Sophia Michaels
It feels like the year is quickly coming to an end, but there are still plenty of movies on the 2023 movie schedule as we head into the holiday season. Disney has been known to give us something to be thankful for in November, releasing animated classics like Encanto and Frozen around Thanksgiving. This year’s offering is Wish — the story of Asha, a 17-year-old who makes a wish on a star to save her kingdom — and critics who were able to catch an early screening of the upcoming Disney movie are hitting social media with their first reactions.
Asha is voiced by Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose, and she’s joined by Alan Tudyk as her talking goat companion Valentino and Chris Pine as the delicious Disney villain King Magnifico. Anticipation seems to be high for Wish, as it’s already surpassed a major record set by Frozen 2. Let’s see what people are saying about the movie ahead of its November 22 release.
Junior Felix of The Hashtag Show seems to have gotten everything one could ask for from a Disney animated movie — high praise considering this is Disney’s milestone 100th anniversary. Felix writes on X:
Wish is pure MAGIC. It’s a celebration of all things Disney and beautifully told with stunning animation and top-notch music. I couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate #Disney100.
Dana Abercrombie of The Koalition agrees Wish is the perfect movie to mark the occasion, praising the leading voice actors:
Wish filled my heart with so much joy. What a perfect way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Disney and the origins of making dreams come true. The music had me swaying in my seat. Chris Pine and Ariana DeBose really showed up to show out.
When it comes to Disney animation, the music is as big a factor as anything, and the Wish soundtrack doesn’t disappoint, according to Jazzy Tangcay of Variety. In fact there are at least two possible options worthy of following viral earworms of the past like Frozen’s “Let It Go” and Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” Tangcay says, writing:
Step aside Bruno, we’re not gonna talk about you for a bit. make room for the excellence that is Chris Pine’s ‘This is the Thanks I Get’ and Ariana DeBose’s slaying of ‘This Wish’ which are both stuck in my head. No skip soundtrack indeed.
That should come as no surprise, since one of the things we know about Wish is that Grammy nominee Julia Michaels penned original songs for the movie. Also Ariana DeBose brings her own stacked resumé, which boasts projects like West Side Story, Hamilton and Schmigadoon!Aaron Perine of ComicBook.com seconds the above critic’s opinion, hinting that it won’t take parents long to memorize the songs on this soundtrack. Perine compliments the animation as well, posting:
Wish was stunning. The painterly art style really suits this whimsical tale! Bravo to Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine for coming through with some songs that the parents I know will know all the words to in a couple of weeks.
Caitlin Tyrrell of ScreenRant agrees with the other critics, praising the leading actors and the film overall as an appropriate offering for the 100th anniversary. Tyrrell writes:
Wish is absolutely beautiful in every way! A fantastic celebration of 100 years of Disney magic with incredible music, stunning animation, and a story full of heart. Ariana Debose is fantastic and Chris Pine is a magnificent as a Disney villains.
Wish is a classic story with modern twists — which certainly does seem fitting to honor the company’s long legacy — and Eric Goldman of Fandom says the animated wishing star and Chris Pine’s villain are the best parts.
Disney’s Wish is a well done and sweet ‘take a bow’ movie for the 100th anniversary, purposely telling a very classic-style story with some modern twists. My favorite aspects are the delightfully animated silent Star, and King Magnifico, who gets a true villain origin story.
We’ve still got a couple of weeks before we can see Wish in theaters, and the full reviews next week should give us an even better picture of what critics think about it, but so far the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. While we wait for Wish to hit the big screen, you can get a jump on next year’s projects by checking out our 2024 movie release schedule.
