Nothing stood out, from the characters to the songs, it was from those movies you forget you watched after a month! It had too many references to old Disney movies, which got tiring after a while and the plot was rushed. I have no words, Disney was known for having great stories for the entire family to gather and enjoy, but now it's just generic and boring. I think it's time for Bob Iger to retire.

I enjoyed the songs, but they didn't capture my attention the way Encanto's did. The story was a bit dull and all over the place. I tried to keep expectations low, and while I liked it, I didn't love it like I did Raya and the last dragon, Encanto, or the other recent Disney films. I feel maybe they spent too much time giving nods to classic films, rather than making the story more interesting.

The style was ok, but I agree it looked like early 2000's dreamworks. Not 2D enough like Princess and the frog, and not 3D enough like the more recent films.

Ralph Breaks the Internet was a better nod to classic Disney than this film.

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.

I think a lot of the hate for this movie is overblown. It's not the best thing Disney has done but it's far from the worst.

Getting the negatives out of the way: despite the fairy tale setting, all the characters talk and act very modern. The second song ("At All Costs") really feels like they went Jukebox Musical for a bit as it's only tangentially connected with what's happening on screen. In fact all the songs have the weird quality that, while they sound good in themselves, they don't feel like they're from the same movie. For celebrating Disney's 100 years, I wish they'd included at least some traditional animation.

But here's why I can't hate this film: I love the subtext of it. It's all about rebellion against stifling authority. And how the combined strength of the many can overcome even the most powerful evils. The defeat of the villain was one of my favorite moments of Disney in years. I just wish the movie lead up to it better.

Perhaps it being the 100th anniversary movie put to many demands on it. So many little references to past movies went over my head while watching it. Even the obvious one of each of Asha's friends being a reference to one of the seven dwarfs. Maybe if they'd let the film be its own thing and not a celebration of all that had come before it would have been better.

I recommend it. But don't set your expectations too high.

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.

To give this movie a "1" or a "3" is ridiculous. Maybe you should ask yourself whether you should be going to an animated kids movie if you find them so offensive or boring. The movie is not great by any means but it has a good message, entertaining action, and decent music. It is not scary for young kids. It also pays homage to many great Disney films of the past. It's not particularly groundbreaking but not every Disney movie will be. The kids in the audience, mine included, loved it. And let's be clear, that's what really matters. Not grown adults whining about how Disney movies use to be better...

I can honestly say I really really liked this movie. I haven't liked anything they've made in the past 20 years and I've seen every single animated movie that Disney has made to date. I didn't care for Encanto, Luca or Raya - although the animation was really beautiful the story felt hollow. The music in Wish is really great and I actually added the soundtrack to my playlist collection. The message is clear and powerful which makes me like it more. I really enjoyed the "Disney nods" to their other films like Snow White, Bambi, etc. I can say with confidence that I will be watching this again soon!

As a culmination of celebrating a hundred years of one the biggest studios ever, Wish doesn't compete with the classics it's constantly referencing. It is a really fun animated adventure that has all the greatest hits of a Disney animated movie whilst trying something new visually. Also it's just quite funny to see a Disney movie so clearly about unionising.

Ariana DeBose is a phenomenal singer and in between ballads she brings a lot of endearing awkwardness and determination to Asha. Chris Pine revels in playing a proper Disney villain. No redeeming qualities, constantly sinking lower complimented by a great song that allows him to use an asset that's so rarely utilised.

Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn greatest creative swing is the new animation style. It's probably the weakest out of all the recent ones that responded to Spider-verse but its storybook come to life approach still has lots of beauty to it whilst maintaining hints of the previous 3-D animation that dominated for so long.

Like the rest of the film, the songs here are good without ever living up to the classics, they don't even really compete with something a lot more recent like Encanto. There's a couple that are pretty forgettable and three that are definitely a lot stronger so overall it's a majority positive success rate.

