Let's start off by saying this will not include any major spoilers. You are safe to keep reading. I am on social media often. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are my go-to options. The hatred surrounding anything Disney-related -- especially their movies -- stems from them apparently being "woke" or unoriginal. I've seen many people screaming for Disney to get back to their original ways and stop trying to push an agenda or narratives. Well, the movie Wish was exactly an attempt at that, while installing callbacks to the original classics themselves in a way to celebrate Disney100.
Unfortunately, that wasn't good enough. In the opening weekend, Wish fizzled after a strong few days and finished with an estimated $49M over the five-day span. It found itself third in the box office results behind Napoleon and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
What I think we are seeing on social media are comments from people who either have a negative view of Disney as a whole or who haven't seen the movie. The comments are frustrating as someone who loves not only the Disney classic animated films, but also most of the Disney animated films that have been released over the last couple of decades. As people asked for Disney to get back to their roots, now they move the goalposts and complain about something else.
Disney's Wish is the perfect movie to celebrate Disney100
Without giving away any major details, what I can say is that I took my three children (12, 10 and 4) to see the movie Wish over the opening Thanksgiving weekend. My daughter who is four has been looking forward to this film for quite some time because she loves the music. The full soundtrack wasn't released prior to the film hitting theaters, but a few key songs were available and she absolutely loves them -- yes, even the villain's song. When she found out we were going to see the movie, her face lit up.
The music itself is fantastic. It's easily the best Disney soundtrack since Encanto. The soundtrack features original songs by GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and GRAMMY-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice, plus score by composer Dave Metzger. I know that these songs will be played over and over again throughout my house and car.
The film itself was fantastic for my wife and me. We loved the nostalgia and kept whispering about things we picked out from the film. Even my older children love to find the hidden Easter eggs in Disney movies. My middle child is obsessed with finding hidden Mickeys at Disney World so it only makes sense he enjoys a good Easter egg. The callbacks in Wish are a little more blatant than Easter eggs, but they don't take away from the main plot of the movie. The callbacks were a perfect way for Disney to celebrate Disney100 -- especially the cameos by certain characters.
Disney found a way to give tribute to some of its original classic films while keeping to an underlying message that we cannot expect someone to fulfill our wishes for us. Instead, they are a part of us and we must make them come true ourselves. Critics have given it a harsh grade, but it appears that those who have seen it have truly enjoyed it. The landscape surrounding movies in general has changed over the years. Disney holds eight of the top 10 movie openings on Thanksgiving weekend, but I'm not sure Disney (or any movie company) will get back to the success it once saw.