Lessons from Wish Review by the Elf and the Ent. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch Wish
Movie: Wish
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy, Children’s, Adventure
Length: 1 hr. 35 mins.
Age suggested: 4 and up
Release Date: November 22nd, 2023
When is Wish Coming to Streaming?: April 3rd, 2024 Wish will be on Disney Plus.
Warnings: Mildly creepy villain, some scenes with fire and evil magic, death of a loved one
Quick Wish Movie Summary
King Magnifico is a ruler who through magic, grants the wishes of his people. While interviewing for a position, Asha discovers that behind this seemingly happy outcome, holds a darker secret. She then must decide whether or not to let things stand or help others find what is truly important to them.
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Wish Parent Review (Contains Mild Spoilers)
–Why Watch Wish the Movie-
Wish is a super fun love letter to the history of Disney. There are countless Easter eggs in this movie. From the more obvious reference to the seven dwarves to the more subtle hidden Mickeys. This movie almost begs to be re-watched to catch more and more references each time.
Even pushing all the fun references aside, Wish provides a very fun plot with many powerful performances. Asha’s dedication to do the right thing, despite being such an underdog the entire story, is really inspiring. By the end of the film, we learned she couldn’t do it alone, but she was such an inspiration that the entire kingdom rallied behind her.
Check out our 10 Wish movie craft ideas!
-Is the Wish Movie Safe for Younger Viewers?-
Wish is overall a pretty appropriate movie for most ages. The most intense part revolves around the villain gaining evil powers. This isn’t very scary, but is quite creepy and may be a bit too much for some viewers.
Trigger warning for death and family loss. It is implied that Asha’s father has died offscreen, but her sadness regarding that is seen a few times throughout the story. Magnifico implies that his family dies in a fire.
There are a few intense scenes, some of which include fire and evil magic. Most of this is resolved relatively quickly. The cute little character named Star is sucked up, but they do get free unharmed.
Continue reading for our Lessons from Wish Movie
Favorite Wish Movie Quotes
Don’t worry. We’ll be here when you fail.
The stars are there to guide us
People think wishes are just ideas, but they are part of your heart. The very best part.
If happiness was a tangible thing, it would be you.
It is my job to only grant wishes I know will be best for Rosa’s.
Why would you want me to remember a wish that could never be.
So I look up to the stars to guide me and throw caution to every warning sign
So I make this wish to have something more for us than this
If you really want to know who you are, you’re a star!
Careful! My mother was shaved for that yarn!
When you’re threatened, you don’t breathe. You focus.
I may never get the chance to inspire anybody, but now I get the chance to try.
My heart knows this feeling. This is grief.
All of this is just a bump in the road…a humongous bump.
Never trust a handsome face. That’s why I hang out with you guys.
-Wish Movie Quotes
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Lessons from Wish Movie
Lesson 1: Wishes Are Important Even if They Don’t Come True
One of my favorite aspects of this movie is that while it does revolve around wishes, the main goal isn’t for them to come true. It’s important to just be able to wish and to have hope. This desire helps to motivate us, not matter the outcome.
Lesson 2: No One Should be Able to Control Others’ Wishes
The moment we see King Magnifico’s true intentions, his whole demeanor is twisted. No matter the circumstances, the fact that he took other’s wishes and used them was an undoubtedly terrible act. He used the excuse that it takes away the weight, but as it showed, it also took away their hope.
And when Asha’s friends and family tried to tell her she was dreaming too big and being too much. They wanted to control her and she managed to tell them no. To keep wishing and dreaming. And eventually got their support instead of judgement or control.
Lesson 3: Work Together: You Inspire People
In one of the most beautiful moments of Wish, Asha is being overtaken by Magnifico and calls out to others. When everyone combines in song, they are able to find a way to overcome the evil power controlled by Magnifico.
Lesson 4: Control is not Love
Magnifico thinks he is controlling everyone out of love, but it’s really out of fear. And for the townspeople, living a life without the weight of worries sounds good, but they discover that living without worries or hope is not really living. Magnifico is not keeping anyone safe, he’s keeping them drained.
Lesson 5: Adults can still Make Wishes
The townspeople all gave their wishes to the king when they turned 18, at adulthood. But Sabino, Asha’s grandfather, teaches us that wishes and hope have no age limit. We don’t have to give up on our wishes just because we’re adults. A sweet nod to the adults who are Disney obsessed, but also a gentle reminder that we have an impact whether we want to or not. We inspire people and can be inspired more if we have our eyes and hearts open to magical moments.
My favorite lessons from Wish were the ones that were aimed more at the adult audience. Like remembering that we can leave a legacy of hope. Or that when a kid or friend takes a giant leap that we don’t understand- they don’t need a lecture. They need your hand and support. And I just loved how the queen realized that she had been blind before and wasn’t going to continue on that path. You can change your mind. We can evaluate our loyalties. Soooo many great topics to discuss from the Wish movie!
Wish Discussion Questions
Themes to Discuss: Corruption of Power, Importance of Wishes, Following your Dreams
- Which moment you made you laugh the most?
- Why does Asha want the wishes of her Grandfather and Mother back?
- If you were to make one wish, what would it be?
- What causes King Magnifico to use the evil magic?
- What was your favorite Disney Easter egg in this movie?
Thanks for checking out our Lessons from Wish Movie. Here is some fun merchandise to check out if you’re interested:
–Wish Star Plush
–Asha Doll
–Wish Lego Set
We wanted to keep the magic and fun going, so we did a lot of star crafts after seeing the movie. Check out our 10 Wish movie craft ideas right here.
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