On October 16th, 2023, the highly revered film and animation studio Disney celebrated their 100th anniversary. Having a century-spanning career, complete with countless innovations, broken barriers, awards, and praise, they chose to celebrate by creating a movie that would celebrate all the accomplishments of the past, present, and future. In other words, the culmination of all the company’s achievements over the years. This movie, Wish, was released on November 22, 2023. Unfortunately, the film failed to meet many of these goals.
Although, while watching Wish, the vision behind the story can definitely be seen, many elements simply fall flat. One of the main complaints many people have relates to the animation. While nobody expects the movie to reinvent cinema, looking back at the studio’s past successes, including Snow White, the first full-length animated film ever made, it is fair to say many of us expected more, especially for a film made to commemorate such a special occasion. Ramapo animation teacher Mr. Mungiello comments that “artists on these jobs are being paid very little and being asked to do more work in shorter amounts of time. This inevitably leads to a dip in quality because people can’t physically or emotionally keep up that kind of pace. That’s something I loved about older Disney movies. You could see the attention put into every detail of the movie. The backgrounds were hand painted, the figures moved in convincing ways, the stories took their time etc. That’s not to say older ways are better. I think a mixture of the old and the new is always the way to go.” A combination of old and new styles was certainly what Disney was aiming for, and they succeeded in some parts, for example their use of 2D watercolor styles used in older Disney films such as Pinocchio for the beautiful backdrop of the world of Wish (Indie Wire). Some parts, on the other hand, such as character design, seem rushed and unfinished.
Other than the style, the contents of the movie were another significant talking point. “There’s no magic anymore,” says Ramapo student Jerelyn Valdivia. Much of the plot relies on basic clichés, including the quirky and relatable main character, and the animal sidekick, as well as a repetitive and overused storyline with little to separate it from other “hero’s journey” kids movies. While this may provoke nostalgia from some older viewers’ favorite childhood films, many had higher expectations.
While it does have its moments, such as some catchy songs and stunning videos, Wish is not the movie many hoped for. The inspiration and purpose behind it can clearly be seen, but unfortunately, it doesn’t quite reach it.
