Wish
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: November 22, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
47
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 45 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
28
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNov 20, 2023
Yes, this film is unapologetically corny and unabashedly self-congratulatory, and while it pales in comparison to many of the classic animated films referenced throughout, the little ones should find it entertaining enough and the parents should be at least mildly amused as well as grateful for a zippy 95-minute running time. Read full review
75
TheWrapKristen LopezNov 17, 2023
Wish is a darling film with fantastic music and amazing voice performances, but the story does feel a bit like a house of cards waiting to be poked. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittNov 17, 2023
Even for hardcore fans, Wish comes close to overdoing it with the, well, Disney-ness. That’s when Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) becomes the movie’s saving grace, as a likable, idealistic teen heroine with plucky verve and powerhouse vocals. Read full review
74
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzNov 17, 2023
The animation also feels half-caught between inspired and derivative . . . Thank goodness, then, for the songs. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineUrsula Munoz S.Nov 30, 2023
Harboring inventive visuals and a heartrending message, Wish has enough heart going for it. What a shame, then, that it wasn’t confident enough in itself to try for success without these clichés. Read full review
70
CNNBrian LowryNov 26, 2023
Wish doesn’t quite reach the stars, but it does shine intermittently while introducing another plucky teenage female heroine, gamely voiced by Ariana DeBose. Read full review
70
Screen RantRachel LaBonteNov 21, 2023
It's an interesting idea, trying to base a story around the idea of wishing on a star, a concept that has been Disney's foundation for decades, but Wish struggles due to a weaker script. But I can't lie: I was charmed by Asha's story and the vibrant world she lives in, and that can make up for any flaws in the execution. Read full review
67
IndieWireKate ErblandNov 17, 2023
Wish serves as a throwback to the past, a celebration of the present, and a gentle push into the future. Read full review
60
Time OutPhil de SemlyenNov 27, 2023
When even Alan Tudyk can’t rinse laughs from a sidekick role, your script probably needs another sprinkle of magic. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeNov 26, 2023
Its backwards glances serve only to remind us how transcendent Disney animation once was – as recently as Frozen – without offering any hopeful signposts to the future. But, yes, cracking songs. Read full review
60
The New York TimesAmy NicholsonNov 22, 2023
Oddly — and rather fascinatingly — this is a film about a spiritual revolution. Read full review
60
EmpireJohn NugentNov 17, 2023
This might not be the venerable animation house at its very best, but it is a reminder of why they have endured for so long. Why change a formula when it’s a winning one? Read full review
60
Total FilmKate StablesNov 17, 2023
Ravishingly pretty but low-powered, this cute and earnest fairy tale has a whole lot of homage, but not enough heart. Read full review
60
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyNov 17, 2023
Wish, clearly, 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? Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzNov 17, 2023
It’s not going to make you forget “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” or “Bambi” or “Frozen” or “Tangled,” but elements of it might remind you of them. Which is by design. Read full review
50
The Daily BeastA.A. DowdMar 6, 2024
This movie is nice to gawk at, though the character models of Disney films are starting to get a little too interchangeable, a little too… well, on model. But as a piece of storytelling, Wish is as flimsy as a star decal stuck to a wall. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshNov 23, 2023
The only time Wish shines bright is when it dares to get a little bit weird. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 21, 2023
This may be the worst major animated film Disney has released in the past 40 years and its lack of creative energy doesn’t augur well for the immediate future. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonNov 21, 2023
Though the visuals are often quite stunning, you’ll wish that “Wish” had a better story. Not even Magnifico is powerful enough to make you forget. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanNov 20, 2023
At times, the film feels less like an homage to a beloved legacy than a 1 1/2-hour piece of advertainment. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoNov 20, 2023
This wish feels like it didn’t fall from the sky but was crafted by a producers' room with an eye for the highest profit margin. It leaves one wishing for something that feels human and true. Read full review
50
The Associated PressLindsey BahrNov 20, 2023
Walt Disney Animation’s Wish is stunning to look at with textured and rich watercolor-inspired animation and easter egg treasures for audiences nostalgic for the classics. But it is also more concept than story: A strained and forgettable attempt to pay homage to the studio’s 100 years. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJustin ClarkNov 20, 2023
