Wish

[Mooky]

I too just came back from seeing the movie. First, I have to take back some criticism I threw at the movie upon reading the spoilers/storybook, because most of the things I complained about are properly explained in the movie, and I have a better understanding of and appreciation for the themes presented. The movie was quite enjoyable and fun, but that's not to say it's without its issues. The first act is really strong and sets the plot up nicely, but then it kind of feels the movie loses its direction the moment "I'm a Star" sequence is done. From then on, the movie becomes a bit of a mixed bag with some truly wonderful moments and scenes, but also some frustratingly clunky ones.

Characters... Asha is wonderful! I really liked her, definitely not the Rapunzel/Anna clone people online implied she'd be. Of all the recent protagonists, I guess she reminds me of Raya the most. I agree about the Teens, majority of them (Hal, Bazeema, Safi, Dario) didn't even have anything to do with the plot until the climax, and I felt they could have been excised completely. It would have put the focus on the other three and develop them better (Dalia as the nurturing one, Gabo as the nagging one, and Simon as the naive one who betrays the group), Valentino was as annoying as I expected him to be, I still don't understand the obsession with butt/fart jokes in family entertainment and thought Disney was above them. Giving him an adult voice was another mistake in my opinion, a child's voice would have at least made him slightly more endearing. Bazeema's voice too was like nails on a chalkboard.

As a villain, Magnifico starts off great, but then becomes too comical and unevenly written for my liking. "This is the Thanks I Get" is a fun song, but after seeing where exactly it's placed in the movie, it feels tonally jarring given the events before and after the sequence. It should have been moved closer to the beginning of the movie or split into two parts, with the reprise being darker in tone, sort of like "Prince Ali" / "Prince Ali (Reprise)" have been.

The rest of the songs work better in the movie than on the soundtrack, but my main criticism with them is that they tend to repeat what we already saw happen or what the characters already told us. Like, "Welcome to Rosas" straight up copies the opening narration, and "Knowing What I Know Now" reiterates certain plot points we had JUST been shown. "At All Costs" was the standout for me, but at the same time it sounded like it came from a different movie.

Animation was great and up to usual Disney standards, but even on the big screen the new visual style was too similar to pre-viz to me. It looked good only during nighttime scenes. The outlines on the characters would have made more sense had the characters actually been fluid as they are in hand-drawn films, but in Wish they moved and acted the same way they do in most CG films. Backgrounds were lush and gorgeous though. Another thing I didn't understand, perhaps it's explained in "The Art of Wish", but all the background characters/denizens of the kingdom had this monochromatic look to them that made them appear washed out. I don't know if that was deliberate or not, but they were all in shades of blue and (I think) purple, and there were several orange/brown ones in the beginning. For a bustling city that's basically a melting pot of cultures, I expected more colors.

Those critic reviews didn't really inspire any confidence in the movie, and after reading them I expected it to be a Ralph Breaks the Internet-level of disaster. Still can't believe that movie is fresh and this one is somehow rotten. Go figure. The Disney references weren't as overwhelming and as prevalent as I feared they'd be; some are definitely too "in your face" and obvious/explained, and should have been cut (like Gabo saying, "This is why I'm always grumpy" or Hidden Mickeys which weren't really hidden). I don't subscribe to the theory that all Disney movies are set in the same universe, so I'm not bothered by the implications that Asha becomes the Fairy Godmother and Magnifico becomes the Magic Mirror, but at the same time I'm not a fan of where these two characters end up in the end. Magnifico should have died and Asha should have become the Queen's advisor.

Overall, a pleasant time at the movies. I'd give it a 6.5 or 7.

[Patricier21]

Just got out of the theatre! It’s really cute, I enjoyed it. I find as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really come to appreciate the artistry behind Snow White and Sleeping Beauty more and more and the fact that this movie is so inspired by those films aesthetically… I did find it very beautiful and cozy. It felt almost like a Disney fairytale should.

Star and Valentino are great sidekicks and Ariana DeBose was a great choice to voice a Disney heroine. I did not feel like the references were overdone— I think a lot of them only hardcore Disney fans will notice. It’s not the strongest musical in the Disney canon, but none of the songs are bad and a number of them are ear worms.

I love a storybook opening but per tradition it really should have been shot in live action. I’m not sure we really needed the teens as they were written in the film— they maybe needed a little more development. I feel the same about the Queen— she felt like a darling that should have been killed in the writing process. The finale with Magnifico felt like a true Disney ending, but I also feel like Magnifico should have been straight up evil from the beginning. Maleficent cursed a baby to death because she didn’t get an invite! The best Disney villains aren’t just shady guys who maybe do some bad along with some good… they are rotten to the core! They were so close to writing a great villain here…

Overall, I enjoyed it and I look forward to rewatching if only to catch any/all the references I missed. I have purposely not spoiled myself on the references so I’m eager to read Amy’s and other reports which detail them!

