Wish Reviews Are Here – Find Out What Critics Are Saying About New Disney Animated Movie

The first reviews for Disney’s Wish have arrived. The movie, which comes as part of the company’s centennial celebration, is the 62nd movie in the Walt Disney Animation Studios canon. Originally pitched as a tale that would provide the backstory behind Disney’s iconic wishing star, the movie will follow teenager Asha (Ariana DeBose), who befriends an anthropomorphic star after making a wish to save the kingdom of Rosas.

The embargo has now lifted on reviews for the movie, just five days before the official Wish release date. While the critics are mixed, most of their reviews have pointed out how the movie’s self-referential nature will, for better or for worse, likely appeal to hardcore Disney fans. However, some feel that its meta element waters down the experience, like Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman, who argues that the company assumes that if they “do an​​​​​​​ homage to enchantment, the audience will be enchanted” but “true magic… can’t be recycled.”

Everything Critics Like (And Dislike) About Wish

One thing that most critics have been able to agree is worthwhile is the Wish cast. In fact, Deadline‘s Damon Wise calls DeBose the movie’s “not-so-secret weapon,” describing her voice performance as “effortlessly charming.” Slash Film‘s Josh Spiegel even goes so far as to say that Chris Pine (who plays the villain King Magnifico) “continues to make a solid argument that he is the best Chris with his sly and cheerfully wicked voice performance.”

Disney’s Wish has also drawn much praise for its original music, by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice. TheWrap‘s Kristen Lopez compares the movie’s musical soundtrack favorably to Encanto and The Lion King while saying it is “giving us some of the best Disney songs since Frozen.” While IndieWire‘s Kate Erbland has more muted praise, saying the soundtrack “toggles between new classic and forgettable ditty with startling regularity,” she does admit that “everything Pine sings is memorable.”

However, Wish has drawn criticism for its storytelling, which has been called directionless and bland. In fact, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye says that “even during its more successful moments, Wish’s magic falls flat.” The Daily Beast‘s A. A. Dowd expresses similar sentiments, saying that the story is “as flimsy as a star decal stuck to a wall.” All in all, the reviews seem to trend positive, but in a more tentative and measured way that belies the fact that the movie may not be considered a true modern classic.