On November 22, Disney released an all-new movie, Wish, to celebrate its 100th anniversary in theaters. The movie surprisingly underperformed and did not make as much revenue as anticipated, according to the Washington Examiner on November 27.
The main character, 18-year-old Asha, is an afro-latina villager determined to restore the forgotten wishes of her family and those belonging to the kingdom of Rosas. Asha’s friends and kingdom show a strong sense of teamwork, which is what the film is built upon, in order to rid their kingdom of its evil powers from a magic user, who is to be revealed later.
The movie itself is mainly displayed in 2D animation, making it look like a colored drawing on paper, despite the beginning and end being a storybook in 3D. This is a shock for movie fans, as it was not as 3D as how the trailer looked. The trailer itself became the most watched from the studio since Frozen 2.
According to several articles, following the release of Wish, Disney Animation Studios hopes to return to 2D animation after decades of 3D animation. The 2D animation brings back the feelings of storybook telling; in the beginning of the film, it shows the opening of a book, which indicates that the movie is going to be in 2D as it is hand-drawn and animated.
The movie also had many sequences including great songs, with all parts featuring the different characters. The voices of the actors fit perfectly with the characters in the movie, bringing to life the magic of Disney’s animation studios.
Before its release, there were a few controversies and criticisms surrounding this new movie, with Disney fans claiming it was “rushed”, “a fraud”, and “lacking magic”, according to posts on social media. Some viewers are also disappointed that Asha will not be an actual Disney princess, claiming that Disney will never have an ethnically diverse group of princesses. Some people even go as far as claiming that Wish was a result of AI work.
On the other hand, some viewers say otherwise about the new characters in the newly released movie. On the popular social media platform TikTok, some commenters stepped up to express their positive affirmations for Disney coming up with another Latina heroine.
Since it was animated by the same teams behind other popular Disney movies, it is no surprise that viewers could point out the obvious similarities in looks between Asha and Isabela Madrigal from Encanto (2021) and Rapunzel from Tangled (2010). Fans called out Disney for the lack of originality, mistaking Asha for Isabela, or thinking she looks like Rapunzel.
Overall, this movie goes by quickly, and the plot is understood by all ages, which makes it a good film for families to enjoy together.
