Disney’s Wish celebrates 100 years of iconic storytelling that has shaped nostalgia and pop culture in the US. However, it has sparked a lot of controversy online.
People are complaining about multiple issues in the film that are failing to deliver the kind of magic that moviegoers were expecting. As of writing, its Rotten Tomatoes score is only 51%.
So what went wrong?
Disney’s Wish has received middling reviews- 51% critic and 88% audience rating at the time of writing. The general critic response is that the film feels like a soulless corporate cash-grab project rather than something that honors 100 years of Disney’s brilliance on screen, and Disney has lost it’s way.
What Is The Controversy Surrounding Disney’s Wish Movie?
Various controversies are on the verge of drowning the highly anticipated film- Disney’s Wish. The film follows Asha (Ariana DeBose), who tries to save her kingdom from Chris Pine’s evil King Magnifico with the power of stars and wishes.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a 51% critic rating and an 88% audience rating. Most reviews of the film seem to convey one thing- it’s rote, and the magic of 100 years of Disney is missing.
Empire gave it 3/5 as well and said:
“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.”
IGN gave a 5/10 and wrote:
“Wish’s visually appealing celebration of Disney’s 100th anniversary mostly lacks inventiveness and gravitas but features some memorable music.”
The Independent gave the film 3/5 stars and wrote:
“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?”
The Telegraph bestowed a 2/5 and wrote:
“Disney’s centenary animation feels like an attempt, after a wobbly decade, to return the brand to first principles – but it doesn’t come off.”
This lack of nostalgia and evocative magic that many other triumphant Disney films tended to have has been criticized by audiences, too.
When Chris Pine’s villainous song, “This is the Thanks I Get,” was revealed on TikTok, multiple accounts complained that the music perfectly demonstrated the downfall of Disney’s musicals, which were once loved and sung in every household.
Almost every film critic and casual viewer agrees that this film is proof that Disney has stopped taking risks.
After all, once upon a time, we saw an Octopus drag queen (Ursula) sing about her plan in The Little Mermaid and a flaming Greek god sing in Hercules. So, King Magnifico seems bland and tame compared to these iconic characters.
People are expressing that Wish feels corporate when compared to what came before. On the Movies subreddit, user BlazeOfGlory72 wrote that the entire concept of the film was uninteresting and bizarre. They said:
“This movie just has kind of a bizarre concept. Like, it’s hard to sell the general audience on a film about a fairly vague concept like ‘wishes.’ Even seeing the trailer, all I got was, ‘bad king dude only gives out some wishes, but good protagonist girl wants to give everyone wishes.’ I don’t see that hooking the general audience.”
Another user, PM_ME_CUTE_SM1LE, wrote that Disney could have gone the MCU way with the cameos and had a hit, but they wasted it on this. They said:
“Worst part is that 100-year anniversary is pretty much a free ticket to get as shameless in nostalgia grab as possible, and they waste it on this?… we just want cool cameos and character interactions. Especially weird after the barrage of shameless live-action remakes and their decade of MCU experience in assemble movie department.”
As per Variety, the film is projected to earn between $45 million and $50 million over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. It remains to be seen if it can earn the trust and love of the general movie-going audiences.
Disney’s Wish will be released in theaters worldwide on November 22, 2023.
What are your thoughts about Disney’s Wish film? Do you agree with the people calling it a soulless cash grab? Or did you enjoy it?
Let us know your opinions in the comments below.