I loved that a Mary Poppins reference was immediately followed by a Little Mermaid reference!!

Ooh!! I was iffy about the animation style from the trailers and at first I found it distracting, but eventually I didn’t really notice it anymore. The backgrounds were very beautiful.

Mickey Mouse- a pen under Star's magic started drawing the Mickey silhouette; at the end, fireworks are in the classic Mickey shape

Do you think the pen drawing Mickey’s silhouette was also a reference to the famous Disney Channel logo commercials? Maybe I am reading too much, but I imagine many artists at Disney nowadays also grew up with that era of Disney Channel. And the shape was almost the same as how they drew the silhouette in those commercials?

[quote]Sleeping Beauty- Aurora's blue dress in a wish bubble; green magic; Asha dancing with woodland animals on top of each other

Do you think Star first appearing in the long johns was a reference to the woodland animals wearing Prince Philip’s clothes?

Beauty and the Beast- I'm pretty sure there was a reference but I can't think of it

I do not remember any BATB references but surely it must have had some? Maybe the suits of armor? Idk.

The Lion King- Valentino says where balls of gas come from

I think at the end of Knowing What We Know Now, one of the Teens holds Valentino up ala Simba[/spoiler]

I’ll add two references I mentioned above:

Mary Poppins- Magnifico says someone’s dream is to “have a perfect nanny who watches their horrible children” and he says he’s “popping” their dream

The Little Mermaid- after the Poppins line, he squashes the dream of someone whose wish is to find true love and as he does so he says “So much for true love!” a line from Ursula during the finale.

Snow White- Magnifico’s punishment at the end of the film is a reference to the Magic Mirror (although it doesn’t really look like a mirror, Amaya refers to it as such). Also, I need the 4K or Disney+ to confirm this, but I’m pretty sure in the split second when Magnifico is sucked into the mirror we see the face of Magic Mirror from Snow White. Maybe? I need to pause to be sure.
[/quote]

King magnifico was built up naturally to become a villain overtime through his strategy to keep the kingdom at ease, which although overall was for their benefits, you can see that even before talking to Asha that he even in his intention to overall keep balance of the kingdom, is really only doing things for his own benefits subway he won’t be overthrown, hence his emphasis on not wanting to grant wishes that “Would lead People two different kinds of ideas or mindsets”. Again, he may have started out wanting to be generous and benevolent, but overtime he slowly started to realize that within his power if he did all of this, it could lead to something that would mess him up, even with the evidence that it could also do sort of the kingdom, but overall as Asha proves with her journey, you have to be able to be who you truly are, or else there is no value or meaning to anything, hence your overall wish. He is someone who has the power to grant wishes, and yet he is focussing more on his own benefits, Instead of being truly consider it towards what others truly want, let alone the fact that they forget their wishes whenever they give them to him. And him meeting Asha only triggered and reinforced his fear of which he acted on, but again it was always there and slowly built up over time. What a villain in the real world would be like, which is very relevant to the times

[Disney's Divinity]

I agree with the Asha and Raya comparison. With both characters, I liked them, although they were somewhat out-shined by others in their own films (for me). The opposite of, say, TP&TF, Tangled, or Moana for example--where Tiana, Rapunzel, and Moana are easily the best characters in those films.

I also agree that Magnifico should've died. I can only think this trend of villains not dying is simply because of Disney's sequelitis tendencies; they want to keep the plot possibility of dealing with the villain there hanging just in case they need something for a sequel.

Yeah, I don't get the reviews being that out-of-sync either. I think Disney is just in one of those moments where people have an ax to grind with them in general and every film's going to get a kick in the teeth to some degree. Sort of reminds me of how the reviews turned on the remakes somewhere around 2018 and the Aladdin/The Lion King remakes both got raked by the critics while the audience reaction was very good. I do hope Wish manages some moderate success in the end. I wouldn't have expected much out of the Hunger Games film, tbh, but I watched an interview with Peter Dinklage that had a clip from the film, and I can see why it might be doing well now.

I don't think Star would've been a love interest even if they'd stuck with the human idea. At most, it would've simply made the film more of a buddy film--I'm glad they decided not to force this film into that mold since Star as is is much cuter and slightly more unique. Whereas Sisu at times felt like they were trying to imitate Elsa somewhat as far as design colors and powers (even if the personalities are very different).

[Patricier21]

I too just came back from seeing the movie. First, I have to take back some criticism I threw at the movie upon reading the spoilers/storybook, because most of the things I complained about are properly explained in the movie, and I have a better understanding of and appreciation for the themes presented. The movie was quite enjoyable and fun, but that's not to say it's without its issues. The first act is really strong and sets the plot up nicely, but then it kind of feels the movie loses its direction the moment "I'm a Star" sequence is done. From then on, the movie becomes a bit of a mixed bag with some truly wonderful moments and scenes, but also some frustratingly clunky ones.

