Saturday, December 16, 2023

Watching Wish (Disney 100th anniversary movie)

Wish, the Disney animation film marking its 100th anniversary, released in Japan yesterday. Being the 100th anniversary movie, I thought Disney would be doing a lot to make sure this movie is a hit, so it should be worth watching. Right?

Well... to be honest, by the time I got back from the cinema, I had already forgotten the main character's name. The story is a very straightforward one. Our villain is the king, who appears to be doing a lot for his people, but is actually quite warped in his thinking. The main character happened to discover this twisted nature by chance, and sets upon to throw the shackles of this king from the rest of the people in her land. She finds some people to help her in this quest, and in a final confrontation with the king, defeats him and saves everyone. And everyone lived happily ever after.

In Beauty and the Beast (animation film), the ballroom dance scene is very much tied to the theme song. In Aladdin (animation film), the theme song reminds you of the flying carpet scene. For Frozen, you can still recall the castle building when you hear Let It Go. Well, in Wish, the theme song is nice but its link to a particular scene in the movie is... weak, to say the least.

And there isn't much character development. I mean, the main character lacks character development, so much so that I cannot remember her name. As for the rest of the characters? I only recall the villain Magnifico. It says a lot that the villain is the most memorable character of a movie.

Still, Disney fans may enjoy the various Easter eggs in this movie. Well, maybe not really Easter eggs, but blatant references to past Disney movies, like the familiar "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the ___ of them all?" or a youth who wants to fly called Peter. If that is the kind of thing you are looking for in a movie, then this is the movie for you. For others who prefer to watch an entertaining movie with a strong story, it may be better to seek some other show.

Oh, by the way, the animation short film "Once Upon A Studio" aired before the main movie, and it is actually a nice tribute to past Disney works. The credit roll of the movie also featured characters from past Disney works. I guess if anything, the most memorable part of Wish is the short film before the movie, and the movie's credits.

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