Wish was the last movie that I saw when it premiered, on November 24, 2023. And here I am going to leave you my vision/opinion about said movie.
Wish: Disney in all its essence.
For some time now, in previous films I felt that it was losing its essence. At the time I thought it would be due to the large number of projects and history of the production company, however, with Wish they have been able to show that they are capable of maintaining the essence that motivated many generations.
What is Wish like?
In this case, Wish is a film that recovers the traditional Disney structure. Ideal for the whole family and with a charming touch full of winks to its other characters from other stories/movies, which I love.
The characters of Wish.
If we look faithfully at the historical context, it is nonsense. Now, it is a fantasy film that does not seek to be faithful to reality! So we have a great cast of characters, with charisma and character typical of Disney films.
The integration of the diversity of characters, seeing oriental, “Dutch”, African, etc. characters seems sublime to me. All of these features give it “personality” instead of looking forced. So, it seems more than correct to me.
Also, we have the integration of people with reduced mobility, which at no time is overshadowed or forced, rather as another trait of the character. So it integrates perfectly with the cast without being forced, like in other films.
Also, throughout the movie you will be able to hear and see hundreds of winks from characters from other Disney movies: Baloo, Bambi, Peter Pan… which for me is something that I love and reinforces the Disney brand.
The world and history of Wish.
The film has a clear inspiration from Spanish culture, which is clearly shown through the different songs and choreographies. I would dare to say that it has an “inspiration” in Barcelona, although a Spanish folkloric character, but without going through the country’s clichés.
The world is magical and is shown as it is, without falling into the overloaded temptation of magic, having a very interesting narrative value. The evolution of the characters, protagonist and antagonist, is coherent and highly worked on a visual level: through the typical colors of the villain.
At all times you feel included in the film through its songs and evolution of the story. The songs even show an air of cultural integration with Arab countries like India or Pakistan (or at least during some of the melodies I was able to interpret a typical character of the songs of those countries).
The message.
Although there are certain criticisms of Disney movies in which princesses are shown as “lost souls” who are not worth it, I must warn that I have a somewhat different concept of Disney princesses:
They are developing characters, who are attacked by the villain at the most vulnerable moment of their lives.Making them have to face and grow as empowered characters.David Nebot
Starting from this premise, I think that the development of the character and “the critical thinking” that he possesses seems to me to be a 10. So the message that I was able to receive is precisely a social criticism that seeks the empowerment of young people in today’s society.
My opinion in summary.
I found Wish to be a good film, which once again recovers or shows what Disney really was. With an inspiring message to the new generations that Disney films always showed, and with an elaborate integration of various characters that each of them is full of character and definition… it seemed to me to be a film to remember.
It is true that since it is not a classic and uses more modern animation styles, something can go unnoticed. However, I think it is a film worth watching as a family with a great message for the little ones and a way to remember the power that we adults have to create a new future that is better for everyone.
Therefore, I recommend it, and I cannot rate it with a 10/10, but I would dare to say that I would give it an 8 or 9 out of 10. There are things that could be improved, but I think this is a particular level of demand.