That Time Disney Made a Disney Movie About Disney

[@rogerroger9952]

If this is true, then it's especially ironic that all the backlash this movie got came in tandem with fawning over what could have been with its original ideas, which were changed no doubt at the behest of higher-ups.

[@sick_icarus]

I could also see the evil staff being an allegory for copyrights, which Disney has singlehanded changed the laws of to restrict access to their properties.

[@GregCubed]

I think you just cracked the code, Wish's plot made no sense until I watched this video. Fantastic analysis!

[@theguyfromsaturn]

I'm afraid it still makes no sense

[@Yellowguy0619]

Omg! It made total sense!

[@dakedres]

Perhaps the forbidden magic is referring to Disney's monopoly on the entertainment industry. Magnifico, or more specifically him and his _staff_ (representing the growing high-level conglomorate end of Disney) consumes and destroys the dreams to make themselves more powerful, potentially referencing all the projects that are cancelled (sometimes far into production) as a product of corporate mergers.

[@RainbowberryForest]

I wondered before if the Wish movie is supposed to be an underhanded allegory about how the Disney company treats its creative employees, specifically with Magnifico representing management. Good job thoroughly breaking it down

[@meghandonnelly2166]

absolutely love your take on this movie! i've had very mixed feelings about wish, but to see the movie through the perspective of the employees and artists blew my mind. the queen was literally told to overthrow the government BY A MOUSE. the RAINBOW ANIMALS!! UNIONIZED ACTION!! life really does fuel art - what a fantastic video!

[@andrewvenus]

I didn't even realise the full implications of it being a a MOUSE which tells Queen Amaya to overthrow the Government. That's a great spot!

[@Caisadilla]

I think it says something to consider Asha and who she represents. It could be she's simply a pair of eyes for us to view the metaphor through but it could be that Asha represents the ideal "hero" those who are defeated under Disney wishes for. It could be she represents someone who has grown up in the utopia Disney has created and now wants to work for the perfect company she's loved all her life--only to find out how the sausage is made. This leading that newbie employee using that to be the voice of reason in truly calling out how all of this is wrong with unfettered eyes that leads to meaningful change for the rest of the company. I say this as a person who has personally seen new hires literally rock a whole management hierarchy from asking blatantly obvious questions or pointing out obvious ways the system is inefficient or just not right either financially or morally which causes a sort of snowball effect with the employees who have been there for years relieved that someone is finally saying the thing they've wanted to say for weeks, months, or years

[@geministrial950]

Its criminal that this doesnt have more views, its stellar

[@RowanTS]

Hell yeah. “Destruction of the home town by thieves” rival companies headhunting some of the OG Disney talent. And a fear of pirates. The book is the money, the wealth. There’s some money/market out there he doesn’t have and he hates it. He wants all the money in the world. Money is the forbidden magic of this world that makes things happen. The staff is the lawyers - his staff. The film also shows the belief that lawyers could turn on him and lock him away forever.

[@whatisthisaccountlol-c8s]

Seconding you on this take.

[@Pfle2005]

The way you cooked…You are being removed from the kitchen and promoted as chef

[@eatatjoe]

I get the feeling while I was following Wish that it *wanted* to call out Disney, but then smarter higher ups saw it, realized what the allegory was, and then chopped it up into itty bitty pieces so that it ended up an incoherent mess that the public hated. And I think the book represents how Disney keeps digging back into IPs it already owns and overworking its employees/attempting to please the “BUT X IS WOKE!” people, regardless of whether or not the outside, non-internet world accepts it now. (see: Inside Out 2, which broke records for Disney via Pixar, but now they’re asking Pete Doctor to replicate the crappy working conditions for Elio).

[@milkmatcha3698]

The algorithm sent me here, and huh, this is the only interpretation of that "Wish" movie that's *actually* unique from others I've watched. its such a fresh take and transformative analysis that somehow frames the movie in a slightly different light and really makes you think about it. honestly, great work.

[@KyleRDent]

In some ways, Wish could be seen as a Don Bluth biopic.

[@LocalSpaceman]

fantastic analysis. I always do appreciate when people do some serious deeper digging instead of just tearing something apart on a surface level. Subscribed immediately!!! Super interesting, had me rewatch the movie with an eye toward some of the points you made. Thank you for sharing!