In the past few years, I haven't really been big with Disney's recent animated movies as while I did like "Soul" and "Raya and the Last Dragon", the other works like "Luca, Encanto, Lightyear, Strange World, Elemental and Turning Red" I wasn't really big on. "Wish", being the 100th Anniversary for Disney, manages to be bland and boring at its best.

Throughout, the animation is solid as there are some good colors, solid structures and designs. There are some good musical instrumental backgrounds as well. I do appreciate that the story isn't based on a sequel, remake or something that already exists and Disney tries to introduce new characters and settings. But the issue is that the narrative is way too familiar from other stories and it lacks the creativity, energy and charm of the good old Disney princess movies which makes it pretty difficult to fully engage with emotionally or to care for. The lack of energy and bland style causes the characters to not be investing as well since none of the characters were engaging or interesting at all. However, the voice performances from the cast members are pretty good. Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine both provided really good voice performances. Including Alan Tudyk as Tudyk is great as usual with his voice works.

The animation, as I mentioned, it's solid as the design models, colors, and movements are pretty good. With the animation using a mix of computer and watercolor, there are some really nice moments but admittedly, there were some animated movements or looks that felt odd, bland and slightly distracting. The dialogue is pretty clunky, the direction was boring, and the singing or musical moments, despite one or two songs being not too bad, the singing and song-writing wasn't good as some of the sound felt like it was written from AI. Like some of the voice and singing sound effects were pretty off. And as a whole, it was mostly boring.

For this being the 100th Anniversary movie for Disney, it's quite embarrassing since there could have been any other movie that could have been pretty fun and all but it seemed Disney decided to go with the bland route.

Overall, children and families will be entertained but this one is definitely one of Disney's weaker movies.

"A disney flop". I've heard complaints about the animation for being "lazy". And yes, it's another style compared to Frozen or Brave, a little more flatter. But I think they still delivered the message. Besides, I also liked the soundtracks a lot.

Maybe for kids the movie's story/main plot is a bit far stretched or "complicated" but from an older perspective I can see what they wanted to say and I think it's a beautiful message. My interpretation of it is simply what was said in the movie, that the king took away his people's humanity to be able to control them. And I think the people being "stars" was a beautiful way of showing humans standing together against a "government" that doesn't care for all the individuals. It matches the state of the real world. The people who's hearts resemble stars are fighting for freedom and happiness, it's something we see now in real life and I think it's beautiful how they mirrored that in the movie. We won't let someone take control and make sure our wishes don't come true because our deep wishes is what makes us whole and keeps us striving.

I agree that the animation itself lacked something but I see the potential. I was happily surprised when the movie, in my opinion, turned out to be much better than I heard it would. Wish has a nice and touching message.

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.

Disney's newest feature animated film celebrates their 100th-year anniversary! A lot of people have been criticizing this movie upon its release, saying it's overly generic and not as original as hoped for in celebrating 100 years of the Walt Disney Company. However, I think it's very good! Yes, there are some cookie-cutter and generic elements in the film, but it's not entirely a carbon copy of previous Disney films.

The antagonist in this movie is revealed rather quickly; even from the very beginning, you know who the bad guy is and have a sense of how it will unfold. But I wouldn't say it's entirely unoriginal, as I've been hearing from many people. True, there are typical Disney songs with castles, kings, queens, and people making wishes upon a star, but I believe people have been overly critical due to recent disappointments with how the company has been managing things.

Yes, I agree Disney hasn't been doing so well lately, but I don't think this movie is a bad addition to their tremendously successful catalog. I believe this movie truly holds the essence of emphasizing the importance of having wishes in your life but, more importantly, taking the necessary steps for your dreams to come true.

There's been a lot of discussion about Disney's increased diversity in their cast nowadays, but I think it was a good fit for the new film. There were parts of this movie that honestly made me very emotional and pleased with its meaning and message because I've struggled in life to keep my dreams alive and well.

