Credit: DisneyWhether it’s the Disney Parks, Walt Disney Animation Studio, or the Walt Disney Company as a whole entity, its fanbase has been one of the most loyal and vocal on the planet. So why would they directly issue a threat to their biggest supporters?
Disney’s latest animated feature, Wish (2023), took over theaters during Thanksgiving and was met with mixed reviews, but Disney fans ate it up with a spoon. As enchanting as the movie was, one scene might rub thousands the wrong way.
Related: What ‘Wish’ Gets Right
SPOILER ALERT!: Spoilers for Wish beyond this point.
As the adorkable Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose) finally gets a chance to meet the illustrious King Magnifico (voiced by Chris Pine), she receives an unsightly peek behind the wizard’s curtain as she learns what truly happens to the wishes of Rosas. While the king delivers his monologue, it becomes unsettlingly clear that he’s not just talking to his would-be apprentice.
Disney Animation Fans Called Out by New Character
@alexdisney_ King Magnifico and Asha’s fight #wish
♬ This Is The Thanks I Get?! – From “Wish” – Chris Pine & Disney
King Magnifico is Disney’s newest animated villain, and he’s arguably the first true-to-form evil antagonist since Doctor Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009), and he’s definitely a breath of fresh air. However, like all great villains, he has a monologue in which he essentially reveals his dastardly deeds.
Unlike other examples like Yzma, Scar, or even Syndrome, Magnifico isn’t just doing this for dramatic effect. As he elates to Asha precisely why not all the wishes in the kingdom will be granted, he lets one massive detail slip as to what the wishes truly are and what they represent.
Magnifico states,
“People come here because they can’t make their own dreams come true. The journey is too hard, it is too unfair. They give their wishes to me, willingly, and I make it so they forget their worries.”
While it’s not the darkest delivery, the way Magnifico describes his subjects willingly handing over their wishes sounds like a very familiar spell. Did you ever once stop to think about why people continue to watch Disney movies, even when they flop?
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Fans have speculated the inspiration behind the movie for a short while now, and it’s clear that this is more than just a love letter to classic Disney movies. Considering how King Magnifico masquerades as a benevolent ruler while treating his subjects and their wishes like toys, some claim that he’s essentially a stand-in for Bob Iger.
One of Disney’s biggest tools is the studio’s gift for immersion and escapism. Why else build an animated empire on the backbone of fantasy and fairytales?
Related: ‘Wish’ Proves Major Disney Disappointment, Reportedly Even Worse Than ‘Strange World’
Disney has inspired the wishes of generations for practically the past century, and fans continue to flock to theaters or binge on Disney+ a wealth of treasured stories that allow them to let go of the burdens of reality for a little while. The same thing can also be said of Disneyland, the Walt Disney World Resort, and any other Disney Park.
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Just as Rosas willingly gave its wishes to Magnifico, so to do we Disney fans give our energy to the house of mouse on a regular basis. Wish isn’t explicitly criticizing that fact, but it does show what can happen when that amount of devotion takes a wrong turn.
Do you think the Disney animators are sending a message? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!