[@andrewvenus]

The 'Was Wish AI Generated??' clickbait stuff has been driving me particularly insane.

[@alicecordova-potter6251]

I'm just gonna go ahead and play this on repeat on mute all morning at work to boost numbers. This should be on the front page, it feels obvious but it really didn't occur to me at all. Well done!

[@andrewvenus]

That's unnecessarily kind of you

[@alicecordova-potter6251]

@andrewvenus it's free to do and won't make too much of a difference, but this is exactly the kind of analytical content I love and I want to encourage it.

[@apersonontheinternet9085]

Fantastic analysis - it’s nice to see a critical analysis of this movie that still engages with what it brings to the table on an allegorical level. Your channel is super underrated, and I’m glad KZbin showed this to me - hopefully it gets pushed to more people!

[@johnylitalo4163]

I like the idea of seeing King Magnifico and Queen Eloria summoning all the classic animated Disney Villains.

[@Kevin-zd5bi]

I'm not sure why KZbin algo recommended me this video but I was shocked after watching it and scrolling down and see the subscriber amount so low and comments at 0. Good work. I hope your effort becomes more well known and rewarded. Have a like and a subscribe.

[@dakedres]

Yeah WHAT I just realized

[@theclownlyimp]

For real!

[@kayleighgrant4007]

Oh my god it was bad on purpose like The Matrix Resurrections and now I have to love this terrible movie as a subversive masterpiece.

[@tessabakker662]

Counterpoint: movies that center on delivering critique shouldn't be given a pass for being 'bad on purpose'. Shin Gojira was a very unabashed and compelling critique of Japan's government's insufficient response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and the melting down of the Fukushima nuclear plant. It's also a stellar re-make of the 1954 original *Gojira.*

[@CoqueiroLendario]

​@@tessabakker662I don't think it was really bad on purpose, but instead it was so fed up with everything they dont even try to make a proper front ''film''

[@mechasonic17]

This all reminds me very particularly of the final season of Owl House, which had an out-of-left-field new villain which confused me thematically until the hints about puppetry, a vault, and tamed-down fantasy led me to wholly consider them an allegory for Disney as a company seizing control of fairy tales as folk culture and rebranding them with the teeth taken out for profit.

[@mechasonic17]

...When, of course, the Owl House was kneecapped in its third season for being too gay in the second.

[@ozvuchkibilla]

14:04 I'm a Star isn't about thinking too hard, it's about our own origin Story, because we come from stars, so if we're looking for stars, we should look at ourselves, thus the beginning of the reprise of "This Wish" "So I look out at the stars just like me" as she looks at the people

[@SleepySloth2705]

People who originally hated Wish but now understand the metaphor: "Perhaps I treated you too harshly..."

[@mlgodzilla4206]

Ehh, good metaphor can only carry a movie so much

[@HandOn-c40009]

nah the movie is still bad, it's just intentionally bad movie instead of plain bad movie

[@lostboysonce3133]

So it's just like Bolt? OK, that makes this movie make a lot more sense.

[@notsyzagts7967]

Not "just like". Wish is much more direct with it's messaging and references.

[@Mars-dw2zc]

interesting video. the seemingly nonsense plot and wish system makes perfect sense under this lense. with wish's production, it actually started in 2018 and was only announced in 2022. however wish is known to have undergone heavy editing, possibly due to executive meddling, leading to the plot completely changing. the songs apparently started being worked on in 2021, however bc of the changing plot the songwriters had difficulty. im p certain it was julia michaels who described her experience, saying that she only had a few weeks to write the songs and was given little to no plot information. for example, for "this wish" she was apparently only told that asha is a young rebel whos upset. bc of this im not sure how much influence the disney employees' feelings had on the songs. i do think the general troubled production couldve led to them turning wish into a "take that"-- they started out with an idea they were obviously passionate about, then had to hack and hack at it until they mustve been frustrated to tears

[@mojishu]

Truly a wonderful and thoughtful take, I’ve seen so many critical perspectives on this movie but this one definitely stand out. Will definitely stick around to see what you make next! Also, huge kudos and thanks for adding captions. Accessibility win!