Characters... Asha is wonderful! I really liked her, definitely not the Rapunzel/Anna clone people online implied she'd be. Of all the recent protagonists, I guess she reminds me of Raya the most. I agree about the Teens, majority of them (Hal, Bazeema, Safi, Dario) didn't even have anything to do with the plot until the climax, and I felt they could have been excised completely. It would have put the focus on the other three and develop them better (Dalia as the nurturing one, Gabo as the nagging one, and Simon as the naive one who betrays the group), Valentino was as annoying as I expected him to be, I still don't understand the obsession with butt/fart jokes in family entertainment and thought Disney was above them. Giving him an adult voice was another mistake in my opinion, a child's voice would have at least made him slightly more endearing. Bazeema's voice too was like nails on a chalkboard.

As a villain, Magnifico starts off great, but then becomes too comical and unevenly written for my liking. "This is the Thanks I Get" is a fun song, but after seeing where exactly it's placed in the movie, it feels tonally jarring given the events before and after the sequence. It should have been moved closer to the beginning of the movie or split into two parts, with the reprise being darker in tone, sort of like "Prince Ali" / "Prince Ali (Reprise)" have been.

The rest of the songs work better in the movie than on the soundtrack, but my main criticism with them is that they tend to repeat what we already saw happen or what the characters already told us. Like, "Welcome to Rosas" straight up copies the opening narration, and "Knowing What I Know Now" reiterates certain plot points we had JUST been shown. "At All Costs" was the standout for me, but at the same time it sounded like it came from a different movie.

Animation was great and up to usual Disney standards, but even on the big screen the new visual style was too similar to pre-viz to me. It looked good only during nighttime scenes. The outlines on the characters would have made more sense had the characters actually been fluid as they are in hand-drawn films, but in Wish they moved and acted the same way they do in most CG films. Backgrounds were lush and gorgeous though. Another thing I didn't understand, perhaps it's explained in "The Art of Wish", but all the background characters/denizens of the kingdom had this monochromatic look to them that made them appear washed out. I don't know if that was deliberate or not, but they were all in shades of blue and (I think) purple, and there were several orange/brown ones in the beginning. For a bustling city that's basically a melting pot of cultures, I expected more colors.

Those critic reviews didn't really inspire any confidence in the movie, and after reading them I expected it to be a Ralph Breaks the Internet-level of disaster. Still can't believe that movie is fresh and this one is somehow rotten. Go figure. The Disney references weren't as overwhelming and as prevalent as I feared they'd be; some are definitely too "in your face" and obvious/explained, and should have been cut (like Gabo saying, "This is why I'm always grumpy" or Hidden Mickeys which weren't really hidden). I don't subscribe to the theory that all Disney movies are set in the same universe, so I'm not bothered by the implications that Asha becomes the Fairy Godmother and Magnifico becomes the Magic Mirror, but at the same time I'm not a fan of where these two characters end up in the end. Magnifico should have died and Asha should have become the Queen's advisor.

Overall, a pleasant time at the movies. I'd give it a 6.5 or 7.

It actually makes sense for the colours to be as muted as you say they are, because given the context of the movie with it being about a kingdom that’s being manipulated and dictated by Magnifico, it’s a very good thematic representation that to be honest I didn’t even really notice that much if any myself

I actually did agree with you that magnifico should’ve died, but like my best friend who I saw it with told me, it’s probably because Amaya Does not want to completely give up on her husband, as even though he did get corrupted, he at least initially started out with a good purpose, but got carried away and slowly realized and valued more of what was good for him, instead of using his powers the way he should have.

I also thought that although it wasn’t much, the teens through who they were added on some thematic relevance to Asha reminding that there are different kinds of people, and they still truly matter, they should not be what’s necessarily beneficial for all, let alone Simon and his turn. As well, I don’t get where Everybody’s coming from with Valentino, as there were no “fart” jokes aside from his bomb smashing the wall towards the end? I quite liked him, I didn’t think he was annoying, especially compared to way way way more annoying Disney characters we’ve gotten such as:
Joanna and Frank from the rescuers down under (The most desperate Disney characters ever made, Like pretty much the entire movie, they just try too hard and come off as being very lame to say the least)
The pixies in maleficent (the most annoying movie characters in cinema history, even worse than Jar Jar Binks!!!!! How anyone can actually like them let alone the movie even just for them I’ll never understand)
What they did to Kanga, Roo, piglet and let’s face it literally every single character in the 2011 garbage Winnie the Pooh movie; again how the flying hack anyone can actually like this movie I will never ever know. It’s especially evident that it is a spoof movie with How they portrayed owl and rabbit, not to mention Kangas line “how about a really big hug?” How can you not see that it’s a spoof movie when it has that line alone in the way it’s delivered in the movie? Let alone what they did to my favourite character Roo And what he says, which literally hurts me every single time just to think about it: “send the pig”…… Does that actually sound like Roo to you? Would he actually say that?Talk about ruining my childhood let alone something that I actually really like. I’m sorry to rant about this, but I really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really hate this movie, for all that it did, let alone the fact that it’s literally what destroyed 2-D animation at Disney, again how the heck does it get over 90% on rotten tomatoes, again how can it particularly be liked by Disney fans?)

