Disney+ subscribers’ wish has come true, as the Mouse House’s latest animated movie is now available to stream from home.
“Wish” takes place in the magical kingdom of Rosas, where everyone carries their own “wish” around with them. Ariana DeBose plays 17-year-old Asha, who applies to become the apprentice of King Magnifico, voiced by Chris Pine. However, Asha soon finds that Magnifico is stealing the wishes from his people, under the benevolent guise of freeing everyone from their chief desires.
One night, Asha makes a wish so big that it calls forth a glowing yellow star, a cute character aptly named Star. Asha and Star then face off against Magnifico, who, threatened by the prospect of losing his royal power, has turned to dark magic. Accompanied by her friends and family, Asha works to restore the wishes of the kingdom and save her people from Magnifico’s corruption.
“Wish” underperformed at the box office when it opened over Thanksgiving weekend, generating a paltry $31.7 million over five days despite projections reaching $45 to $50 million. But the film has received a second wind upon its streaming release, garnering 13.2 million views within its first five days on Disney+, where it debuted on April 3. That makes the film the No. 3 most-viewed streaming premiere for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film, trailing “Encanto,” which debuted in theaters in November 2021 before streaming on Disney+ that December, and “Frozen 2,” which released theatrically November 2019 an arrived on streaming the following March. Exact viewership data for those titles is unavailable.
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In his review, Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman described “Wish” as a “visually pleasing, eminently watchable slice of enchanted product — with a plot that’s both mildly touching and slightly strange.”
Stream “Wish” on Disney+.
