Wish review: Disney celebrates itself in this sweet, minor animated musical

It’s a small tragedy that Disney’s centenary happened to coincide with a moment of internal crisis for the studio, in which its empire of intellectual property has been stretched so thin that it’s on the verge of total collapse (for a cautionary tale about what happens to overzealous conquerors, see Ridley Scott’s Napoleon). We’ve been told this is a year of celebration for Disney, except it’s not entirely clear what we’re meant to be celebrating beyond the vague reminder of past glories. Considering the studio’s incessant production line of live-action remakes in recent years, it’s been Disney’s go-to strategy for a while now.

There’s a streak of that same futility that’s come to shape the otherwise sweet and mellow Wish, which plays comfortably as a minor-key entry into the Disney canon, but doesn’t hold up all too well under the burden of expectation. Its story, scripted by Frozen’s Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore, is a spin-off film – of sorts – for the wishing star that every Disney princess, puppet, mermaid, street rat and Greek demigod has gazed up at and sang of their heart’s desire.

We’re welcomed into the Kingdom of Rosas, a beautifully detailed mix of medieval Iberian influences, ruled over by King Magnifico (Chris Pine). He’s a vainglorious sorcerer-type who insists he’s taking good care of his people’s wishes, when all he’s really done is shove them into little, floating bubbles so he can happily gloat over his private, enchanted Orbeez collection. But, when a plucky teen girl, Asha (Ariana DeBose), is chosen to be his next apprentice, she discovers that Magnifico isn’t as benign as he makes out to be. Frustrated, she turns to the night sky itself for an answer. And, surprise! A star replies.

Thankfully, directors Chris Buck (also of Frozen fame) and Fawn Veerasunthorn have fended off the very worst impulses of modern, mainstream cinema. Wish is less Ralph Breaks the Internet and its crossover overdrive, and more Shrek minus the outsider cynicism. Cut out the few moments of real indulgence in the film’s closing scenes, and you’re left with a mishmash of traditional fairytale tropes, with a sprinkle of revisionism. Visually, it borrows heavily from the classics, most noticeably 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and 1959’s Sleeping Beauty – with its storybook prologue, widescreen 2:55:1 aspect ratio, and rich, watercolour aesthetics.

There’s a traditional villain and a traditional villain song, which Pine delivers with gusto. “This Wish”, the film’s leading track, would sit comfortably alongside Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go”, and is so powerfully delivered by DeBose that it’s physically impossible not to resort to that nine-month-old, “She did the thing!” meme. There are cute animal sidekicks aplenty, and Disney veteran Alan Tudyk sneaks in a few stellar moments as a tiny goat in pyjamas named Valentino.

Yet, none of these homages really answer the “why” of Disney’s cultural sovereignty. We’re here because of innovation because Snow White set the template, The Lion King rewrote it, and then Frozen delivered an earworm for the ages. Wish puts enormous effort into styling its computer animation to look like the traditional, hand-drawn style. But wouldn’t the innovation here be to revert to 2D altogether? Asha’s friends are a consciously diverse, seven dwarfs-inspired crew. But wouldn’t real progress be to make their leader, Dahlia (Jennifer Kumiyama), who has a visible disability, the hero for once?

Wish has been made with care, but as its credits offer a whistle-stop tour through Disney’s history, it’s hard not to think – god, wasn’t it great when they made stuff as weird and fun and daring as, say, The Emperor’s New Groove?

Dir: Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn. Starring: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, Jon Rudnitsky. U, 95 minutes.

‘Wish’ is in cinemas from 24 November