Wish, Asha and the Good Star: Does the Disney 100th anniversary film follow in the footsteps of the Snow Queen?

News culture Wish, Asha and the Good Star: Does the Disney 100th anniversary film follow in the footsteps of the Snow Queen?

To celebrate its centenary, Disney has pulled out all the stops with a new animated film directed by Chis Buck and written by Jennifer Lee, the two minds behind the two Frozen films. As if that wasn’t enough, Wish, Asha and the Good Star stands out from the studio’s other productions with its original visual style, mixing computer-generated imagery and traditional hand-drawn animation. A way to reinforce the homage side of the feature film celebrating a century of animation. With all of this said, the stars seem to be aligned for Wish’s success, but will it be enough to give Disney another hit at Christmas at the end of the year? After watching the film, we’ll tell you what we think of it!

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A beautiful story about wishes

The plot of Wish takes place in the kingdom of Rosas, founded by King Magnifico, who wants to protect his people with magic so that they do not have to experience the tragedy of which he was the victim again. In return for his protection, the residents entrust their ruler with their wishes with the promise that one of them will come true in a ceremony that takes place once a year. In this wonderful world we follow the adventures of Asha, a travel guide who has the chance to become the king’s assistant. Unfortunately, when she learns the truth about the kingdom, the young girl becomes disillusioned and questions the foundations of this seemingly idyllic land.

First of all, “Wish” stands out from recent Disney animated films in several ways. First, This is a completely original story, not inspired by any existing story. Then the feature film finally offers a real, clearly defined main antagonist, something we haven’t had at Disney for a long time. Here, The “big bad” is particularly charismatic and his motives are understandable, but also thanks to the performance of Lambert Wilson which doubles it in French and makes it even more convincing. In addition, we can emphasize that it is a quite original antagonist for Disney since it goes against the codes that we are used to. We were even surprised to see sequences reminiscent of periods in French history, which is still pretty amazing for a Disney film.

Over and beyond, The entire film revolves around the concept of desires, a theme that we know is close to Disney’s heart as happens again and again in previous studio productions or even at Disneyland. Even if the plot is rather classic for a Disney film, the feature film does not forget to present really funny sequences and passages that will genuinely make you laugh. But whoever says new Disney, of course also says new songs. Here there are seven of them and, as in any good Disney, they serve to convey the characters’ state of mind. However, These songs contain catchy themes that will delight children (to the delight of her parents). And since it’s the film that caps the company’s 100th anniversary, adults can have fun with the recognition All references to the studio’s previous productions are numerous throughout the adventure. However, these numerous winks do not prevent the feature film from developing its own universe, its own themes and, above all, a unique aura, especially thanks to its visual part.

A unique visual representation for an enchanting result

As a film to celebrate Disney’s 100th birthday Wish offers a unique visual representation between computer-generated images and traditional hand-drawn animations. Basically, the characters are designed in computer graphics, the handmade settings and the textures appear drawn, always with the aim of paying homage to the studio’s previous productions. Thanks to this choice, Wish has a unique aspect that sets it apart from other Disney films. We were particularly impressed by the beautiful backgrounds, but also by the architecture of the Kingdom of Rosas which is inspired by the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in both the West and the East, for an enchanting result. It must be said that this fictional country is located in the Mediterranean, which explains this overlap of influences.

As for the visual effects, especially those related to magic, we are equally grateful as they provide an equally beautiful and impactful depiction. And then as far as the characters go, We therefore find that Disney style that we saw in Rapunzel or Frozen but with a different aspect in terms of textures to achieve a more drawn effect in keeping with the rest. If it works really well throughout the film, we wondered if editing the shadows to make them more prominent wouldn’t have made the image gain relief. But ultimately, this is an artistic bias that manages to offer a rendering “between tradition and modernity,” as the hackneyed phrase demands and should be banned, but which gets to the heart of the matter here.

In short, Wish closes out Disney’s centennial in style. With its unique visual presentation, its enchanting universe and its charismatic antagonist, the latest production from the creators of Frozen manages to tell a beautiful story about desires, a theme close to Mickey’s company’s heart. A winning choice for this feature film that mixes computer-generated imagery and traditional, old-fashioned animation to create a unique and impressive result. Enough to please the eyes of older children while younger ones are carried away by the music. It remains to be seen whether Disney will continue this style for its next productions in the future.