Silly Question Time: If Disney Hired You to Remake Wish How Would You Go About It?

[Winter]

Before we start I want to all to take a look at this Animatic which reworks to the song At All Costs into a love duet song.


youtu.be/FMpJzMj-d6E

Speaking as a romantic I absolutely love this and enjoy it a lot more then what we have in the film itself. Now a common misconception of At All Costs is that it was meant to be a love song sung by Asha and the Starboy who was going to be her love interest but this is not true, the song was always intended to be sung between Asha and King Magnifico about the wishes. The problem there is it works better as a love song because even with context it SOUNDS like a love song and as this fan animatic shows does work as one just fine.

Now to switch gears Disney's Wish isn't the only film made by the company where fans prefer the original version as Raya and the Last Dragon had a similar reception with many commenting that the original version that we can glimpse in deleted scenes and concept art looks superior to the film we got. But honestly having thoroughly check out said original plot I wholeheartedly disagree on this and MUCH prefer the film we got.

Sorry but the original was overly complicated, the pacing is to damn fast, it's loaded with contrived BS and looses a lot of what I felt made the film work. Raya looses a lot of her edge and is much more comedic instead of being the cold cynic we got in the finished film, Namaari is a joke who I can't take seriously as a threat (being basically a Prototype Magnifico if I'm to be honest) and while the Druun have a more interesting design I frankly find the ones in the finished film more interesting.

Sure the originals look cooler but the final versions are honestly more terrifying because they are nearly impossible to stop. No weapon can harm them, it takes a massive amount of water to hold them off or the Dragon Gem Fragments.

But with Wish I'm completely on the side of the fans because the original ideas for this film are so much more interesting then what we got. Magnifico honestly comes off as a lot more intimidating, Queen Amaya is a great call back to classic Disney Villains, Asha is a more well rounded character and the the Starboy is more interesting with a VASTLY improved design and the romance between him and Asha honestly is a lot more interesting.

It's honestly interesting, I've never seen such a massive fanbase for a film that doesn't actually exist, at least as far as Disney goes. To look back at Raya for a moment, most fans do like the final film we got and there's a lot to help the film stick out and people still talk about it and it was successful enough to warrant Raya to become an official Disney Princess. Or Look at Frozen 2, while some ideas from the deleted scenes are interesting most agree that the final film is good and a worthy successor to the first film.

But Wish, no one really likes the film we got. No one really hates it either which is the real problem, this film is just not interesting. To quote Chuck Wish is "Bad enough to be hated but not bad enough to be loved". And yet the movie does have a passionate fanbase... just not for the film that was actually made.

I have seen more fan art and fanfics for the original version then I have ever seen for the actual film. There are more fan animatics of Asha and the Starboy dancing and singing to At All Costs then there music videos of the official movie. And while at Walt Disney World I couldn't help but notice that most Wish merchandise was carefully hidden or placed far away from more popular merch but when I did talk about the movie guess what most people talked about?

Yup the unmade version of the film.

Thus we come to the point of this post, if given the chance, how would you handle a remake of Wish?

Me personally I would keep to the original idea, have the film be 2D Animated film, drop most of the references to the older films and just have it be about the romance between Asha and the Star. And yeah I would rework At All Costs to be a love song based on the animatic I showed you all at the start of the post.

[phantom000]

How would I do it? Well I'd love the idea of making it something like Avengers: Endgame in that it draws on characters from Disney's other animated films but of course that would be horrendously expensive and hard to do with as a film unless you split it like Avengers or Matrix did.

I've heard there were ideas about Micky having gone missing and Minnie on a mission to find him which takes her through all the animated films. I like the idea of maybe a similar story with Asha on some kind of quest that lets her visit other Disney heroines and benefit from their experience but it would probably work better as a series on Disney+

If I was just making a stand alone film, I would be tempted to make King Magnifico a sort of 'double-twist' villain; imply that he's evil but then reveal that there is a reason he does this.

Him and Asha have a falling out which eventually leads her to having all the wishes come true but instead of everyone living happily ever after, as she expected, the kingdom rapidly descends into chaos and anarchy. Magnifico explains the problem is that many of these wishes conflict with each other and some are just selfish. He also tells her about her grandfather who was in love with a girl who married someone else and Magnifico decided he needed to just move on with his life, which he did.

Asha and Magnifico work to undo the damage and afterwards Asha apologizes to Magnifico but he admits he was too worried about the harm that could be done and stopped considering the good that could come from it and decides its time for a younger, more hopeful person to take over. He and his queen sail off into the distance leaving Asha to carry on in their place.

