Disney's Wish Review Roundup

With the likes of Encanto and Coco, Disney is no stranger to taking us on grand emotional rollercoasters during Thanksgiving, but dropped the ball with last year's Strange World. This time Wish is in the big holiday spotlight, but is it a return to form for Disney? Or are movie goers better off wishing for another film? Here's the review roundup: 

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EMPIRE (John Nugent)
'Wish is almost defiantly formulaic, a sweetly told fairy tale about a young girl who defies evil and finds the good within us all. In this film, perhaps more than any, the formula is the point: it is a tribute to that formula. By definition, then, it feels generic, with a script that doesn’t always live up to the standards of Disney’s best. The jokes largely land a little flatly, to be appreciated by only the youngest audiences (although props must be given to the cadre of breakdancing chickens, a genuine highlight).'

For the full review please visit here.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (Lovia Gyarkye)
'At the heart of Wish is a topical and winning formula, so it’s a shame that it’s squandered for the sake of a lukewarm, ultimately safe conclusion. The film co-opts and parades a rebelliousness it doesn’t want to commit to: Good wins, but only within the existing structure. If our continuously unprecedented times have taught us any lessons, it’s that the present-day order will need nothing less than a total overhaul. If the last number of Wish  — a powerful reprise of “This Wish” — tells us anything, it’s that Asha and her people know that, too.'

For the full review please visit here.

GLOBE AND MAIL (Barry Hertz) 
'The animation also feels half-caught between inspired and derivative, with the vivid backgrounds – woodland cottages and sky-high castles – etched in striking watercolor but the characters and animals rendered with a lifeless kind of computer animation that recalls the soulless eyes of Cocomelon.Thank goodness, then, for the songs. While Wish isn’t approaching Frozen levels of earworms, the film’s songwriting team of Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice deliver a healthy amount of hummable hits, including the standout track This Wish.'

For the full review please visit here.

VARIETY (Owen Gleiberman) 
'Sorry, but there’s no “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” or “Let It Go” here. That may sound like a high bar, but it was Disney, with the quality of those songs (and those films), that raised the bar. The strategy behind “Wish” seems to be: If we do an homage to enchantment, the audience will be enchanted. True magic, however, can’t be recycled.'

​For the full review please visit here.

INDIE WIRE (Kate Erbland)
'As Disney celebrates its 100th year, “Wish” serves as a throwback to the past, a celebration of the present, and a gentle push into the future. (That said, its repeated mentions of “Peter Pan” feel weird and out of place.) Asha’s journey is a classic one, but her biracial background, the immigrant story at its heart, her diverse group of friends, and skipping a love-interest subplot hint at something more subversive, something more timely, something more interesting afoot in the House of Mouse. That’s what we wish to see more of, and soon.'

For the full review please visit here.

FILM STOCKED (VIDEO REVIEW)

In the end, the film amassed a rather disappointing score of 55% from 60 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

This is one of Disney's lowest critical score ever for a major Animated film releases as the movie seems to suffer from a case of identity crisis. From the plot to the animation the movie seems to be moving in two different directions (it was directed by 2 directors). Disney is now 0 for 2 with their big Thanksgiving movies now, here's hoping next year brings us something great.  

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