Wish Review Roundup

Billie Melissa
·2 min read
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Wish is landing in theaters on November 24, and reactions and reviews are starting to roll in for what Disney is describing as "a story a century in the making".

Set in the kingdom of Rosas, Wish follows Asha, a sharp-witted idealist who makes a wish so powerful that it's answered by a cosmic force—a ball of boundless energy called Star. Asha and Star confront the formidable King Magnifico to prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.

Actors such as Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine and Alan Tudyk lend their voices to characters, and it includes original songs from Grammy nominee Julia Michaels and Grammy winner Benjamin Rice.

It may have a lot of talent behind it, but it's falling short of expectations, landing a 48% Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes before release.

Review roundup

  • Screen International: Wish is a strained animated musical which overtly references the company's most beloved films, a strategy that mostly exposes how singular the studio's productions used to be.

  • Deadline Hollywood Daily: To cap 100 years with a few throwaway quips about Bambi, Mary Poppins, and Peter Pan (plus a whole rollcall of more recent characters during the end credits) seems to be a hell of a disappointing way to capitalize on such a formidable back catalogue.

  • Empire Magazine: An appropriate tribute to Disney, by itself. It hardly breaks any ground — it's simply there to celebrate the ground the studio was built on.

  • Independent (UK): Wish, clearly, has been made with care, but as its credits offer a whistle-stop tour through Disney's history, it's hard not to think – god, wasn't it great when they made stuff as weird and fun and daring as, say, The Emperor's New Groove?

  • USA Today: Wish entertains and unabashedly owns being a safe paean to old-school Disney, shamelessly aiming for all your nostalgic feels.