If I asked you right now what Disney‘s next animated movie was called, would you be able to name it? I don’t think you would, which is why you’re fighting the urge to close this article to Google it immediately. And that’s a serious issue that Disney needs to address.
Gone are the days of the Disney Renaissance Era or the unparalleled hype for Frozen and Tangled. If we’re being honest with ourselves, Disney’s last good animated feature came with Lightyear over a year ago, and before that, it was Turning Red in March. Strange World came and went without causing a ripple, plus Elemental was so poorly marketed that we’re now asking ourselves if Disney is self-sabotaging.
Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid left a humungous splash, especially concerning the under-represented Black community. Peter Pan & Wendy was again poorly advertised, as was Pinocchio, so even as far as live-action, Disney’s last decent movie was Cruella in May 2021. That’s not the primary focus, but there’s some eye-opening comparisons for you.
If you’ve managed to read this far without googling, I’ll reward your patience by telling you that Disney’s upcoming animated movie is called Wish. According to Disney’s official synopsis, “Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force — a little ball of boundless energy called Star.” Back in April, we’d gotten a teaser trailer clocking in at just under two minutes, but other than that, Disney have done a shockingly bad job of letting everyone know Wish is on the way.
Ariana DeBose stars as Asha, joined by Chris Pine as King Magnifico and Alan Tudyk as Valentino. After the news that Disney dropped Nimona for fear that a same-sex kiss might stir some controversy (which it didn’t, by the way — the movie has been a massive hit), the House of Mouse is no doubt kicking itself for dismissing certain projects in favor of Wish, which doesn’t seem to be such a labor of love as, let’s say, Turning Red.
Every since Turning Red came out, we’ve seen countless merchandise, cosplays, fanart, etc. In fact, people are still talking about it over a year later. It’s sad to imagine Wish not having the same kind of cultural impact, but because Disney seems to be treating it like the least-favorite child, the possibility does exist. Disney has failed miserably to hype up an audience as much as when Frozen dropped, but it might not be shabby marketing that’s to blame; Disney has pumped out projects consistently for years, so we can also assume that audiences are a little burnt out.
We’re still reeling from the excitement of Lightyear, so did we really need another pointless romance in Elemental? Perhaps Disney should consider taking some time off. It’s not always such a good idea to work overtime. We’d wager that their animated repertoire will improve considerably if they refocused all their efforts to one specific movie, not spreading its team too thin across several.
Although we’ve yet to see more than one trailer, Wish releases in theaters on November 22, 2023.