Voices of Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Angelique Cabral, and Alan Tudyk
Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veeraunthorn
Music by Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe; Lyrics by Julia Michaels
This was one of the most anticipated movies of 2023. Disney announced it in 2022, intending it to be a celebration of their 100th anniversary. It debuted in November and became one of Disney's biggest flops in a year riddled with them. Critics complained that the story had too much homage and not enough magic. Were they right, or is there more to this unique fantasy? To find out, we begin, as so many classic Disney fairy tales do, with a narrator telling us the story of how Magnifico (Pine) became king of the island of Rosas and protector of their wishes...
The Story: Asha (DeBose) is hoping to become Magnifico's assistant, so he'll grant her grandfather's (Victor Garber) wish on his 100th birthday. To her horror, she learns his real interest is in only granting the wishes he deems "worthy"...or not likely to challenge his rule of Rosas. He never intends to release anyone else's wishes, being too happy with his people worshipping him.
Frustrated when her family won't listen to her about Magnifico, she makes a wish on a shooting star. That star promptly comes to Earth in the form of a cute little star sprite, whose glittering magic makes everything in the woods and her pet goat Valentino (Tudyk) able to talk. She gets the little creature to help her retrieve her grandfather's wish. When Magnifico arrests her family for stealing, she sends her mother and grandfather away, then enlists her friends at the castle and Magnifico's wife Queen Amaya (Angelique Cabral) to rescue the wishes and return them to the people.
The Animation: Though computer animated, Disney gives this a flat and almost sketchy look, rather like if their movies of the 60's and 70's had been made with a computer. It works with the throwback story, with its dark colors and adorable characters, especially the animals. The characters flow very well; some of the backdrops, in the woods and the castle, are especially well-done and detailed.
The Song and Dance: DeBose and Pine dominate this story of a girl who wants everyone to be able to have their dreams, and the ruler who worries that everyone having their dreams will mean he'll lose their love. I also liked Jennifer Kumiyama as Asha's best friend, a smart baker with a crush on Magnifico whose ability to plan proves useful later. In fact, I love how diverse both Asha's friends and Rosas in general are, with people of all kinds coming there to have their wishes granted.
If nothing else, I give Disney credit for going with an original story, for not shoehorning an unnecessary romance in, and for having a straightforward villain this time. Magnifico is probably their best bad guy since Ms. Bellwether in Zootopia. Pine has a blast playing him as he unravels from a sane, if slightly narcissistic, ruler to a magic-obsessed lunatic who wants total control over everything and everyone, wishes included.
Favorite Number: Our first song after the storybook opening is "Welcome to Rosas," as Asha introduces her seemingly perfect island home. "At All Costs" is her big duet with Magnifico. He insists that he's keeping everyone's wishes for their own good, but Asha thinks people should be able to live their own wishes. "This Wish" is Asha's hoping for help from that wishing star. Everyone in the forest, including Valentino, claim "I'm a Star" after the star comes to Earth and gives them the power of speech.
Magnifico whines about how ungrateful his people are for wanting to make their wishes come true without his concent. "This Is the Thanks I Get?" he complains. Asha, Amaya, and Asha's friends are ready to do battle "Knowing What I Know Now" about Magnifico and his true intentions. Lyricist Julia Michaels performs the lovely ballad "A Dream Worth Making" over the credits.
What I Don't Like: I can kind of see where the critics' carping came from. Disney focused so much on making a movie that would respect its history, they forgot to focus on things like character development. Neither Asha nor her friends really have all that much personality, besides being cute teenagers. Apparently, early concept art had the Star come to Rosas in the form of a human and Queen Amaya being evil like her husband. Both ideas would have enhanced the story and made things a lot more interesting. Amaya barely has anything to do besides change sides for barely-discussed reasons. The Star is darling, but not much more than that, and Valentino's ability to speak gets annoying fast.
The Big Finale: This isn't nearly as horrible as people claimed when it came out in November, but it isn't great, either...and for the movie capping Disney's 100th anniversary, I suspect what people wanted was to be blown away, not something that played it safe. It's still worth seeing for some decent performances and lovely music, especially if you're already a fan of Disney's animated films.
Home Media: As one of the newest movies I've reviewed, this is easily found in all formats. It finally debuted on Disney Plus earlier this month.
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