[@Thorax420]

this perspective completely changes my outlook on wish.. damn. i dont blame the creative team for being pissed either, even if nothing else was going wrong they still had a better story (2D animated, starboy, etc) in the works that was stripped away for whatever nonsense reason

[@gooeydude574]

The live action remakes are probably for people who are convinced that animation is for babies

[@RollSmoll]

algorism punch. more people should watch this video

[@nonsensology]

I very much appreciate this video! While it is true that the writing, music, and animation were all disappointing, it's still sad how most people took the movie's story at face value. Audiences legitimately believe Magnifico to be a wise and reasonable leader, and they see Asha as the "true villain", which blatantly ignores how Magnifico's downfall is brought about as a result of his own actions, and how little Asha actually contributes to the plot. They believe that Asha demands that all wishes need to be granted, when in actuality she only argues that Magnifico shouldn't be the sole authority over wishes. I know why and how it happened; Asha is a character that’s so boring that she ends up a blank slate for audiences to project their frustrations with the movie onto. King Magnifico on the other hand, is the most interesting and likeable character, and so his fans are much more sympathetic towards him and willing to ignore his flaws. I'm glad to see more interpretations of this movie that don't follow the popular perspective. Also, kudos for pointing out the moment were Magnifico is dismissive of Asha's flipbook animation as a talent.

[@nathanbissett3912]

Thank you algo for this gem. I was disappointed at the lack of commitment to the shower bit and then I was happier than I could imagine. I hit subscribe as you were pounding back a whole glass of wine. Good stuff!

[@andrewvenus]

There is no bit I will not fully commit to. And that's a promise.

[@courageousprincess]

This is pretty much the same as what I've been thinking. When I first watched Wish I thought I was just reading into it, hearing the lyrics like "so I make this wish, to have something more for us than this" as the creators wishing Disney could be more than what it is right now, seeing the throw away flip book animation and the sad supposed-to-look-2D composite and thinking how it must suck to get all the way to the top as a Disney creator and get to create your own Disney movie and you can't do any of the things that inspired you to want to be a Disney creator in the first place. But after watching it a second time it really became clear how much each element of the movie fits into this "metaphor." I had the impression that Disney creators weren't very capable these days if this was the best they could do, but now I've gained a lot more respect for them, thinking there may be really talented people behind this movie that were not allowed at all to make something good. Especially in the finale of the movie when Asha looks directly at the audience and says "I'm begging you to see this as a sign"... idk I feel like it's a sign or something. It does make the movie seem significantly less bad, because it is a solid metaphor, and certainly captures Disney at 100 very accurately.

[@danielmalinen6337]

I myself have theorized that Magnetifico resembles and represents Walt Disney himself, but I didn't think that Bob Iger would also be in his character.

[@andrewvenus]

On first viewing I read Magnifico as a caricature of Disney's rivals trying to muscle in on Disney's territory, with Asha as Disney's own portrayal of the company as a plucky little underdog. This (correctly) got me some raised eyebrows.

[@sarahsims6164]

​@@andrewvenus, I actually heard that Asha was meant to represent Walt Disney himself when he was younger and just starting out. According to the sources, he also spent his spare time near a tree practicing his drawings, which many didn't find impressive at the time. Sound familiar?

[@RakoonCD]

A good story would've made magnifico the old king passing his kingdom to the new guard.

[@lolaopal8884]

this is fascinating!!! i never watched it because i heard a lot of criticisms of the story but looking at it from this perspective i can really see why those choices are made

[@andrewvenus]

Don't get me wrong, it's still a terrible movie, but one made bearable by watching it in context.

[@sick_icarus]

Maybe not the best guess, but what if the “forbidden magic” is the act of twisting Disney classics into lackluster adaptations?

[@TY_Tianyou]

Correction: political adaptations

[@evilwizard205]

What an interesting take on this movie! It really adds a lot to the conversation around it

[@nosleep9816]

im shocked this is so underrated

[@ao9688]

I like to think the Queen is Michael Eisner. Until recently villainized but now compared to the Bobs the ideal corporate executive

[@greenbee09]

Great video and subscribed! You deserve way more than 100!! ❤

[@DecoderWalrus]

The movie Wish felt like Family Guy or something. There were so many little gags and references. The love story between Asha and the star man should have stayed in. The not-seven-dwarves are annoying but still a better iteration than the CGI monsters in the live action Snow White. Thanks, Dinklage.

