Celebration of Disney animation is fun—but only just fine.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
The villain is imposing and intimidating and prone to fits of rage; he uses crackling magical power to hurt others (a few scenes look very torture-like). A large, heavy object is pushed onto a person, but the outcome is never shown, and the person appears uninjured later. Wooden toys meant to represent villagers appear to be in distress and are kicked. Main character and her friends are in peril/danger; there are some chases, and animals threaten a character at one point. The death of Asha's father is discussed, and characters are still sad about it; people also feel grief when they lose their wishes. Arguments.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Nothing on-screen, but lots of off-screen tie-in merchandise available.
Positive Messages
a lot
Our dreams represent who we are; never let anyone take your dreams away from you. True friends help one another -- and can receive forgiveness when they make mistakes. It's important to do the right thing, even when it's difficult. And it's also important to welcome diverse people into your community.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Asha is a loving daughter and granddaughter. The plot is set into motion when her compassion activates her integrity. She and her friends show bravery and work as a team to accomplish their goal. Asha's animal sidekick, Valentino, demonstrates perseverance: He doesn't get discouraged when he falls; he gets up and tries again. Several supporting characters join Asha in demonstrating courage to do what's right. The villain believes he's acting in the people's best interests but is seduced by the temptation of having more power.
Diverse Representations
a lot
This female-driven story was written by two women and one man and co-directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn, a female Thai animator. Main character Asha, Disney's first Afro-Latina heroine, is voiced by Ariana DeBose, a queer actor of Black, Puerto Rican, and Italian descent. According to the filmmakers, the movie's fictional island of Rosas is located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, where people of all nationalities crossed and thrived in the Middle Ages. Therefore, Rosas is ethnically diverse: Asha's friends and fellow citizens are Asian, Latino, Black, and White. They also have a variety of body shapes and types, and one has a normalized disability (she uses a crutch to walk).
A musical number explains the Big Bang theory and how star matter spread, so that all living creatures are partly stardust.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Wish is an animated musical about a 17-year-old girl finding her power in the magical kingdom of Rosas. Made to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary, the story references frequent Mouse House themes—including "when you wish upon a star" and "a dream is a wish your heart makes"—and has plenty of Easter eggs for fans. It also shows the studio's progress: Main character Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose) is smart and capable, not a damsel who needs rescuing. She's also Afro-Latina, with a White father, and Rosas is widely diverse in terms of ethnicity, body type, and disability. The movie is heartwarming and funny, with little iffy content ("butt" is used once). But younger or more sensitive kids might be scared by the villain's explosive rage or scenes in which he uses crackling magic to hurt others. Characters also experience grief, both from losing people they love (Asha's father has passed) and from the snuffing out of their dearest wishes. Ultimately, though, the movie's messages are that our dreams represent who we are and that it's important to do the right thing, even when it's difficult. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Technically Beautiful, Narratively Bankrupt. A Major Disappointment
From a pure craft standpoint, Wish is gorgeous. The animation, production design, vocal performances, editing, visual effects, et al are top notch. no complaints there (beyond the intentionally muted color palette of the early portion of the film crossing the line into even more drab than the story called for.)
But from a story standpoint, the film feels like they went straight into production on the first draft of the screenplay. Which is to say that narratively the film is a complete mess that either can't seem to ever settle on what it wants to be about, or else can't figure out how to convey that story in a thematically coherent, intelligible way. As just one of many examples of this muddle, the rules of the world are bizarre, overly complex, illogical, counter intuitive in the worst way, and almost impossible to follow or make sense of. People immigrate to a kingdom so they can have their most important wishes removed from their memories at age 18 all for the infinitesimally small chance that the kingdom’s ruler will grant that wish to them at some point before they die? What? Huh? In what universe does that make narrative sense on any level? Who on earth would that “deal” appeal to? This is fantasy world building of the laziest, sloppiest, worst kind. The kind that just makes up the rules as it goes along and then keeps changing them to suit the needs of the story without any regard to logic or internal consistency. Is it possible that the writer’s strike meant the studio just plowed ahead without the necessary revisions to get the world and the story to work?
Based on all of the references to classic Disney films and characters laced throughout the film and credits, the filmmakers appear to believe they have made a major meta-statement on the entire Disney catalogue and legacy. But if they have, it was lost on me. I spent the entire time trying to figure out what the darned picture was trying to be about. Most importantly of all, I was never moved emotionally. Not even a teensy tiny bit.
What a waste of talent and resources. Wish is pretty, but dead on arrival.
worse movie ever! weakest animation I’ve ever seen
What's the Story?
Set in the fictional kingdom of Rosas, WISH follows 17-year-old Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose), who learns a troubling secret about the magical King Magnifico's (Chris Pine) leadership methods. She wishes on a star to help her community, only to be surprised by how her wish comes true.
Wish is cute and fun to watch, especially once you realize that it's a hat tip to all of the Disney Animation movies that have come before it. But this 100th anniversary musical also feels a bit like AI's answer to the prompt: "Make a Disney Animation movie for the modern day." For Disneyphiles, it's a gift that will make their hearts soar. You're meant to notice the movie's many legacy nods, from the 2D animated storybook opening to when Asha is singing "This Wish" and her hair blows in the wind just like Pocahontas' did in "Colors of the Wind." These little nods roll in from all directions, and there's an endorphin rush from every one you catch. The songs written by Julia Michaels are on par with Disney classics (Magnifico's "This Is the Thanks I Get" is catchy fabulous, a number hilariously relatable to both parents and politicians) and are destined to fit in perfectly on a Disney greatest hits compilation.
However. Homage is one thing, and self-derivative is another. Wish is so busy winking that it waters down its own story. Instead of being the next great Disney Animation movie, it's a bop that's likely to land with a lot of buzz and then disappear. It's fine, and it serves a purpose, but Wish is robbed of the opportunity of being its own movie, and that might leave audiences dreaming about how it could have been so much more. (That said, watch through the credits to see if you can name all of the Disney Animation movies!)
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the elements that are present in many Disney Animation movies. Which ones does Wish lean into? Which clichés does it avoid? What references to other Disney Animation movies did you notice?
What does the saying "absolute power corrupts absolutely" mean, and how is that shown in Wish?
What was Asha's "weakness," and how does that quality motivate the plot? If you were asked in a job interview what your strength and your weakness was, what would you say?
How do the characters in Wish demonstrate integrity and courage? Why are those important character strengths?
MPAA explanation:
thematic elements and mild action
Last updated:
July 31, 2024
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By Tara McNamara
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