One of the latest Disney movies that just came out is “Wish” for Disney’s 100th Anniversary, and to say the least, most viewers are not pleased. One of the many critiques is a lack of difference between the latest Disney movies, which, even though not associated with this particular film, can be tied to one famous name: Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is an actor, songwriter, and playwright, along with many other talents. He was born in 1980 and made his Broadway debut in 2008. Miranda wrote the earliest draft of what would become his first Broadway musical, “In the Heights,” in 1999, during his sophomore year of college at Wesleyan University. He is most famous for writing and starring in 2015’s Broadway hit, “Hamilton.”
Miranda has written many songs and soundtracks for Disney (“Moana”, “Vivo,” and “Encanto”), and they all have the same feel. It seems as though Disney keeps writing the same story repeatedly with a different theme. Even without Miranda’s help, Disney has made another movie with the same sound as the last. “Wish” came out on November 22, and most of the songs sound the same as other Disney movies, which has raised concern.
The movie has been criticized for copying Miranda’s style. His musical style is very specific and some songs start to sound the same when they’re as distinct as his. “Wish” is a celebration of Disney’s 100th anniversary, declaring itself as an origin story for “When You Wish Upon a Star.” The movie was supposed to have an original Disney feel and plot. The company wanted to try and recreate the nostalgic effect of an old-fashioned Disney movie, but in the making, changed it entirely and it came out the same as movies of the recent past. In addition to the monotonous feel of the songs, viewers also noticed the unusual animation that some have even stated looks “unfinished.” Everyone prepared to watch the movie like they were kids again, watching old tales like “Cinderella” with their family, but that feeling simply did not come across for most.
Disney has been making movies for over 100 years now. Their first full-length movie was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. Since then, they have made over 800 films and counting. Miranda has helped in the production of Disney movies since 2015 and is still working on Disney films for the future. Joe Hoeffner said, “Miranda’s unflagging theater-kid energy can be tiresome, but it does make him uniquely suited for a Disney musical.”
The last time there was a villain song in a Disney movie was in 2009 in “The Princess and the Frog.” The villain songs were always iconic and showed the villain’s true personality. However, there’s nothing that stands out in the “Wish” song that will make people want to listen to it over and over again. The song is called “This Is the Thanks I Get?!” Before the character sang, he wasn’t fully evil, where after the song, he accepted it. The song sounds peppy and cheerful, though it’s supposed to be mysterious and deep while the villain embraces that he is evil. Joe Hoeffner said, “But alas, there is nothing iconic or vital about King Magnifico’s villain song.”
It looks like Disney is running out of ideas and have been copying off of other movies from the past that did well. “Moana” was released in 2016 and Miranda was a key part in the lyrics and vocals of the movie soundtrack. The first few movies went unnoticed, but the more movies that were made, the more everyone noticed how similar they were. Anything he does is interesting and clever, but when dozens of songs and movies are released in a relatively short period, it becomes obvious the style used is Miranda’s. Overall, this movie was a letdown to what could have been an amazing 100th-anniversary film.