[Winter]

How would I do it? Well I'd love the idea of making it something like Avengers: Endgame in that it draws on characters from Disney's other animated films but of course that would be horrendously expensive and hard to do with as a film unless you split it like Avengers or Matrix did.

I've heard there were ideas about Micky having gone missing and Minnie on a mission to find him which takes her through all the animated films. I like the idea of maybe a similar story with Asha on some kind of quest that lets her visit other Disney heroines and benefit from their experience but it would probably work better as a series on Disney+

If I was just making a stand alone film, I would be tempted to make King Magnifico a sort of 'double-twist' villain; imply that he's evil but then reveal that there is a reason he does this.

Him and Asha have a falling out which eventually leads her to having all the wishes come true but instead of everyone living happily ever after, as she expected, the kingdom rapidly descends into chaos and anarchy. Magnifico explains the problem is that many of these wishes conflict with each other and some are just selfish. He also tells her about her grandfather who was in love with a girl who married someone else and Magnifico decided he needed to just move on with his life, which he did.

Asha and Magnifico work to undo the damage and afterwards Asha apologizes to Magnifico but he admits he was too worried about the harm that could be done and stopped considering the good that could come from it and decides its time for a younger, more hopeful person to take over. He and his queen sail off into the distance leaving Asha to carry on in their place.

I don't know, Magnifico was always intended to be a straight up villain which was one of the things fans had been asking for Disney for a while. One who is not a twist villain or a morally complex character who works as more of a antagonist then a straight up villain, like Namaari and Alma Madrigal but just someone who is self absorbed and selfish with no redeeming qualities.

So, I say keep keep Magnifico as a villain who's own selfish nature ends up dooming him in the end as much as everything the heroes do.

I will say that one of the things I do kinda like in the version we got of Wish over the original is that Magnifico is his own worst enemy. He descends into madness because the people are now asking questions and not spending every second praising him and it's already set up before the film starts by showing his insane troll logic to justify not giving Asha's grandpa his wish because an old man singing to bring joy to others could cause a rebellion against him. Aka he doesn't want anyone to be praised but him and will grant no wishes that are more impressive then what he can do.

[Al-1701]

I actually would've leaned into the Asha is a Fairy Godmother thing. She is a young witch learning under her great grandfather the tricks of the trade and the rules of magic.

Magnifico is a sorcerer king who breaks all the rules and gains power as he lures people into his kingdom with promises of their wishes coming true. He's captured the star boy (whom I named Phôs) and uses his powers to fuel his magic. Asha discovers this and saves him.

This leads into a series of magic-powered misadventures as they try to stop Magnifico and save the people of his kingdom.

I might get into more details later.

[phantom000]

I actually would've leaned into the Asha is a Fairy Godmother thing. She is a young witch learning under her great grandfather the tricks of the trade and the rules of magic.

Magnifico is a sorcerer king who breaks all the rules and gains power as he lures people into his kingdom with promises of their wishes coming true. He's captured the star boy (whom I named Phôs) and uses his powers to fuel his magic. Asha discovers this and saves him.

This leads into a series of magic-powered misadventures as they try to stop Magnifico and save the people of his kingdom.

I might get into more details later.

One idea I had was Asha being admitted into this order that trains people like her to use magic to help others. As she's being led through the castle that serves as their home she sees references to similar characters in Disney stories like the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty Merlin from The Sword In The Stone and even The Enchantress from Beauty and The Beast and its the Fair Godmother from Cinderalla implying all of them were part of this secret order. But she warns Asha that some times members turn away from goodness and pursue their own selfish goals and we see references to people like, Maleficent, Ursula, Jafar and Dr. Facilier this is where they learned all their magical skills.

I like the idea that throughout the story the question is which way will Asha turn herself with Magnifico being the little devil telling her to be evil and maybe the godmother, or her grandfather, being the angel telling her to be good.

[Nobody700]

Okay I'll be quick with this one cause I did have the idea for a long while.

Make the lead a princess, daughter to the king and queen. Her land is perfect but odd, it seems to be a half city of high perfection and stone huts, but the city is constantly changing. Finally, on her 21st birthday, the princess is told that she will become ruler of the land, and so her father and mother bring her to the special room, where they grant the wishes of the people. There... in the room... is a demon.

A demon that feasts on the futures and dreams of those the king and queen feed it too, so the people become mindless slaves. In return, the demon grants them wishes, and now the princess will be a part of it. As she sees, the peoples dreams and futures that are taken... are outsiders of the kingdom. Those... who resemble other disney characters. The king and queen are hunting down any not in their kingdom to make it the best in the world, and so the princess escapes, promising to save all those people and stop the tortures her parents brought to the world based on a false promise of a wish that can only be granted by destroying others wishes.