[Patricier21]

One thing I want others to please keep in mind is the reason why you don’t like these things. There’s always truly a reason why this is so, and predominantly, it is always overall truly because it reminds you about something about you that you don’t like no matter white no matter how otherwise it may seem. Like I have said, the villain of this movie is quite thematically relevant to what is going on in the world right now, with the notion that they have the power to do something but they choose to do it their own way, which their audience does not like and therefore fight for what they truly want. In short, this movie is a perfect allegory for Disney itself, and not just in its style and direct references and nuance, but what it overall is, portrayed as it overall would be

[DisneyFan09]

This Wish is now on DisneyVevo on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCofb-qQxKc

[UmbrellaFish]

I do think there is a little blood in the water because of the general state of the Disney company at this moment in time. It’s currently popular to bag on anything Disney affiliated (note: I’m not saying Disney is undeserving of all this criticism, but it feels in a way that newer releases are paying for their own sins and the sins of sometimes worse movies that came before them but which mostly skirted widespread negative reactions), so if they release a mid-tier movie ala Wish, reactions will be more negative than normal. They also maybe set themselves up for inflating expectations by tying the film to the company’s 100th anniversary… that was very unwise.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out… I think as more audiences actually watch the film there will be a shift in reception, but I don’t think it will be on the same level as what happened for Elemental, which is a slightly better movie than Wish. Personally, I will probably return to Wish more often than Elemental because the parts I like, I really like— it scratches that classic Disney fairytale vibe with the beautiful backgrounds and references to other Disney films.

In any case, I’m sure this movie will do numbers for Disney+.

[DisneyJedi]

I’m probably in the minority, but am I the only one who likes the fact that Queen Amaya isn’t also villainous like King Magnifico like she was initially going to be?

[UmbrellaFish]

I’m probably in the minority, but am I the only one who likes the fact that Queen Amaya isn’t also villainous like King Magnifico like she was initially going to be?

I just think her character was underwritten and made the movie more messy. She seems to love and admire Magnifico until he dips into dark magic during the course of the movie. In the spellbook, it says once you’ve used dark magic there’s no going back… but Magnifico is her husband and up to that point she seemed to love him. Why didn’t she try to help him, if the magic corrupted him? At the start of the movie he was, at worst, misguided— when he started using the dark magic it made him outright evil. You think about the lengths Anna and Elsa go for one another in Frozen and I just wonder why Amaya didn’t try harder to reverse the effects of the dark magic on Magnifico… And I’m not saying that’s a better movie, I didn’t want to see Magnifico redeemed… but you’d think Amaya would.

He also can’t be totally evil before the start of the movie because we’d question why a benevolent figure like Amaya still loves him. He can’t die because Amaya would be implicated in the death of her husband and/or she’d be grieving the death of the villain at the end of the movie. I don’t know, just messy writing IMO. I think she was only left in the movie because they felt they needed a third act twist and Magnifico’s wife helping the Teens served that.

Still love her design, very pretty.

[Mooky]

I completely agree with your assessment of the Queen, UF. It’s a strange position she’s placed in, she’s obviously emotionally invested in the whole thing, but the way the conflict/relationship resolves is not what you’d expect given the rest of the movie. It’s almost as if her role was a remnant of some previous draft where Asha was romantically linked to the King, and then they decided to split the character into two. Also, if they founded the kingdom together, why isn’t Amaya more involved into running it? Why isn’t she the one granting wishes and doing magic? She’s kind of just there. I think the character would have worked better as a loyal advisor to the King with no romantic ties to him (perhaps someone who has been passed on for promotion due to her age or ethics), that stops blindly following him once she realizes that what he does is hurting the kingdom. It would be an interesting subversion of the evil advisor character (Yzma, Jafar). Or if they still wanted to explore the romantic betrayal route as well, the Queen herself should have been a co-protagonist.

[ElMaximo13]

I too just came back from seeing the movie. First, I have to take back some criticism I threw at the movie upon reading the spoilers/storybook, because most of the things I complained about are properly explained in the movie, and I have a better understanding of and appreciation for the themes presented. The movie was quite enjoyable and fun, but that's not to say it's without its issues. The first act is really strong and sets the plot up nicely, but then it kind of feels the movie loses its direction the moment "I'm a Star" sequence is done. From then on, the movie becomes a bit of a mixed bag with some truly wonderful moments and scenes, but also some frustratingly clunky ones.