[@LittleLuckyRaindrop]

I really like this take. I'm glad KZbin sent this video my way

[@TalkingTigg]

Yeah i love this, as another small creator, i aspire to this quality.

[@andrewvenus]

Much love, and all the best to you in your own endeavours.

[@BriGuyIL1980]

Holy crap, when you put it that way, the movie sounds freaking brilliant.

[@RakoonCD]

Wish should've been about Disneyland, it was the Magic Kingdom that Walt ruled over. The story should've been about the citizens after their 'king' died.

[@keyboardcowgirl69]

great video, makes me really want to watch wish now!

[@andrewvenus]

I'm not sure I would recommend it, but it's certainly a wild ride once you know the context behind it.

[@mlgodzilla4206]

As much as this metaphor really works, wish is still a lackluster movie. It’s like Godzilla’s Revenge. A good message in a mediocre to bad movie

[@DaBwownGodziwa]

you know since you put it like that i will at least give wish credit for being an actual movie, unlike godzilla's revenge which borders on being a stock footage compilation lol

[@wethefreeproductions]

I learned too much about Disney to ever want to work for it, so the idea that people still do was always weird to me. Except the obvious hubris of “oh I could do a better story with that character,” but that’s what drives us.

[@olgagachaphoenix9130]

I thought it was about saving Mr. Banks

[@BlueShadow7777]

I think Queen Amaya could simply be a product of higher-ups watering down the story? Because you know, both of them being evil would mean that Rosas would cease to be a monarchy by the end of the movie (and turn into a co-op :p) At most we could say she's not literally Bob's wife (or the other Bob, which I'm pretty sure she could've represented in the original), but rather was reworked into a metaphor for women in general? With some sort of feminist view maybe? + a "hey wouldn't it be neat to have a female CEO?"

[@faithdarling6036]

Guess I have to like this video 1M times if y’all aren’t going to

[@andrewvenus]

Very kind, but just the one like'll do!

[@no1important777]

Say what you will about Walt, the worst he ever got was a dictatorship run by artists. It wasn’t even about the money.

[@jspaingreene6350]

Thoughtful video. Thank you! Subbed.

[@serenityjoy1872]

I am so glad that this showed up in my feed- and that I took a chance and watched since a lot of Wish videos are too repetitive so I usually don't watch them anymore. This made so much sense! The movie itself drove me crazy because Asha (?) and Maginifico didn't really feel like they had well constructed motivation for what they wanted. An allegory makes so much sense.

[@HandOn-c40009]

this remind me of how Guardian of the Galaxy 3 also take a dig at disney with its main villain

[@OsmSkylandersCheats]

So going off your metaphor (mostly 32:20 onwards), would Queen Amaya be just as bad for Rosas as Magnifico was?

[@whatisthisaccountlol-c8s]

I think Amaya is the Disney Corporation itself.

[@perperil-yg5yv]

this vid was good. thats all ive got to say. amazing!!

[@jakevanderheide7764]

Great video!

[@s1gamebrarian93]

Excellent analysis. You certainly buried the lede, though! More, please.

[@lars7282]

It’s truly their worst. It’s worse than Chicken Littel, the 2 Ralph movies, the old segment movies, Frozen 2 … Pretty on par with Dinosaur, but more appalling

[@nlm2nd]

Hopefully whomever is righting a book about the two bobs mulls over "A tale of two bobs" as a title. Granted I've only been slightly interested in *gestures broadly* in the last decade thanks to content on youtube talking about the history of theme parks and media aimed at keeping kids educated, entertained, or both. The showered on shirt was a nice touch by the way. You didn't HAVE to do all that.

[@slenders1ckn3ss]

... Maybe the queen is Abigail?

