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Disney has given us plenty to enjoy over the past one hundred years since their animation studios first opened up. There are the classic cartoons that introduced us to Mickey Mouse, the beloved fairytale stories of Snow White and Cinderella, and of course the treasured films of the 90’s that many still hold dear. Even as they entered the new century Disney was never slowing down delivering mega hits such as “Frozen,” and “Zootopia.” But lately things have not been too kind for them, even with the pandemic aside their stock plummets, Disney+ subscribers are dropping with very little content making them want to return. And above all else their animation films have hit a standstill. If nothing else this gigantic studio needs a win, or perhaps a wish on a shooting star. Wish is a word synonymous with Disney, the idea of having a wish and dreaming upon it has been their staple since the beginning so it only makes sense that to celebrate their 100^th anniversary they also celebrate wishes. WISH the latest from Disney Animation Studios and co-directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn may seek out to be a culmination of one hundred years, but instead it ends up being a result of recent times and all the lesser attributes that have come from both Disney films and as a company. Not to mention you will never hear the word “wish” more in your life. WISH may want to honor Disney films of the past, but throughout its near entirety it is just a reminder of how much better it once was. A checklist of a film with little magic or heart that once defined the studio WISH will have you, well, wishing not just that it would end, but also that Disney would somehow find the magic again.

Welcome to Rosas, a magical kingdom in the Mediterranean that also happens to be full of people devoid of any magic. You see their leader King Magnifico (Chris Pine) is a sorcerer and the only one who can obtain magic. He built this kingdom to grant people their one true wish, but not every wish gets granted, no only the ones he deems worthy in a ceremony where everyone can watch someone else’s wish come true. For seventeen year old Asha (Ariana DeBose) who is about to offer her up her own wish (something you can only do once you turn eighteen) dreams of working for King Magnifico as his assistant so she can finally understand the magic and hopefully get her grandfather’s wish to come true. You see in Rosas once you give Magnifico your wish you instantly forget what your wish is until it is granted. Once Asha learns that not everyone’s wish is granted and instead they are doomed to forget it forever she seeks out to find a way to change all this. WISH has a premise that while could not be any less interesting to young kids with its psychological ideologies of lost dreams, still feels exciting for a studio that has often made it almost too easy for dreams to come true. A duet between Asha and Magnifico about the protection of dreams offers a promising start allowing you to believe there is a complicated viewpoint of Disney’s own beliefs. But let’s be honest with Disney, you got to be careful what you wish for. It isn’t long before WISH turns into barebones Disney storytelling accompanied by its princess ballad that while Ariana DeBose delivers wonderfully does not stand on its own. Not to mention most of the song “This Wish” is talked instead of sung due to song writer Julia Michaels of pop music fame getting to helm all the songs (co-written with Benjamin Rice). There is nothing wrong with a pop singer contributing to Disney films (its been done before and with success even from Michaels herself), but a film dedicated to bringing back the feels and memories of “Sleeping Beauty,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and even “Hunchback of Notre Dame” you can’t help but wonder why they would not go the Broadway musical route versus radio Disney.

WISH offers up its slight surprise with Asha’s wish not necessarily coming true but instead alive, but even with an adorable glowing star following Asha and her now talking goat Valentino (Alan Tudyk) by her side the film and its screenplay seems to have gone though the dreaded ChatGPT. There are the standard (and forgettable) talking animal musical numbers, sidekick human friends to deliver unfunny one liners and a handful of eye roll cameos that feel insulting to any Disney fan who has stuck by them their whole life. Yes maybe it is slightly our fault for constantly contributing to their destruction, but when a character is literally named Peter and dressed like Pan you can’t help but want to go back to the Hunchback days of throwing tomatoes at anything repulsive. And that is what WISH is, an ugly piece of Disney art that is so hell bent on playing it safe that you feel like this is the start of a studio learning how to walk and not one that has mastered the game time and time again. Even as King Magnifico’s character tries to offer something different he is saddled with one of the worst villain songs that plays less like a call to arms and more like an Imagine Dragons song your mom somehow keeps playing in the car.

WISH is not offering up the end of times for Disney. After all their last few commercial duds did not reflect the quality of the film (justice for “Raya and the Last Dragon”), but there is a clear sign that those working behind the scenes are starting to see the money come in less frequently and have instead decide to respond with less talent and cheaply produced content. And I use that word merely because that is what Disney sees their stuff as, content. Not art, no matter how much they try to sell us on nostalgia and evoke those memories into new films and shows it is blatantly obvious the lack of care for their devoted fans. Even as WISH comes to a truly underwhelming finale and its credit sequence features charming images of past Disney characters (and trust me there are some deep cuts, shoutout “Home on the Range”) it is all so frustrating because you realize even Disney believes their own mistakes. They have to be aware it was better once before, but their fuck it attitude will only allow them to suffer more and more and cause fewer dreamers. So Disney as a lifelong fan I have to make this wish; please there has to be something better than this. My wish is out there so either make it come true or have me forget it all.

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WISH WILL BE RELEASED IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE NOVEMEBER 22