[Thebestoftherest]

I would have meet in a middle not a Princess version of endgame, but maybe established it where people like the fairy godmother form Cinderella lives when she not around, maybe the idea is there a limit to how many magic user. There are and the king decide to limit it to only help those that can change their respective worlds, even if helping others wouldn't be that hard.

[Al-1701]

So, some details.

We open with Asha as a little girl sitting with her father watching the stars. He's helping her remember the rules of magic and how it is used to help people.

1. You cannot create something from nothing. While conservation of mass isn't a thing, you need something to start with (like a pumpkin to make a carriage).

2. You cannot grant something life that is not already alive. You can turn a mouse into a horse but not a rock or chair into a horse.

3. Most important, you cannot simply grant someone's wish outright. You only provide them the tools to fulfill their dreams.

It's getting late so they head in. The father stops and coughs suggesting he is gravely sick. The great grandfather walks up to him. He started to say how he wishes he could, but the father stops him. He says, "We know why you can't."

Fast forward to Asha as a young woman ready to begin her mission of helping others. Her father died years ago from his illness, and she is the apprentice of her great grandfather. She is about to help her first person, a young woman whose family has fallen on hard times which are about to get harder. Magic users like her are meant to come in when all hope is lost.

However, when she goes to help her, she's gone. Not knowing what to do, she decides to talk to the mice in the house. She shrinks herself (a skill she studied obsessively after she cast on herself accidently and was lost for two days) to talk with the mice. They inform her the girl was going on and on about something called "Rosas." Get out of the house complicated by a run-in with the family cat, but Asha escapes.

The next day, Asha and her great grandfather head into town to see if anyone knows what this "Rosas" is. The rumors are its a land ruled by a sorcerer king that grants the wishes of his citizens. How his "miracles" are described sounds a lot like the magic Asha and her great grandfather have, but breaks all the rules. The great grandfather is concerned, and they head for Rosas.

They arrive in the kingdom which on the surface seems picturesque, but something seems off. The people appear happy, but there is no joy behind their smiles. Even the stars seem dimmer once night falls. There is going to be a gathering that evening, when the king, Magnifico, will grant wishes.

Asha and her great grandfather stay in the back and take in the festivities. Magnifico comes out with a showy display of magic. He then grants a farmer the wish for new apple trees, conjuring up a forest of mature apple trees from nothing and teleporting them to the farmer's orchard where they plant themselves. The great grandfather stares on dourly while Asha hears screams of pain not with her ears but seemingly in her head. Each wish granted fills her head with screams.

Finally, the ceremony ends and the crowds depart. As the two go to leave, Asha hearsa voice in her head again. It is only a weak whisper of "help." She slips away and uses magic to avoid the guards and follow a sense that the voice came from the castle's dungeon.

She finds a cell holding a gaunt figure in tattered rags chained to the wall. She unlocks the door and gets him, a young man seemingly her age, down. He asked, barely able to whisper, if the stars are out. Asha says yes and drags him out of the dungeon, again distracting the guards with some tricks.

Once outside and under the stars, the young man seems regain strength. He walks into the starlight, basking in it. His clothes glow, transforming from gray rags to a splendid suit of gold and his hair goes from dull gray to glowing gold. He looks up at the stars and says "Thank you, my friends."

The young man says his name is Phôs, and he is a wishing star. Wishing stars are created when starlight meets the human spirit. However, when he fell to earth, he was captured by Magnifico. Magnifico, knowing the power he held, used him as a power source for his magic to get around the rules that usually governed it. He might not have survived another session if Asha had not come along.

Asha is appalled that Magnifico could do such thing. Phôs explains he's power mad and his power grows the more people he brings into his kingdom and takes their wishes. They forget their wishes to make them content and docile and Magnifico granting their wish brings them further under his control. Everyone in the kingdom is beholden him, and Rosas is a dangerous place for other magic users as he has them hunted down to prevent them from exposing him or usurping him.

This takes us through the first act as Asha needs to hide Phôs' abilities as well as warn her grandfather.

[stryke]

One idea I had was Asha being admitted into this order that trains people like her to use magic to help others.

Oh I really dig that concept. Sure the timeline would be nonsense but I think you could make that fillled with enough loving nods that people wouldn't at all mind.

[CharlesPhipps]

I feel like it's not really very classic Disney at all and thus a very poor anniversary special. Especially since it seems like they want it to be a Prequel to a "Once Upon a Time" like universe that it implied at the end.

People have commented on the moral dissonance of half the audience agreeing with the villain.

Disney villains aren't like that.

Disney villains are like Puss and Boots' Jack Horner or SATAN.