Rating: PG | Runtime: 95 minutes
Release Date: November 22nd, 2023 (USA)
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Director(s): Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn
Writer(s): Jennifer Lee & Allison Moore / Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn & Allison Moore (story)

Who knew my voice would be this low?

!Viva la revolución!

A people duped into believing their once benevolent king still has their interests in mind despite falling prey to ego and avarice must rise to defeat him by following the one person able to see through the deception because of her selfless heart.

Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn along with screenwriters Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore pretty much deliver everything you’d want from an old school Disney film—complete with over-the-top villain (Chris Pine is having lots of fun as Magnifico) and talking animals and objects (Alan Tudyk is great as Valentino the goat, but nothing beats the mushrooms).

It’s big on emotion and message yet very short on plot (Ariana DeBose’s Asha leads a rebellion of the soul to take back the wishes her neighbors volunteered to Magnifico under the auspices that he was “protecting” them and not just hoarding them for loyalty once he loses himself to fear). Neither is necessarily a bad thing. I would have liked better songs, though, since they range from catchy (“Knowing What I Know Now”) to obvious (“This Wish”) to mostly forgettable (“This Is The Thanks I Get?!”).

The real draw is the animation. It’s like Wish took 2D cell paintings and modeled them in 3D. The backgrounds are simultaneously flat watercolors and 3D-rendered rooms with perspective depending on the camera’s angle. Same with the clothing, hair, and faces. The duality can be jarring at first, but quite beautiful the more you sit with it.

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Sharp-witted idealist Asha (voice of Ariana DeBose) makes a wish so powerful, it’s answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star in WISH. © 2023 Disney. All Rights Reserved.