After 18 Years, 'Wish' Becomes Walt Disney Animation's First "Rotten" Movie

The latest feature film to come out of Walt Disney Animation, Wish (2023), isn’t exactly feeling the magic — well, with critics, at least. Ahead of its widespread theatrical debut, the movie shattered an unfortunate record, spelling trouble ahead for its performance at the holiday box office.

Related: Disney Makes Mistake With Latest ‘Wish’ Reveal, “Backed Into a Corner”

Directors Fawn Veerasunthorn and Chris Buck, both of whom worked on Frozen (2013), are gearing up for the release of their latest family-friendly outing, Wish. The film looks to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary with a gripping tale of suspense, friendship, and the importance of dreams, featuring new original songs penned by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice.

Led by Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose, the story follows 17-year-old Asha, who makes a passionate plea to the stars in a moment of need after sensing a darkness in the Kingdom of Rosas that no one else does. The darkness, of course, comes from the evil King Magnifico (Chris Pine), who uses dark magic to stay in power. With the help of her friends, a fallen star, her trusted pet goat, Valentino (Alan Tudyk), and Queen Amaya (Angelique Cabral), Asha will have to fight to restore peace and wish-making to Rosas.

Related: ‘Wish:’ The ‘Snow White’ Remake We Needed

Initially, hopes for Wish were high, especially considering that it blends more traditional storybook 2D animation with 3D models, with fans excited at the prospect of Disney returning to their roots. Additionally, it’s an entirely original story not attached to any preexisting IP, making it a standout amid countless sequels, prequels, and Disney+ spinoffs. Unfortunately, the release of the first trailer showed clips that viewers slammed for appearing “half-rendered” and “unfinished,” drawing concerns over the film that’s supposed to pay homage to 100 years of Disney history.

Although Wish, on the surface, sounded like a fail-safe for Disney during a particularly tumultuous time for the company, the studio might’ve gotten more than they bargained for, as it’s not faring overly well with critics. Plus, social media reactions haven’t exactly been kind to the film, either, with users poking fun at the original villain song, “This Is The Thanks I Get?!,” calling it “AI-generated” and accusing it of being a far cry from musical numbers like “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Hellfire.”

While most critics seem to universally agree on the fact that Wish isn’t egregiously bad, per se, it did just shatter an unfortunate record for Walt Disney Animation, marking the first time since 2005’s Chicken Little that a film has earned a “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Wish is currently sitting at a 47% critic approval rating on the website after 107 verified reviews, joining the ranks of other “rotten” animated Disney movies such as Robin Hood (1973), The Black Cauldron (1985), Pocahontas (1995), and even Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001).

Still, critics seem firmly divided on the latest Disney flick, with Age of the Geek contributor Jana Monji saying the “manufactured” story “fails to be emotionally moving,” while MovieJawn author Ryan Silberstein said Wish is “a heartwarming and celebratory confection bursting with deftly handled easter eggs to the studio’s past work.”

Meanwhile, the audience score for Wish paints a very different picture, with over 100+ users agreeing the latest animated Disney outing is worthy of a trip to the movies. With audiences, the film currently sits at an impressive 83% approval score, reaffirming that casual viewers tend to be much more forgiving than critics — a common trend across most review aggregator websites.

There’s no denying that Disney, for better or worse, has come a long way since the days of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) and Pinocchio (1940). Although the company, at one point, had a near-perfect batting average when it came to critical reception of its releases — partially thanks to its many collaborations with Pixar Studios — its movies and Disney+ originals have since faltered in quality, with many being less than impressed by the nonstop sludge of oftentimes bland live-action remakes.

Based on these reviews, it’s hard to say if Wish suffers from many of the same issues as most recent Disney releases. But with its star-studded (no pun intended) cast and plentiful marketing, it’s hard to imagine that the feature would score lower than Strange World (2022), which was a financial flop for the company but still managed to rake in generally positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

According to box office analysts, the family-friendly animated movie about Disney’s iconic wishing star is expected to make $35 million domestically and $25 million overseas, putting it on par with projections for Pixar’s Elemental (2023) and Moana (2017). Still, many are skeptical of the princess pic’s performance, considering that the studio suffered a major setback at last Thanksgiving’s box office with Strange World, which grossed just $18.8 million. While Wish might not end up being the “flop” some critics want it to be, buzzy releases like Ridley Scott’s Napoleon (2023) could quickly overtake it over the weekend.

Ultimately, it’s important to note that critics’ reviews are entirely subjective and often don’t reflect what general audiences think of a movie. Wish could very well be an unexpected hit, given that there’s little competition for family-friendly releases at the moment, and kids likely have an extended break for the Thanksgiving holiday, meaning they’ll have more chances to head to theaters over the weekend.

Only time will tell if Disney’s dreams will come true when Wish premieres on November 22, 2023.

Are you planning on seeing Wish in theaters? Let us know in the comments below!