Characters... Asha is wonderful! I really liked her, definitely not the Rapunzel/Anna clone people online implied she'd be. Of all the recent protagonists, I guess she reminds me of Raya the most. I agree about the Teens, majority of them (Hal, Bazeema, Safi, Dario) didn't even have anything to do with the plot until the climax, and I felt they could have been excised completely. It would have put the focus on the other three and develop them better (Dalia as the nurturing one, Gabo as the nagging one, and Simon as the naive one who betrays the group), Valentino was as annoying as I expected him to be, I still don't understand the obsession with butt/fart jokes in family entertainment and thought Disney was above them. Giving him an adult voice was another mistake in my opinion, a child's voice would have at least made him slightly more endearing. Bazeema's voice too was like nails on a chalkboard.

As a villain, Magnifico starts off great, but then becomes too comical and unevenly written for my liking. "This is the Thanks I Get" is a fun song, but after seeing where exactly it's placed in the movie, it feels tonally jarring given the events before and after the sequence. It should have been moved closer to the beginning of the movie or split into two parts, with the reprise being darker in tone, sort of like "Prince Ali" / "Prince Ali (Reprise)" have been.

The rest of the songs work better in the movie than on the soundtrack, but my main criticism with them is that they tend to repeat what we already saw happen or what the characters already told us. Like, "Welcome to Rosas" straight up copies the opening narration, and "Knowing What I Know Now" reiterates certain plot points we had JUST been shown. "At All Costs" was the standout for me, but at the same time it sounded like it came from a different movie.

Animation was great and up to usual Disney standards, but even on the big screen the new visual style was too similar to pre-viz to me. It looked good only during nighttime scenes. The outlines on the characters would have made more sense had the characters actually been fluid as they are in hand-drawn films, but in Wish they moved and acted the same way they do in most CG films. Backgrounds were lush and gorgeous though. Another thing I didn't understand, perhaps it's explained in "The Art of Wish", but all the background characters/denizens of the kingdom had this monochromatic look to them that made them appear washed out. I don't know if that was deliberate or not, but they were all in shades of blue and (I think) purple, and there were several orange/brown ones in the beginning. For a bustling city that's basically a melting pot of cultures, I expected more colors.

Those critic reviews didn't really inspire any confidence in the movie, and after reading them I expected it to be a Ralph Breaks the Internet-level of disaster. Still can't believe that movie is fresh and this one is somehow rotten. Go figure. The Disney references weren't as overwhelming and as prevalent as I feared they'd be; some are definitely too "in your face" and obvious/explained, and should have been cut (like Gabo saying, "This is why I'm always grumpy" or Hidden Mickeys which weren't really hidden). I don't subscribe to the theory that all Disney movies are set in the same universe, so I'm not bothered by the implications that Asha becomes the Fairy Godmother and Magnifico becomes the Magic Mirror, but at the same time I'm not a fan of where these two characters end up in the end. Magnifico should have died and Asha should have become the Queen's advisor.

Overall, a pleasant time at the movies. I'd give it a 6.5 or 7.

I don’t really agree with what you say about Bazeema’s voice. I thought it was really cute and suited her nicely. There were also a few times when it reminded me of Moaning Myrtle’s voice in the Harry Potter movies.

[blackcauldron85]

Another Easter egg I forgot to list was Dario wiggles his ears like Dopey at one point.

Do you think the pen drawing Mickey’s silhouette was also a reference to the famous Disney Channel logo commercials?

I totally didn't have that thought, but it very well could be a reference to that, since that's definitely a modern use of Mickey's silhouette.

Do you think Star first appearing in the long johns was a reference to the woodland animals wearing Prince Philip’s clothes?

It definitely could be, since there were other SB references in the forest.

I’m probably in the minority, but am I the only one who likes the fact that Queen Amaya isn’t also villainous like King Magnifico like she was initially going to be?

I liked that, too. When she was telling Magnifico that she built Rosas with him, I like that she was a good, caring queen, and that Rosas ended up with the leader they deserved.

Why didn’t she try to help him, if the magic corrupted him?

[/Spoiler]

She and Dahlia were looking in the book for clues or an antidote, so it's not like Amaya was giving up on her husband, but realistically, he sold his soul and what could she do to change him back?

I don’t really agree with what you say about Bazeema’s voice. I thought it was really cute and suited her nicely.

I think that Bazeema's voice suited her as well.

[Patricier21]

I’m probably in the minority, but am I the only one who likes the fact that Queen Amaya isn’t also villainous like King Magnifico like she was initially going to be?

