With the newest Disney Animation release, Wish continues a classic Disney villain trend that started 86 years ago. Wish is Disney’s latest animated movie that celebrates Disney’s 100-year anniversary. Ariana DaBose voices Asha, a 17-year-old who asks King Magnifico (Chris Pine) to grant her grandfather’s wish for his 100th birthday. Asha discovers the King only grants wishes benefiting him, it causes her to rebel against the King and discover her own magic. Joining DaBose and Pine in the Wish cast is Alan Tudyk who voices Valentino, Asha’s talking goat, and Angelique Cabral, who voices Queen Amaya.
Wish’s latest trailer reveals Asha must go up against King Magnifico who has turned the whole Kingdom against her. The Wish trailer has broken records by becoming Disney’s most-viewed trailer since 2019’s Frozen II, with 66.5 million views across multiple platforms. The Wish trailer has built anticipation for Wish’s theatrical release date, on24th November 2023, just a month after Disney’s centenary. Wish’s Asha is already unique as a Disney protagonist, but the antagonist, King Magnifico, joins a long list of Disney villains who try to use magic and power for their own gain, but that is not the only thing he has in common with earlier Disney villains.
King Magnifico’s Magic Being Green Is A Classic Disney Villain Trend
King Magnifico’s magic is all green which is a common trope among Disney villains. The very first Disney villain in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Evil Queen, started this theme 86 years ago. The most obvious links between green and the Evil Queen’s villainous nature was the green potion that created the poisonous apple. Since this, green has often been used by Disney to indicate a character is a villain. Scar was surrounded by green fire in The Lion King, Maleficent’s magic is notoriously green, and, more recently in The Princess and the Frog, Dr Facilier’s magic was all an eerie green.
Wish first implies that King Magnifico is an admirable King who grants wishes to better his kingdom. However, the Wish trailer shows King Magnifico using his magic in a scene where he is visibly angry, and the magic becomes a stronger color of green. King Magnifico is surrounded by the color and even shoots magic into the air to create a green infinity symbol. Doing this continues the long-standing Disney trope and is a way that Wish honors Disney’s long history with classic villains. Wish using the green to signify the villain is not the only way Disney honors its history.
King Magnifico’s Green Magic Is Not The Only Way Wish Honors Disney’s History
The most obvious way that Wish is recognizing Disney’s long history with animated movies is by its combination of 2D and 3D animation. Wish’s character styles continue on with similar features of characters seen in Tangled and Frozen, namely the much larger eyes than original Disney Princesses. However, the recent 3D animation has been blended with the classic 2D style to showcase Disney’s creative evolution without forgetting about the past. Wish is the first Disney movie in 12-years to feature 2D animation, and it is a fitting movie to do so. Plus, Wish goes back to Disney’s roots in even more ways.
Disney’s theme or catchphrase is wishing upon a star makes dreams come true, and they are honoring this with the plot of Wish as Asha’s wish upon a star is the central plot. Wishing on a star is a motif throughout Disney animated movies, so their 100th anniversary movie is the perfect time to create a stroy out of it. Plus, other themes and characters match some of Disney’s classic traits, such as a talking animal sidekick, a kingdom turning against an outsider, and how hope and trusting yourself can save the day. Wish may be Disney’s new original movie, but it has plenty of ways to honor Disney’s history.
