Grade: A-
I know somebody whose favorite phrase is “once upon a time.” That’s how Wish begins. We might have a new Frozen on our hands, here. Maybe not when it comes to quality, but in terms of potential to become the next Disney phenomenon that’s quoted, sung, shown, referenced, commercialized, and generally crammed down our throats for a while? I can see it, and they could certainly do a lot worse. I’m ready for it to happen.
Wanna hear something I’ve never told anybody? The song “Let it Go” brings me to tears. I don’t know if it’s because the music is so strong, the lyrics are inspirational, if it’s Menzel’s vocal performance, or a combination of everything. If I’m out in public with people and it comes on, I have to distract myself so I’m only 75% listening at most. “This Wish” from Wish gave me that same visceral reaction, for the first time since then. The scene is masterfully staged, and it’s beautifully sung by Ariana DeBose (our Academy Award winning Anita from Spielberg’s West Side Story). The chord progression is stimulating (in its key of F), the rhythm has a foot-stomping Celtic feel, it has playful fun with time signatures, the melody is unpredictable and exciting, and it should be the next Disney show-stopping anthem.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Once upon a time, there was King Magnifico (Chris Pine, and yes, he sings) and Queen Amaya (Angelique Cabral), who founded the Kingdom of Rosas. Being a sorcerer, he learned how to grant wishes for his citizens. He collects them from people when they turn 18, and stores them in his castle in the form of clear bubbles, a little bigger than a baseball. He decides to grant one a month in a large ceremony, but otherwise, hoards hundreds of wishes. 100-year-old Sabino (Victor Garber) has just once again been passed over in the monthly granting.
Our heroine is Asha (DeBose), Sabino’s granddaughter. She doesn’t believe those wishes are Magnifico’s to keep. One night, when she wishes upon a star, and sings one of the greatest songs written in the last 10 years, a star materializes in the form of a cute yellow Pikachu lookalike named Star, who helps Asha bring justice to Rosas – and along the way, Star makes the animals able to talk. Asha’s pet goat sounds distractingly similar to Sabino. My wish is that they’d found voice talent that sounded different enough.
I appreciated many things about Wish. There’s a recurring musical theme that shares a few notes with the melody of “When You Wish Upon a Star.” King Magnifico, the villain, isn’t a terrible guy. He’s just full of himself, misguided, and obsessed with being handsome, in control, and the center of attention. We never see him kill anybody; the worst thing he does is squash a few wishes. Maybe that’s worse. His wife seems to have a good head on her shoulders, and is fed up with being so submissive for so long. In a welcome rare occasion for Disney, there’s no romantic love interest. Our leading lady is free to have worth without being attached to anyone.
I hope the world falls in love with Wish. I’m looking forward to seeing if it stands the test of time, and people eat it up. It doesn’t really break any new ground, but somehow, it’s simultaneously a step forward and a warmhearted traditional throwback.
Grade: A-
Film Reviews by Mark 
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