I just think her character was underwritten and made the movie more messy. She seems to love and admire Magnifico until he dips into dark magic during the course of the movie. In the spellbook, it says once you’ve used dark magic there’s no going back… but Magnifico is her husband and up to that point she seemed to love him. Why didn’t she try to help him, if the magic corrupted him? At the start of the movie he was, at worst, misguided— when he started using the dark magic it made him outright evil. You think about the lengths Anna and Elsa go for one another in Frozen and I just wonder why Amaya didn’t try harder to reverse the effects of the dark magic on Magnifico… And I’m not saying that’s a better movie, I didn’t want to see Magnifico redeemed… but you’d think Amaya would.

He also can’t be totally evil before the start of the movie because we’d question why a benevolent figure like Amaya still loves him. He can’t die because Amaya would be implicated in the death of her husband and/or she’d be grieving the death of the villain at the end of the movie. I don’t know, just messy writing IMO. I think she was only left in the movie because they felt they needed a third act twist and Magnifico’s wife helping the Teens served that.

Still love her design, very pretty.

I think you might be over thinking this. She loves her husband, and did help build the kingdom with him, but there’s no way that she could do anything like granting the wishes, because he himself went through his own hardships and personally trained himself to be able to help others, where is she was apparently/probably inspired by him, but didn’t really feel the need or wasn’t able to train herself in that kind of regard, which may also be a subtle characteristic as to why she betrayed him at the end, showing that she’s maybe not 100% committed to him that much and knows there’s something a little off about him even long before he turns evil. You can also see little hints of this around the beginning of the movie, After she and he are introduced in person, even see leading Asher to meet him, you can tell that she feels a little subtly Intimidated by the process. And of course, she doesn’t want to completely give up on him, which is another reason why she didn’t smash the mirror and therefore completely kill him at the end; it’s one of those things you see in a lot of contemporary movies where even though they’ve done this and that, they are still who they overall are,even if they may be iffy at times, and of course he did so much more for her than anybody else personally, so would you not feel the same if that was you and it was someone that you were very close and had that kind of relationship with?

[UmbrellaFish]

I think the character would have worked better as a loyal advisor to the King with no romantic ties to him (perhaps someone who has been passed on for promotion due to her age or ethics), that stops blindly following him once she realizes that what he does is hurting the kingdom. It would be an interesting subversion of the evil advisor character (Yzma, Jafar). Or if they still wanted to explore the romantic betrayal route as well, the Queen herself should have been a co-protagonist.

Mooky, I had a similar thought. It would have been so much better if theirs was a working relationship and not a marital one. I think it’s actually a bit of a trope in fairy tale adaptations, Iago in the Aladdin franchise, LeFou in the BATB remake. Doesn’t Rothbart’s sidekick drop him as well?

Another Easter egg I forgot to list was Dario wiggles his ears like Dopey at one point.

I forgot that one, too!

She and Dahlia were looking in the book for clues or an antidote, so it's not like Amaya was giving up on her husband, but realistically, he sold his soul and what could she do to change him back?

I just thought that seemed like a cop out. From what we see in the film, the Queen seemed happy and satisfied in her marriage until Magnifico was overcome with the dark magic. You’d think she’d look for a loophole or something to help him… I dunno… :/

[PatchofBlue]

I've seen a lot my thoughts spread across everyone else's reactions.

All around, this was slightly better than I had anticipated a few days before going in, but still below performance for Disney for me.

I think my biggest issue was that many of the character motivations felt contrived to me. Individual characters specifically, and the population in general. Like ... did the grandfather REALLY still think there was a chance his wish was going to be granted? And odds are, he's not the only elderly person who hasn't had his wish granted yet. And I have a hard time believing that people wouldn't have naturally started asking questions about this guy well before Asha started poking around.

I felt like the cast of characters could have easily been cut down in half and the story would have been the same--and I don't just mean the seven teens. Queen Amaya was a non-entity for me, and while I didn't hate Valentino, even with his excessive butt jokes, I don't really know what he contributed to the story, even just thematically.

I went into this movie having not heard "At All Costs" or the reprise for "This Wish," which I think was a good call, but I had heard all the other songs. I still don't think that Michaels and Rice were a good fit for Disney. I don't think they have the instincts for storytelling through song, and their work here only approximates the older Disney songs they're trying to emulate through mimicry.

That said, even if I had already resigned myself to the reality that "This Wish" is kind of a subpar song, I actually felt moved seeing it paired with the animation in the context of the story. A part of that was probably just the experience of seeing on the big screen, and of seeing for the first time, but I would be dishonest to not acknowledge that it was moving. I thought for a moment that I actually understood what Ariana Debose meant when she said that hearing the song for the first time was overwhelming for her. I still don't think it's got a good engine to it, but even with that knowledge, I am grateful to say that I did have one experience with the song where I can say that I was truly touched.

