Next week, the culmination of Disney’s Centennial anniversary celebrations finally be released to the theatres. It’s a story a century in the making, a tale worth sharing with generations, it’s an original animated movie… and it doesn’t seem to be that great?
The opinion is subjective and all that jazz, but as a closeted Disney superfan, everything I’ve seen Wish, from the songs to the story to even the look, has been nothing short of pure… mehhhh thoughts from me. It wouldn’t be an issue if it was, say, a movie from another studio or even a regular Disney movie, but Wish is touted as the 100th Anniversary Movie for the company. Obviously, there’s a certain level of expectation riding on the coattails of that audacious title. What must you do in order to celebrate the world’s most recognizable companies in a single movie?
Well, not whatever Wish is doing.
Sure, it’s the celebration of Disney filmmaking, but it feels extremely off to be promoting this original movie of yours using previous films instead of building an identity. The marketing really is just, “Hey, you remember that thing? Well, that thing is back in our movie!”. It’s not the worst way to market an anniversary product, but it doesn’t feel “organic” in a way.
Another concerning aspect is that its soundtrack sounds very… off. Not bad though; there’s some great talent behind it like Julia Michaels and Ariana DeBose, but there’s a weird feeling that persisted as I tuned into the songs. Of course, these are meant for a visual experience, and when I get to watching the movie, I’m sure the visuals will elevate the songs. But, these songs just aren’t hitting the right notes, especially Chris Pine’s bonafide villain song, “This is the Thanks I Get?!”
Not a bad song in its own right, but holy cow, if this is supposed to be marketed as the next great villain song in the Disney pantheon, then it absolutely blows. It lacks a certain gravitas that these types of songs are known for, and I’m not saying villain songs can’t be funny (Shiny and Gaston, anyone?), but even those songs have wonderful chord progression and build-up to create an intimidating experience. This song doesn’t have any of that, only really taking itself to the max towards the end. It ends up feeling like, as one commentator, Imagine Dragons.
The animation style as well is just weird. It looks nice in a vacuum, but looking outwards what kind of style were they going for?
But I digress, this article is getting long.
Wish is a movie I’m still going to watch because I love a good Disney film to end the year off, but disappointment has been setting in my soul for this movie. I’m not the one to rag on Disney because I LOVE the company and their movie magic. Still, I really wish this movie would be something more.
Or maybe it is. I don’t know, because as of writing, I have yet to see it.
And Disney, if you’re reading this, please come back to 2D animation. Please?