Wish plays out like the No Frills version of a Disney princess story. Read full review
50
IGNCarlos AguilarNov 17, 2023
While Wish is enjoyable, this new Disney fairytale doesn’t measure up to those that came before. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyDevan CogganNov 17, 2023
Wish is so obsessed with the past that it fails to add anything new of its own. If you’re going to pay tribute to 100 years of Disney magic, you can’t forget to save a little magic for yourself. Read full review
50
VarietyOwen GleibermanNov 17, 2023
Wish self-consciously packs 85 years of animated magic into a portable Disney fable. Does that make it a summation or a pastiche? A movie marbled with pop history or overstuffed with Easter eggs? One that launches the next Disney century or is stuck in the last one? Maybe all of the above. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeNov 17, 2023
Even during its more successful moments, Wish’s magic falls flat. The film is weighed down by its purpose: to revel in Disney nostalgia while soaring into the future. Read full review
49
PolygonPetrana RadulovicNov 17, 2023
Wish is all about the twinkling star in the night sky, the one many a Disney hero has wished upon. Perfectly calibrated for that Disney magic! Except this movie is a little too perfectly calibrated. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubRay GreeneNov 26, 2023
Wish is a mess, but there are ways it could be called an innovative one. Read full review
42
ColliderRoss BonaimeNov 20, 2023
Disney has been at the forefront of animation in film for much of its 100 years and their legacy is unparalleled. That’s a lot to put on the shoulders of any animated film, but Wish, with its mundane celebration of this history, is a disappointing commemoration of these accomplishments. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeNov 27, 2023
Mostly, the soundtrack is an unhummable mess of warbled exposition. Read full review
40
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeNov 27, 2023
Wish plays more like a collection of deleted tracks than greatest hits. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeNov 20, 2023
Watching all the tried-and-tested elements fail to coalesce just makes us nostalgic for the classics instead. Let us all wish Disney can find that magic again. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonNov 17, 2023
Disney has rarely and so shamelessly plundered its own catalogue — not just in terms of homages to its greatest hits but also in the familiar elements thrown together for this wan fable. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfNov 17, 2023
Wish doesn’t evoke swelling feelings of nostalgia, but rather a longing for the pristine storytelling of the studio’s past. Read full review
40
The TelegraphRobbie CollinNov 17, 2023
Disney's centenary animation feels like an attempt, after a wobbly decade, to return the brand to first principles – but it doesn't come off. Read full review
38
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenJun 12, 2024
It’s become a crutch for critics to say that this or that movie is so generic that it must have been generated by AI. I’ve resisted, but I’m finally going to play that card in regard to Wish. Thanks to a banal familiarity mixed with a dose of inhuman idiosyncrasy, the movie feels as if someone fed the opening Disney logo sequence — of fireworks bursting over a fairytale castle — to an AI program and asked it to spit out a 95-minute animated musical in the mode of the studio’s classics. Read full review
38
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiNov 22, 2023
In “Pinocchio,” when Geppetto wished upon a star, a hunk of wood became a real boy. Eighty-three years later, Disney’s latest animated film, called “Wish,” which is sort of about the origin of that same magical ball of gas, couldn’t be more wooden, manufactured or lifeless. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 17, 2023
The story is off, the heart is missing and the laughs aren’t there. Read full review
35
SlashfilmJosh SpiegelNov 17, 2023
Though this film is well-intentioned, fleetly paced, and boasts a unique blend of animation, it's a desperate and sweaty attempt to revive the past glories of the studio. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithDec 6, 2023
This movie seems proud, even smug, about recycling scraps from other fairy tales. Read full review
30
Film ThreatAlan NgNov 17, 2023
For a film meant to be a milestone for 100 years of the Walt Disney Company, Wish is a monumental failure. Read full review
25
The Seattle TimesChase HutchinsonNov 21, 2023
There is real passion in DeBose’s vocal performance as she tries to elevate the rote music. I just wish she were in a better movie. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonNov 17, 2023
The only thing that keeps Wish afloat is DeBose’s voice, who elevates so-so songs such as “At All Costs” and “This Wish” with a powerful lilt. Read full review
20
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNov 22, 2023
Unfortunately, Wish manages to be none of the things it wants to be. It is neither evocative enough of the past to work as a tribute, nor irreverent or inventive or just plain funny enough to justify its constant but half-hearted callouts. It’s the ultimate cop-out — a lifeless, uninspiring mess of bland brand management. Read full review
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