What Disney Should Learn From ‘Wish’

Wish adds to Disney’s long legacy by centering on a theme present in many of the company’s greatest works. Wishing has been a part of these films from the beginning, and Wish follows many of Disney’s keys to success. In fact, from a summary, Wish seems to be a classic in the making. But the Disney movie had a lackluster box office performance despite being a loving tribute to the company’s last 100 years. Like so many other Disney stories that came before, this film features a willful young woman as the protagonist, has a merchandise-bait animal sidekick, and even returns to the distinct and powerful villain model of the company’s older films. Yet Wish lacks Disney’s trademark magic. Instead, it provides the company with a chance to investigate what makes their film so beloved generations later. Wish’s problem seems to go back to one thing: music.

Certainly, in the last 100 years, Disney has faced a few flops, but the company’s successes have been overwhelming. From its original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the undeniable beast that is Frozen, some things never change, as they say. Despite the large variety of animated films for which Disney is remembered, the most iconic additions include at least one hit song that sticks around for years. Some of the best Disney films have more than one hit. After all, who can choose the best song in The Lion King or The Little Mermaid when every single one is iconic? While Wish’s music was fine, it doesn’t leave anyone listening to the songs on the ride home. This is no reflection on the cast, which is full of capable performers. The highly stylized music simply isn’t on the same level as what came before. Wish’s underwhelming performance proves that a film needs more than just music but catchy, memorable songs to join the ranks of Disney’s classic musicals.

Wish

Wish follows a young girl named Asha who wishes on a star and gets a more direct answer than she bargained for when a trouble-making star comes down from the sky to join her.

Release Date

November 22, 2023

Director

Chris Buck , Fawn Veerasunthorn

Runtime

92 minutes

Disney Perfected the Movie Musical Long Ago

Disney songs have become an instrumental part of these films. The often colorful interruptions to conversations catch the eyes of the young audience, while the clever lyrics and beautiful melodies earn the attention of adult viewers. But songs should not exist in a film just to break up the scenes. Instead, they should pull the audience in, make them feel for the characters, and be something the audience can’t wait to hear again. From all-time classics like “When You Wish Upon A Star” to the more recent but widely recognizable “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” there is something instantly magical about a well-placed song catchy enough to stick in the audiences’ heads. While most people can’t rewatch a film several times a day, no matter how much they love it, they can listen to a song, keeping that film fresh in their minds. But that’s only when a soundtrack makes them want to listen.

Beyond being catchy, Disney’s best songs move along the story. The beloved “I Want” songs tell the audience about the character’s desires, giving a greater connection with them. These include “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid, “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog, and many other classic musical numbers. Villain songs exist to clarify motivation and show off how evil the character can be. “Be Prepared” from The Lion King explains Scar’s (Jeremy Irons) intentions, setting up his murder of Mufasa (James Earl Jones). While a monologue may be cheesy, a song can establish clear feelings for even the youngest viewers to follow. In the past, Disney has used songs as carefully crafted tools that enhance the film rather than feeling like a requirement to check off the list. For the most part, Wish‘s songs were crammed into the story instead of providing a natural look at the characters’ emotions. Though Wish‘s “I Want” song, “This Wish,” explores Asha’s desires, it is the only one that ends with a better sense of the characters’ emotional state. While others, like “Knowing What I Know Now” and “I’m A Star,” feel clunky in the story’s context, taking away from their necessity and, ultimately, making them seem pointless.

‘Wish’s Music Falls Flat

Wish features a talented cast with the protagonist, Asha, voiced by Broadway veteran Ariana DeBose, and the evil King Magnifico by Chris Pine, who previously showed off his musical ability in Into the Woods. The issue is that the songs feel forced. While the older classics, and even the Disney Renaissance films, utilize a musical theater genre, making them instantly timeless, Wish, like several recent films, chose a more modern sound. But while Moana and Encanto pull it off, much of the credit goes to renowned composer Lin-Manuel Miranda. Best known for his popular musical Hamilton, Miranda blends classic musical theater with a lightning-fast, wordy style that is nearly impossible to replicate successfully, but Wish tried. “This Is the Thanks I Get” and Moana‘s “You’re Welcome” are mirrors of each other, as the egotistical character lists all their good deeds, arguing that they deserve praise. But “This Is the Thanks I Get” cannot live up to Miranda’s cleverly-crafted lyrics. Wish‘s “Knowing What I Know Now” includes the same Miranda-esque style without his lyrical precision. Wish copied other films but couldn’t do it as well.

The most stark comparison between Wish and the older Disney works is within the film itself. Wish goes out of its way to reference every possible Disney film, but making the audience recall the classics only calls out the flaws. And that is never more obvious than in the end when the iconic song “When You Wish Upon A Star” plays. Though it has a cute tie-in to Wish, this is perhaps the most recognizable Disney song ever composed, and the comparison only serves as an example of what Wish is missing. With a hundred years of classics, no new film can compete without making a unique contribution to the legacy, which Wish fails to do. Wish sets itself up to be compared to Disney’s very best musicals, and there is no way for it to win.

Disney Can Learn From ‘Wish’

Rather than trying its own thing, Wish attempted to recreate what worked in the past, which was its downfall. It could never live up to what came before without unique risks, explaining why the box office performance hasn’t been favorable. Wish is far from Disney’s first flop. Just one year earlier, Strange World met a similarly mediocre reception, becoming another Disney sci-fi film that didn’t do well. This list also includes Treasure Planet, which has become a cult classic despite its lack of initial success. But in both of these, Disney tried something different, telling a sci-fi when they are known for their fairy tales. Other films that did poorly at the box office have outside factors. Raya and the Last Dragon came out when many theaters were closed due to Covid-19. Pinocchio and several other Disney films struggled in theaters due to World War II preventing a worldwide release, though Pinocchio met success upon re-release a few years later. The fact is, Wish is not the first to flop, but most had an easy reason to point to, and Disney must figure out what went wrong and learn from it.

Wish has all the common elements of a Disney classic, but it just didn’t reach that level. The story takes few risks, though the animation style offers some much-needed variety. In the end, the thing that sets Wish apart the most is its lack of a definitive hit, leaving the film to fade from memory too quickly. To ascend into the ranks of Disney’s timeless classics, Wish needed to spend more time on the music rather than the forced references to previous films. With the example of this film, Disney must learn to do better when it comes to the soundtrack. The company struck gold with Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who created several of Disney’s best songs and stuck around for many films. But as Disney ventures into new styles, they must focus on the all-important music. Wish demonstrates that Disney must prioritize the music to recapture the magic.

Wish is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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