Disney announces when "Wish" will finally arrive on Disney+

Wish may not have been the box office hit Disney wanted but maybe its debut on Disney+ can give it new life!

SORCERER KING – In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Wish,” King Magnifico has the magical ability to grant wishes. But when 17-year-old Asha is compelled to challenge the powerful sorcerer, Magnifico turns to a forbidden resource. Featuring the voices of Chris Pine as King Magnifico and Academy Award®-winning actress Ariana DeBose as Asha, the epic animated musical “Wish” hits the big screen on Nov. 22, 2023. © 2023 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
SORCERER KING – In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Wish,” King Magnifico has the magical ability to grant wishes. But when 17-year-old Asha is compelled to challenge the powerful sorcerer, Magnifico turns to a forbidden resource. Featuring the voices of Chris Pine as King Magnifico and Academy Award®-winning actress Ariana DeBose as Asha, the epic animated musical “Wish” hits the big screen on Nov. 22, 2023. © 2023 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Wish has a release date on Disney+, and here’s when viewers can stream the latest Disney animated feature at home!

Disney had high hopes for Wish when it debuted in theaters last November. It was to be the culmination of the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, a bold new animated musical in the vein of the classic films of the Animation Renaissance of the 1990s. 

Set in a magical kingdom where King Magnifico (Chris Pine) offers the chance for the people to literally make their wishes come true, young Asha (Ariana DeBose) is eager to achieve her dream. However, she discovers Magnifico is only granting wishes to those he deems “worthy” and soon discovers how taking the power of the wishes makes him stronger. 

When a falling star crashes to Earth, Asha is on a quest to stop Magnifico, aided by friends, her now-talking goat, and a lot of spirit. 

The movie had a lot of hype from Disney but ended up being a huge disappointment. The critical reception was mixed at best and grossed $253 million worldwide against a reported $200 million budget, capping off a rough year for Disney. 

Now, it’s confirmed the movie will premiere on Disney+ on April 3. The movie was released on Blu-Ray and 4K on March 12 with extras including a deleted song and featurettes on the making of the film. It’s likely some of those features might make their way as extras for the Disney+ release as well.

While the movie wasn’t a huge hit, it did have some fans and perhaps the Disney+ release can give it a second chance at finding an audience. Some can argue the marketing (which included downplaying it was a musical) hurt the film which did have a unique animation style and some fun songs. 

Maybe it wasn’t the celebration of Disney history the company wanted but its Disney+ release may give Wish the second chance to achieve its dreams of becoming a popular Disney animated film after all.

Wish premieres on Disney+ on April 3.