Disney’s Most Promising Movie is Also Its Worst Idea Yet!

After 100 years of magical and innovative storytelling, The Walt Disney Company is planning to finally tell us the story behind one of its most iconic symbols, The Wishing Star, but that is the worst possible idea that could come out of Walt Disney Animation Studios right now.

Since Walt Disney released his second feature-length animated film, Pinocchio, The Wishing Star has been a key element of Disney magic, captured by the anthem “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Heck, Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris features The Wishing Star at the top of its tallest tower, and Shanghai Disney Resort features Wishing Star Park.

It was clearly only a matter of time before Disney Storytellers decided to make a movie about its greatest silent character. And just a few years ago, Disney fans learned that there was indeed a movie in the works! Called Wish, it will tell the origin story of the celestial light that means so much to wishers and dreamers the world over.

Written by Chris Buck and Frozen Director Jennifer Lee, Disney’s Wish is set to star Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, and Ariana DeBose, and “will follow 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.” Combining traditional Disney 2D animation, watercolors, and the latest CG technology, it is set to be released in November 2023. Unfortunately, now is the worst time to do it!

Disney’s Wish Suggests the End of Disney Movies

The decision to tell the Wishing Star’s story is a “jump the shark” moment for The Walt Disney Company and, honestly, appears to be a near-desperate move as original stories and remakes alike bombed one after another, and the continued surplus of remakes, sequels, prequels, and spinoffs has onlookers asking if Disney has finally run out of ideas. 

There is also significant risk involved in telling the story of such a crucial Disney icon. It is like Mickey Mouse finally was given a feature-length movie. Disney cannot afford to have this movie bomb or continue the divisive trend of recent Disney movies that has been dubbed by many as “studio activism.”

Disney’s Wish can be the celebratory tribute to the company’s 100 years, but it could also signal the beginning of its downfall. The final bars of its cinematic opus. Only time will tell which it becomes.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s and may not reflect the sentiments of Disney Fanatic as a whole.