Disney’s Wish: A Century of Wishing on Stars | Skeptical Inquirer (2024)

Wish. Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn. Starring Ariana DuBose and Chris Pine. Disney Studios, 2023.

Last October marked Disney’s hundredth year. As part of the anniversary celebration, the studio leaned into the idea of wishing upon a star, which first appeared in their second theatrical animated feature film, Pinocchio (1940). The hit song “When You Wish Upon a Star” quickly became popular, winning the Academy Award for best original song. Although the introduction for Disney movies has been reimagined many times since, the studio has continuously showcased the now iconic image of the Disney castle below a shooting star, paired with the inspirational song. Wishing itself has also continued to be a throughline across many Disney films.

As part of its 100 Years of Wonder celebration, Disney released the film Wish, available now for streaming on Disney+. I was excited to experience the wonder of this film with my six-year-old daughter on the big screen. In addition to entering the theater as a mom, I also entered as a skeptic, having recently taken college courses on pseudoscience and critical thinking. I was curious to see what type of treatment the studio would give the superstitious behavior of wishing now that we are nearly a century away from the release of Pinocchio.

The film has a foot in both worlds of pseudoscience and science. On the pseudoscience side—and as we’ve come to expect with Disney movies—there’s plenty of magic, including spells, potions, and wands. The shooting star becomes a character itself, spreading magical dust; in line with tradition, this dust gives animals the ability to talk as they befriend the protagonist, Asha. The talking animals represent all the Disney Princess films with one fell swoop. On the science side, however, many of the lyrics in “You’re a Star” would probably make Neil deGrasse Tyson happy:

When it comes to the universe, we’re all shareholders
Get that through your system (Solar!)

See we’re all just little nebulae in a nursery
From supernovas, now we’ve grown into our history

We’re taking why’s right out of mystery, closure
Now we’re taking in all the star exposure!

We eat the leaves, and they eat the sun

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In addition to the music, another fun aspect of Wish is the many subtle Easter eggs that represent the large library of previous Disney films. Many of them relate to the idea of wishing upon a star and the dreams that wishes represent. For example, one of the villagers wishes he could visit a magical land in the sky, reminiscent of Peter Pan, and another villager wishes he could fly. Other Easter eggs evoke the crew of Disney movie villains as represented by traits of Wish’s villain, King Magnifico. You just can’t help but see other villains come to life though his evil mannerisms.

Key to the story is Magnifico’s recognition of the power of wishes. Everyone in his kingdom gets to make one wish that he keeps safe, occasionally granting some during special ceremonies. We quickly learn, though, that Magnifico is only willing to grant the wishes that help maintain his power. Magnifico also comes to realize the power held by the personified wishing star. He attempts to steal the star to harness its power. You’ll have to watch the movie yourself to learn if he’s successful or if Asha, the other villagers, and the talking animals realize that the most important stars are the stars they hold within themselves.

During the movie, I was struck by the fact that Disney made a bold move, seeming to counteract their longtime tradition of promoting the idea that simply making a wish can make all your dreams come true. In this movie, wishes are treated more like fantasy, and only the wish-maker can truly make their own dreams become a reality. That is, wish-makers must put in some work! The movie similarly suggests that you can’t rely on someone else to make your dreams come true; you must act yourself. This notion is perhaps best represented by the song lyrics “It’s all quite revelatory: we are our own origin story.”

The skeptic in me was able to look past all the magic and superstition to enjoy the down-to-earth primary message of the story. My daughter spent much of the movie in tears moved by the mix of emotions, caused by the characters’ unfortunate circ*mstances while simultaneously expressing her distaste for Magnifico. She was bewildered about how one individual could be so selfish or evil to those around him. She frequently berated the screen for his actions. We both walked away with a little more wonder in our lives, and we also had a better idea about how to best make our own dreams come true.