Sure, there are talking animals and other Disney-esque elements thrown in, but the movie's meaning is what truly matters, and I think that's what people have been forgetting. I highly recommend people see this movie and not heed all the negativity. It's a good, clean, wholesome, and emotional family film that kids and everyone will enjoy, with meaningful and important messages about being honest with your dreams and never giving up on what you truly wish to become and more! Definitely check it out this holiday season!

I'd avoid "Wish" in theaters and just wait for it to hit Disney+ in a couple of months. This movie is surprisingly rough for a Disney Thanksgiving release. The songs, jokes, and story all feel like they were written by ChatGPT. The lyrics don't make sense and seem like an AI prompt, the music is as bland as can be, and they plop characters in your face without any introduction and expect us to find them funny or endearing b/c they resemble other Disney characters. They try to do all these call backs to other Disney animated films since its "Disney 100" and it just ends up being strange and unsettling.

The animation feels unfinished and awkward too. They linger on shots way longer than they need to, and the comedic timing is non existent. Disney feels like it's losing its magic.

What a disappointment to see yet another lackluster movie from Disney animation. I don't know why Disney animators can't create another Lion King or Little Mermaid or other engaging, fun movie. I remember taking my young kids to the annual Disney blockbuster movie - they were all excellent. But current creative staff aren't that creative and are making movies that nobody wants to see.

The story is very generic and the songs, by pop singer-songwriter Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice, are rather uninspiring. But I have to admit that DeBose and Pine performed the generic songs well. The only time Wish shines bright is when it dares to get a little bit odd. Asha wishes on a star for everyone in Rosas to get their wish (so that they can work toward making them come true for themselves), and a plump, wiggly and mischievous star pops out of the sky and pays her a visit, sprinkling stardust on plants and inanimate objects, bringing them to dancing, singing life.

The real test was that my grandkids were bored instead of being inspired. Disney needs to get another group of animators who can go back to making fun, imaginative again.

Before I saw this in theaters, I had read some negative reviews for this movie and I thought people were treating it too harshly. Sure, the movie isn't perfect but I'd say its definitely worth a watch. I didn't want to disappoint myself when I saw this since it was Disney's 100th anniversary film, and I ended up enjoying it.

I'm aware that people have criticized the film's animation style, but I thought it looked great. It was nice to see Disney trying something new like other recent animated films (Spiderverse, The Bad Guys, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish). It really captures the feel of their traditionally animated movies since that was how the studio started out. I also thought the songs were pretty good. King Magnifico was a fun villain and I also really liked the goat, Valentino. It was also fun to find all the Disney Easter Eggs scattered throughout the film. I do think Asha's friends could have been better developed though, since they're not really in the movie that much. I read that they are based on the seven dwarfs from Snow White, and that was a fun little nod. There are some parts of the story that I think could have been better written, but they didn't really bother me that much.

Overall, I thought Wish was a decent movie. It's certainly not Disney's best film but it was surely a wonderful way to celebrate their centennial.

I saw this with my boyfriend tonight because it was discount tuesday at the movies and we both enjoy a good Disney flick. While there are some cute moments, overall it just wasn't that great of a film. The plot was weak, didn't have a lot of likable characters, villain is kind of random, humor didn't land, the songs were meh for the most part, and the payoff just wasn't there. I didn't care for the overused "im so awkward and quirky" trope on the main character. Also, while I typically love Disney songs, a lot of the songs/lyrics felt super verbose. I read one review that said the songs sounded like they were generated using AI, and while I don't know if that's necessarily true, I can definitely see what they mean. Kids will like it, it's a decent family movie, but it's not anything I need to watch twice. In my opinion, Disney has set a pretty high standard with its past films (Ratatouille, Tangled, Cars, the list goes on and on) and this one doesn't even come close to that standard. Onward is way better than Wish, maybe check that one out instead if you haven't already and are in the mood for a Disney movie. Just my opinion! My bf and I both give this one a 6.5/10.