Disney tried to celebrate its 100th anniversary with a movie about its famous wishing star. It bombed at the box office, only bringing in about $255 million on a $175-$200 million budget. As of four days ago, the film was released on Disney+, so I’m sure we will get some press release from the Walt Disney Company talking about how great it did on streaming when people didn’t have to pay beyond their Disney+ subscription for it.
I’m sure it was viewed a lot when it dropped for “free.” However, now that more people are seeing it, I’m seeing article after article and comment after comment about how bad the film is.
This highlights two issues for Disney.
The first issue is that people will wait for movies to be added to their Disney+ streaming accounts. Unless it’s something people feel they must see in theaters, they will wait.
The second issue is that Disney is trying too hard to make films that shoehorn everything in except entertainment. With Bob Iger commenting on how the company is entertainment first, I think he needs to start mandating that quickly.
What are people saying about Disney’s Wish?
The comments are basically the same as when the film came out. There are three things I keep hearing over and over. 1. The film and the characters are overly predictable and “safe.” 2. The animation is not that good. 3. There is an overreliance on Easter Eggs in the film, with Disney trying to show how clever they are.
Major news outlets like Decider are telling people to skip the film entirely. In an article discussing if fans should stream or skip the film, they said to skip it.
“Disney 100 turns up a catch-22: Those who have seen many Disney movies are the target audience of Wish, but those who have seen many Disney movies have already seen everything in this movie. SKIP IT. “
The Direct gives four reasons for “Why the movie is so ‘bad’ according to those who didn’t like it. They say,
Wish is a perfectly fine Disney movie, but in a catalog as great as that of Disney Animation, it pales in comparison to most of its true-blue classics.
Here are some of the comments on X
Finally watched Disney’s Wish
It was… really bad
I kept waiting for them to tell us that the villain was lying about his backstory
But… he was just a traumatized dude who built an entire city dedicated to protecting people and who got imprisoned forever for no reason?
— Liminal Warmth ❤️🔥 (@liminal_warmth) April 6, 2024
Okay so I just got done watching Wish for the first time. It’s not the worst thing ever as some make it seem. It just sort of feels like a McDonald’s cheeseburger. It just feels very manufactured to be you think of when you think Disney. But not the best of Disney’s best.
— Jaalin Harvey (@TCJaalin) April 7, 2024
I won’t nag on the animation for Wish for being hideous, as the backgrounds are admittedly gorgeous and reflect a watercolor storybook aesthetic that pays homage to Disney’s fairy tales.
The character animation itself was very bland and lacks any 2D distinction besides outlines. pic.twitter.com/62SXHniZOp
— The Critical ‘Outside The Cube’ Thinking Critique (@ACriticalHuman) April 6, 2024
Surprised no one talked about it: Disney’s WISH looks… weird. Motion looks mocapped (unheard of for them). Lighting etc feels a decade or two outdated, esp. by Disney standards. Side characters look under-designed & generic. Anyone check on this production for AI? Odd animation. pic.twitter.com/Lz9OMxfcfL
— Motion Picture Potion Mixer (@mopipomixer) April 6, 2024
Disney’s Wish looks like a high budget Disney+ show.
Something about it feels small and rigid, right down to the songs as well pic.twitter.com/D4bkqvdSTq
— Sensei’s Nostalgic Games (@SenseiUcu) April 7, 2024
This person offers a few posts breaking down their thoughts.
2/ The premise (the way the film was advertised) promised interesting loglines I thought were great themes to explore: origin of the wishing star, be careful what you wish for, what if wishes don’t come true, etc. This was not the case. It ended up being a story about..democracy? pic.twitter.com/s6dnBYpK6R
— Triet Nguyen (Tortured Game Producers Department) (@trietcreative) April 4, 2024
3/ The end product seemed like it was driven by corporate mandates to maximize its appeal over championing a clear, creative, and heartful story. Scenes of actual story-lifting are overshadowed by irrelevant pop lyrics, watered down arcs, and butt-jokes, and… pic.twitter.com/Jsd0qRtNvi
— Triet Nguyen (Tortured Game Producers Department) (@trietcreative) April 4, 2024
4/ …characters that are only tropes of what we’ve seen from the past with very risk-free themes. Even Princess and the Frog had an excellent subplot of Tiana’s father wish not coming true, but he had what he needed. How I WISH Wish could’ve explored that, but it didn’t. pic.twitter.com/Le8cooS8JY
— Triet Nguyen (Tortured Game Producers Department) (@trietcreative) April 4, 2024
5/ Asha’s history with her father, Maginifico’s BACKSTORY (remember that?), his relationship with magic, and character-building moments to allow us to empathize are watered down to throwaway lines. The highest stake we see in the movie is “i know this feeling, this is grief” 🥴 pic.twitter.com/LK6ZP78dQt
— Triet Nguyen (Tortured Game Producers Department) (@trietcreative) April 4, 2024
There are many who enjoyed this film as well. I’m sure more will love it after seeing it for “free” on Disney+.
Okay so I just watched Disney’s Wish for the first time and idk why everyone is hating on it it’s actually super cute and whimsical and it looks really pretty.
— gwenifred (@gweniifred) April 3, 2024
Disney’s Wish is one of my favorite animated films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, despite the criticism, it is one of a Masterpiece to celebrate 100 years of magic. I love the character Valentino, he is super funny.☺️⭐️🪄🏰 pic.twitter.com/KXkJtbL2IL
— Gabu SAMCAB (@GabuSamcab) April 3, 2024
King Magnifico from Disney’s Wish was the most interesting part in the film. Chris Pine was having a blast voicing the character. He had a lot of interesting points about not granting some wishes.
It’s hard to see him as the villain. pic.twitter.com/jtmWJo6CAH
— Av (@MarioEmmet) April 6, 2024
At the end of the day, the film did not perform as Disney needed it to, and many felt that it was too much of a corporate mandate and not enough creativity. Sometimes, a villain can be just a villain. The most memorable and beloved Disney Villains usually are.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
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