So most of the big animation studios have sent us their big 2023 features already. Last weekend Dreamworks sent out those music-lovin’ TROLLS into the multiplex, while Sony “kicked off” the flood of flicks early this Summer with another trek across the Spider-Verse, followed quickly by the fine folks at Pixar with their ELEMENTAL. Yes, they’re still a Disney “brand”, but what about the big “kahuna, the “Mouse House” themselves? Though they suffered from a major stumble with STRANGE WORLD last Winter, they’re bouncing back in a big way. After all, it’s the official 100th anniversary, so this is a return and in many ways a tribute to, the fantasy themes that were such a big part of those original full-length films. Thinking about it that way, the title makes a whole lotta’ sense because the plot of many of them centered around a WISH.
In a knowing nod to those classics, this film begins with a massive book of fairy tales. It opens up to tell us the history of the Mediterranean island named Rosas founded by Queen Amaya (voice of Angelique Cabral) and King Magnifico (Chris Pine). He uses his knowledge of magic and sorcery to collect the wishes of his citizens on their 18th birthday, with the promise that he’ll make one of them come true at an annual ceremony. A year away from her special day, young Asha (Ariana DeBose) is excited to audition to become Magnifico’s apprentice. Her widowed mother Sakina (Natasha Rockwell) is excited as are her friends who work at the royal bakery center. But the most thrilled may be Asha’s now 100-year-old grandfather Sabino (Victor Garber) who hopes that his wish will be granted. But things don’t do well at the interview with Magnifico, as Asha learns Magnifico’s sinister secret. He doesn’t return ungranted wishes so that they are not remembered by his subjects, who can now be in his complete control. Naturally, Asha isn’t picked and tries to tell her family about the plot (they don’t think their king is capable of that). And so, Asha proclaims her wish to the sparkling night sky…and gets an answer. An apple-sized glowing star-shaped orb glides down to her. Asha is unbelieving until it sprinkles stardust on her pet goat Valentino (Alan Tudyk) giving him the “gift of gab”. Aha, can this “star” aid Asha in retrieving Sabino’s wish from the castle? But what happens when Magnifico learns of this rival and decides to unleash his dark magic? If so, can there be a “happily ever after” for Rosas?
This newest animated musical fable soars due to the expert vocal talents behind the original characters. Aside from the occasional televised awards show, talented Oscar-winner DeBose hasn’t gotten a chance to truly showcase her impressive singing “chops” until her work here as the story’s plucky-spirited heroine, Asha. She has a warm rapport with the supporting players, especially Garber as sweet Sabino, then really “blows the roof off” with her powerful rendition of the “power ballads” (combining an intro song with the “I want” anthem is very inspiring). She’s nearly matched by an actor we’ve known mostly for essaying action heroes and heartthrobs. Eschewing any sense of nobility, Pine sounds like he’s having a blast as the vain, arrogant, power-hungry Magnifico with his sneer echoing through his terrific crooning (he’s not let his pipes “rust” so long after INTO THE WOODS) of “evil scheme declarations”, making “This is the Thanks I Get” a real showstopper. Much of the laughs are provided by Disney Animation regular (much like John Ratzenberger at Pixar, he’s a “good luck charm”) Tudyk as the new very verbose Valentino, the baby goat whose voice is not cutesy, but a great satire of the theatre classical “overacting” (okay, the goat’s more of a ham). the rest of the supporting players are top-notch with the standout being Harvey Guillen as the most dour of the seven castle bakers (hmm, why that number).
Aside from the vocal cast, the biggest ‘star” (aside from the mute glowing pixie) is the nostalgic look of the whole film. The art evokes classic illustrations from adored children’s literature, especially with the pastel hues of the settings of Rosas, mainly the castle of the royales. This seamlessly extends to the looks of the characters, with the pixels (this is CGI rather than the classic 2D pencil-drawn) having the feel of gauche, dyes, and specifically watercolor, with outlines that appear to be crisp thin brushstrokes or colored pencil (even to Asha’s many freckles). Kudos to the directing team of veteran Chris Buck and feature “newbie” Fawn Veerasunthorn for curating this look for the dozens of artisans and for pacing the story briskly with splendid ‘staging” of the songs. They’re quite pleasant and “hummable”, though there are no “breakouts” like “Let it Go” or “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”. Of course, they couldn’t “sell” the tunes without the deft animation “acting” crafted from the main humans to the engaging forest critters. This is a return to “form” that benefits from the many “callbacks” to the classic “vault treasures”, from the opening title’s use of the original decorative font to the “winks” throughout, to the lovely ”starlight-outline”roster over the end credits. For those in need of a bit of that Disney “stardust magic”, this new feature may have you feeling as though they granted your WISH.
3.5 Out of 4
WISH is now playing in theatres everywhere
