Disney’s Wish has been at the forefront of many not-very-happy discussions about the current status of the Walt Disney Company. The movie, touted at first to possibly be Disney’s savior, has seen some terrible box office performances and unfortunate reviews from critics. But, the reality is that there’s something that most critics missed about the movie.

Read More: The Reviews For Disney’s ‘Wish’ Are In And They’re…Not Great

What is the premise of Disney’s Wish?

Wish follows the story of 17-year-old Asha, who is set to interview for the position of the apprentice of King Magnifico—a sorcerer and the ruler of Rosas, along with his wife Queen Amaya.

Asha discovers that King Magnifico is not all that he appears to be and is, in fact, primarily working to protect his own power rather than help and provide for the citizens of Rosas. She then sets to work with her friends (after wishing on Disney’s famous wishing star), trying to take down the powerful sorcerer, making unlikely allies along the way.

Who is in the Cast of Disney’s Wish?

Wish stars Ariana DeBose as Asha, a 17-year-old girl who wishes upon a star to help save Rosas. Chris Pine voices King Magnifico, the king of Rosas and the sole keeper of peoples’ wishes. Alan Tudyk plays Valentino, a goat whose wish to communicate comes true after Star’s magic grants him the ability to talk. Angelique Cabral is Queen Amaya.

In addition, the cast also features Victor Garber as Sabino, Asha’s 100-year-old grandfather, and Natasha Rothwell as Sakina, Asha’s mother. Jennifer Kumiyama is Dahlia, Asha’s disabled best friend who is also the royal baker. Harvey Guillén as Gabo, Niko Vargas as Hal, Evan Peters as Simon, a strong boy with a big heart, Ramy Youssef as Safi, Jon Rudnitsky as Dario, and  Della Saba as Bazeema. 

Jennifer Lee, director Chris Buck, director Fawn Veerasunthorn, and Allison Moore all worked on the story.

Related: Disney’s ‘Wish’ Swallowed Up By ‘Hunger Games’ And Conquered by ‘Napoleon’

How did Wish fare at the box office?

Unfortunately, Disney’s highly anticipated film, Wish, did not quite live up to the expectations at the box office. It is disheartening to acknowledge that the movie struggled to capture the hearts of audiences, falling short of being the ace Disney was hoping for.

While the intention was to recreate the enchantment and magic of past Disney films, “Wish” fell into the common trap of relying too heavily on nostalgia, rather than establishing its own unique identity.

Some felt that one of the reasons why Wish failed to leave a lasting impression is that it lacked the innovation and originality that Disney has become known for. Audiences have become accustomed to being whisked away into new and imaginative worlds, filled with captivating characters and compelling narratives.

Related: ‘Wish’ on Track To Be Disney’s Biggest Bomb of 2023

What did reviewers say about Wish?

In this regard, “Wish” failed to bring its own magic to the screen, leaning too heavily on the successes of its predecessors instead of forging its path and captivating viewers with its own charm.

As The Hollywood Reporter wrote in its review, “At the heart of Wish is a topical and winning formula, so it’s a shame that it’s squandered for the sake of a lukewarm, ultimately safe conclusion. The film co-opts and parades a rebelliousness it doesn’t want to commit to: Good wins, but only within the existing structure.”

Not only did Wish not turn out to be Disney’s ace but it has also actively been predicted to be the biggest bomb of 2023 for Disney. The movie made an underwhelming $31.7 million over the five days of Thanksgiving weekend.

One Google review shared, “The movie has a good start, a story that has a good direction, but loses touch. Not only does it feel generic, but it also fails to be unique or give off a special experience, i know this is in honour of Disney’s anniversary but it doesn’t justify it.”

Rotten Tomatoes critics added, “Wish earns some tugs at the heartstrings with the way it warmly references many of the studio’s classics, but nostalgia’s no substitute for genuine storytelling magic — no matter how beautifully animated it might be.”

What did every reviewer miss about the movie?

However, it’s worth noting here that there is one thing that many missed about the Disney movie. I’d like to start by acknowledging that the criticisms are all, in fact, fair enough. The fact remains that Disney did spend a lot of time making legacy nods to its past movies and creating these magical moments recalling its rich 100-year history of Disney characters.

The movie was cinematically beautiful but with a story that perhaps could have been paced better. The movie definitely missed that quintessential Disney feel of complete immersion, like with Moana or Frozen. But I believe there’s a very real and fair reason for this.

*warning: spoilers ahead*

Disney’s story structure was completely different from its previous movies, in this writer’s opinion. Quite quickly into the movie—perhaps within the first 30 minutes—Asha finds out the truth about King Magnifico and his lack of generosity towards other people’s wishes.

She becomes completely disillusioned about who he is too quickly, and the movie then spends a lot of time going through the story of how she overcomes him, and how she slowly builds a crew of friends who will help her cause.

What is incredibly exciting about this, though, is that Disney is trying out new story structures to find its footing in a modern storytelling environment. Over the years, Disney began leaning more into the morally grey structures of storytelling that became incredibly popular in mainstream Hollywood and cinema.

Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios both began releasing photos with characters that were neither good nor bad, and some even gave villains backstories, humanizing them in new ways.

What was different and unique about Wish is that the film tried to bring together all these trends in a new way. It demonstrated King Magnifico’s “evil” ways early on, but also did try to humanize him. The movie also spent a lot more time focusing on how Asha overcame her struggle, and went through the emotional ups and downs of her journey.

Through all this, the movie also highlighted one very important message: in society today, you’re only allowed to agree or dissent in specific ways, and if you ever have an original thought that lives outside of the accepted structures, then you will (quite literally) be exiled and your loved ones will suffer for it as well.

It’s a brave message that is a hard pill to swallow.

Related: Asha From Upcoming ‘Wish’ Film Coming to Disney Parks

I’m not saying Wish succeeded in doing everything it was meant to do, but it seems to be the start of a new creative era for Disney wherein the company actually works to create new methods of telling stories, and even innovates within its narrative structures.

It marks the start of every promise Disney CEO Bob Iger has made over the last few months to bring back the Disney we know and love.

Ultimately, while the movie has not done well in the box office, this writer would still absolutely recommend everyone watch Wish! If for nothing else, it’s one of the few movies that actually shows that the Walt Disney Company is well on its way to finding its footing once again.

Disney’s Wish is directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn; its screenplay was written by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore. Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios produced the film.