Basically all the songs existed to be paired with the glowing animation they served. "I'm a Star" was the highlight visually. I wanted more of that ... and for the lyrics to sound like they were written by a seventh-grader.

Again, I went in blind for the reprise of "This Wish." I not only didn't hear the song, but I didn't let myself research when the song featured, so I was surprised when they started singing right at the climax. It's not a place in the narrative where one drops any kind of musical number, but if anything I liked it more for that. Using music, and all the earnestness and sincerity that implies, to defeat the bad guy feels very in tune with the larger Disney mythos, something that I would honestly like to see more in the Disney library. I think the closest comparison might be "Know Who You Are" from Moana. I guess that will be this movie's true claim to legend status.

Anyways, even if I don't think this was their greatest effort, I'd still be okay if there was a place for this movie in the pantheon thirty years down the road. But I still hope Disney learns some lessons from this movie. Or rather, I'd hope Disney learns the RIGHT lessons from this movie.

[Patricier21]

I've seen a lot my thoughts spread across everyone else's reactions.

All around, this was slightly better than I had anticipated a few days before going in, but still below performance for Disney for me.

I think my biggest issue was that many of the character motivations felt contrived to me. Individual characters specifically, and the population in general. Like ... did the grandfather REALLY still think there was a chance his wish was going to be granted? And odds are, he's not the only elderly person who hasn't had his wish granted yet. And I have a hard time believing that people wouldn't have naturally started asking questions about this guy well before Asha started poking around.

I felt like the cast of characters could have easily been cut down in half and the story would have been the same--and I don't just mean the seven teens. Queen Amaya was a non-entity for me, and while I didn't hate Valentino, even with his excessive butt jokes, I don't really know what he contributed to the story, even just thematically.

I went into this movie having not heard "At All Costs" or the reprise for "This Wish," which I think was a good call, but I had heard all the other songs. I still don't think that Michaels and Rice were a good fit for Disney. I don't think they have the instincts for storytelling through song, and their work here only approximates the older Disney songs they're trying to emulate through mimicry.

That said, even if I had already resigned myself to the reality that "This Wish" is kind of a subpar song, I actually felt moved seeing it paired with the animation in the context of the story. A part of that was probably just the experience of seeing on the big screen, and of seeing for the first time, but I would be dishonest to not acknowledge that it was moving. I thought for a moment that I actually understood what Ariana Debose meant when she said that hearing the song for the first time was overwhelming for her. I still don't think it's got a good engine to it, but even with that knowledge, I am grateful to say that I did have one experience with the song where I can say that I was truly touched.

Basically all the songs existed to be paired with the glowing animation they served. "I'm a Star" was the highlight visually. I wanted more of that ... and for the lyrics to sound like they were written by a seventh-grader.

Again, I went in blind for the reprise of "This Wish." I not only didn't hear the song, but I didn't let myself research when the song featured, so I was surprised when they started singing right at the climax. It's not a place in the narrative where one drops any kind of musical number, but if anything I liked it more for that. Using music, and all the earnestness and sincerity that implies, to defeat the bad guy feels very in tune with the larger Disney mythos, something that I would honestly like to see more in the Disney library. I think the closest comparison might be "Know Who You Are" from Moana. I guess that will be this movie's true claim to legend status.

Anyways, even if I don't think this was their greatest effort, I'd still be okay if there was a place for this movie in the pantheon thirty years down the road. But I still hope Disney learns some lessons from this movie. Or rather, I'd hope Disney learns the RIGHT lessons from this movie.

I think it’s very smart Alake to think the way you do about the grandfather; I mean how many people get to live to be that age, and if everyone of the kingdom is under the belief that magnifico is truly benevolent to them, did you not think there’s at least a very high decent chance that when you live to be 100 that your wish will finally be granted? As for the population, well frankly, As ridiculous as it may seem, even if it may not be the case from where you’re from, I personally find that people in any kind of society can be quite ignorant and or not observant of that kind of thing, again given the overall context that Magnifico at least appears to be so caring and benevolent to them, And in another explanation for your other criticism, most would assume that their wishes would eventually get granted when they surely reach a milestone age, and or many probably just an simply live to be that age, and the fact that they all forget their wishes after they give them,They all either forgot or simply overlook and never thought about that kind of thing.

