Disney's Wish

Note: None of the rest of the following review will discuss either the film's box office failure, or the expectations of it as the 100th Anniversary Picture. I'm reviewing it as a regular movie and not saddling it with additional baggage that is neither here nor there.

I KIND of liked it, but my praise is a little guarded. I feel like the ending could have been stronger. How? I'm not sure, but I didn't come up with the premise. I was kind of hoping for a twist. Not a surprise betrayal or anything that overdone, but I've found in my writing that when you care about project, and pour your heart and soul into it, surprise twists seem to both fall in your lap, and seem like they should have been there all along in hindsight. I feel like if the script had sat for another year, something special could have been wrung from it. I liked the movie as it is. But it's just good. A movie about wishes and magic should be wonderful.

One of the biggest things I have ALWAYS respected about Walt Disney Pictures is that with a few exceptions like Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia, the films the studio makes are created around a story instead of a goofy cartoony high-concept premise, which is how Pixar, Blue Sky, Dreamworks, and Illumination always work. Animated films used to be about more than just talking objects that don't talk in real life. And what I appreciated about this story is there IS a bit of a high-concept built into the scenario. But as I was hearing it described, it sounded horrific rather than magical to me.

So the wish premise is not based on genies or shooting stars. The premise of people being lessened for their dreams being stolen from them is the Freaking Monkey's Paw! I know The Twilight Zone when I see it. I love that this thing the kingdom thought was wonderful is really horrible. And not too deep down either. Maybe the kids watching didn't think of it that way, but I instantly recognized it as the violation it was, and immediately understood the actual tension of the movie was undoing it. So that part's well done.

As far as animated sidekicks go, Star is cute, but bland. Valentino however is obnoxious. Maybe if I'll rewatch the movie I'll think he really was the entire time, but him being SUCH a hindrance really only started bothering me when Alan Tudyk started voicing him. I was like "Enough already!" He's practically Jar-Jar, if you ask me. I was gonna say Shortround, but if it were anyone but Tudyk voicing him, I don't think they'd get a 40 year later career redemption like he did.

My biggest problem with the ending is that only the problem of the high-concept premise is fixed. The monarchy is simply handed off to the queen who is next in line. While the people are showing their independence I might have preferred an ending where they actually got it.

But I'm stupid and silly and nobody should ever listen to me. I have no business telling Disney how to do THEIR business. But I was like, "That was good," and after Moana and Encanto, I was like, "That was great!" So, yeah, maybe a little comparison with earlier stuff might be in order after all. 3 1/2 stars.