I think having that many characters, including the queen and Valentino also the kind of diversity that there is, and per the role that the other animals had, Valentino actually does have a purpose of the story, but on the fact that it is a Disney movie after all, animal sidekick, eh? I also think very subtly, Valentino and even some of the other characters help Asha to overcome her Insecurities, As you can see her be more confident and competent as the movie goes on, which also helps with her not being as awkward or even annoying, as I initially found her in the very early scenes but then I’ve grown to quite like her as the movie went on and she found her footing. They also needed a large group of people to be able to do what they did with the wishes at the end, even if it didn’t really amount to much of anything, and against a greater sense of Community and wide variety of people to prove the different kinds of people matter and how they should be building treated, which again Simon also represented quite well with his role in the story

[blackcauldron85]

Queen Amaya was a non-entity for me

For me, Amaya was a caretaker of Rosas. They need a leader; the film established that Amaya truly cares for Rosas. The city/kingdom is in good hands with her. Who would have taken over if not her?

the Queen seemed happy and satisfied in her marriage until Magnifico was overcome with the dark magic. You’d think she’d look for a loophole or something to help him…

Magnifico must not have ever felt threatened before, thus never had been tempted to use the dark magic, and he must have always acted kind towards Amaya and the subjects of his kingdom. I mean, if I was in a happy marriage and then he started practicing the dark magic, I might not be happy anymore either! Besides looking through the book with Dahlia, what else could she have done? Rosas probably didn't have a witch doctor or anything. Not trying to argue; I legit am curious what else she could have done!

Like ... did the grandfather REALLY still think there was a chance his wish was going to be granted? And odds are, he's not the only elderly person who hasn't had his wish granted yet.

I think part of living in Rosas/trusting Magnifico is always having that hope that your wish might get granted. And most people's wishes were never granted, so surely there were other elderly people whose wishes were never granted. But for the sake of the story, Asha obviously was interested in her grandfather's wish being granted..

(I was typing as I was reading the new posts, so Patricier21 said more elegantly what I was trying to convey.)

if everyone of the kingdom is under the belief that magnifico is truly benevolent to them, did you not think there’s at least a very high decent chance that when you live to be 100 that your wish will finally be granted?

[blackcauldron85]

I wonder if it'll get a physical release (without score) or if they might release the whole thing (songs and score) together digitally at some point?

When I was on Amazon downloading the soundtrack, they did have vinyl and CD versions, I believe.

On the film's Wikipedia page, it says:

The soundtrack was released on November 17, 2023, by Walt Disney Records, followed by an extended deluxe edition featuring Metzger's score, instrumental versions of the songs and demo recordings with Michaels on November 22, 2023.

[UmbrellaFish]

the Queen seemed happy and satisfied in her marriage until Magnifico was overcome with the dark magic. You’d think she’d look for a loophole or something to help him…

Magnifico must not have ever felt threatened before, thus never had been tempted to use the dark magic, and he must have always acted kind towards Amaya and the subjects of his kingdom. I mean, if I was in a happy marriage and then he started practicing the dark magic, I might not be happy anymore either! Besides looking through the book with Dahlia, what else could she have done? Rosas probably didn't have a witch doctor or anything. Not trying to argue; I legit am curious what else she could have done!

To me, I see it similar to a disease. Magnifico becoming corrupted with the dark magic is akin to someone you love getting sick. I just think if she loved him as they showed in the movie, she wouldn’t have stopped at the spell book to find some way to help him. It was just a very quick about face for someone who appeared to be in a happy marriage before that. I think for Amaya’s turnabout to make more sense, they would have had to show their marriage was unhappy before the dark magic. If we knew she’d been suffering alongside Magnifico for years before the dark magic (or if Magnifico had already been stealing wishes before the start of the movie), her joining the Teens would have made more sense. It is what it is at this point, but I really think the Queen was a remnant from an earlier draft of the script where the character made more sense… if they had just deleted her character after changing the story, the movie would have worked better.

[Patricier21]

Magnifico must not have ever felt threatened before, thus never had been tempted to use the dark magic, and he must have always acted kind towards Amaya and the subjects of his kingdom. I mean, if I was in a happy marriage and then he started practicing the dark magic, I might not be happy anymore either! Besides looking through the book with Dahlia, what else could she have done? Rosas probably didn't have a witch doctor or anything. Not trying to argue; I legit am curious what else she could have done!

To me, I see it similar to a disease. Magnifico becoming corrupted with the dark magic is akin to someone you love getting sick. I just think if she loved him as they showed in the movie, she wouldn’t have stopped at the spell book to find some way to help him. It was just a very quick about face for someone who appeared to be in a happy marriage before that. I think for Amaya’s turnabout to make more sense, they would have had to show their marriage was unhappy before the dark magic. If we knew she’d been suffering alongside Magnifico for years before the dark magic (or if Magnifico had already been stealing wishes before the start of the movie), her joining the Teens would have made more sense. It is what it is at this point, but I really think the Queen was a remnant from an earlier draft of the script where the character made more sense… if they had just deleted her character after changing the story, the movie would have worked better.

Like I said, you could start to see little subtle things between the two of them were at the beginning before Asha met Magnifico, And right after their meeting, that sort of show there is a little bit of tension between them. And I also think that him being corrupted Into doing such malicious things is a little bit different from getting a disease; I mean if someone you loved or close with started acting all psychotic and crazy, would you not want to go against them to try to help them and things be overall better?