[@Joe_334]

Someone keeping wishes from happening. That is something that can either be seen good or bad. It starts like a good reason for him doing so. In another light, it would make him look selfish for doing it. Because the lead's family had a wish withheld, it gives her a reason to set them free. I am still waiting on Disney to do what Bravely default did. They took the usual reawaken the crystals to save the world ploy, and made it part of the little fairies little diabolical plan to summon Ouroboros. I desperately want this film to continue where it is revealed that this was her motive to move to a bigger plan. The king can't stop her, because he was sealed in that mirror. The Queen doesn't realize her plans as well, and gets over thrown. Then she assumes the throne by force and wins the people over by saying all wishes can be granted. The fact that they sealed the King away, just sounds like some feminist wet dream.

[@HandOn-c40009]

I think this is the plot of Bravely default

[@kittychu7]

lie-lo?

[@darkjaguar789]

"Disney audiences want Disney to make unusual and memorable stories like in the 90s" - great joke 👍

[@callmethecommentcountess9329]

I like Wonka better

[@gooeydude574]

Lilo’s name isn’t pronounced like that

[@TY_Tianyou]

So top Disney management is at least doing one good thing?

[@ced1106]

Wow -- I think I'll stick to rewatching Wind in the Willows or something. Disney wasn't always woke! Also: At least three boxes of Ticket tp Ride. 😆

[@the-NightStar]

I think a better title would have been "That Time Disney Wrote A Movie With Generative AI And Refuses To Admit It" but alright.

[@AlucardNoir]

If you are right this only makes a bad movie worse. Honestly, if you're right everyone that worked on the movie should be fired immediately.

[@sessena7919]

why? because people are frustrated with their boss????

[@AlucardNoir]

@@sessena7919 Because I'm not their boss. I'm the person paying for the ticket and guess what? this movie was bad. It was nonsensical and had a frankly dangerous message. You don't need to watch 100 KZbin essays about it to see it's problems. You just need to be older than 5 and go see it, well, stream it now. So if this movie is indeed as bad as it is because the employees making it were giving the middle finger to their bosses, they should be fired. If you go to a restaurant and someone spits in your soup to mess with their employer they should be fired and probably sued by said employer. They ruined a movie and wasted Disney money to give the middle finger to their employer and you think they shouldn't be fired? This was supposed to be the 100 years anniversary movie and it's comparable to the direct to video/dvd sequels we got in the late 90s early 00s. I neither own stock in Disney nor do I work for them. But I'm the sucker that gets to waste money based on their previous releases. Their animated movies were pretty much the last decent thing they were producing and this is how they celebrated 100 years? IF the employees made a bad movie to teach the execs something, the only things the execs should learn from this is how to fire said employees.

[@MrForkfish]

​@@sessena7919 No, because you can't have anything creative

[@Monomogames]

This movie sounds trash

[@langpascal-e2h]

It Woke the movie!

[@mlgodzilla4206]

Define woke because y’all can’t ever pinpoint a good definition as if the original wasn’t bastardized by the RW

[@langpascal-e2h]

@@mlgodzilla4206 Leftist propaganda!

[@cooltunacan]

YES. YUP. YUP. AHA. I don't have the lexicon to express my gratitude for this video. I felt I was going mad, turning into some sort of senseless conspiracy theorist. I never watched the movie, consumed it passively in its entirety by repetitive videos with the same, uncharitable commentary and little to no variation in criticism. Only the text was analysed and the only thing allowed to exist, it was a shit movie and represented the trend of shit movies being made and nothing more. At most, a tongue-in-cheek comment about how Magnifico's reminded them a little bit of Disney the Corporate Monopoly, kinda and then move on immediately to talk about how much they'd prefer he was the protagonist and not a villain because his motivations were stronger or whatever and- It's right there. Being read the plot at, over and over and over, it clicked so quickly for me that there was a capitalism and corporate greed metaphor mixed in with so little subtlety that I thought the "a revolution comes running" song would have Asha and her friends run with their faces covered with a hammer in one hand and a scythe in the other! 😭 "You're a star!" is so corporately Gay I was convinced Asha must've had a crush on a woman and nobody noticed because they were too busy having fun trashing the movie and making Star Boy fanfiction, haha. Finding a comment and an article they cited about the movie's music production solidified in my head that this project was _sabotaged,_ blatantly so. Again, easier to trash it and discuss the text - how the lyrics don't make sense, how the sound is unpleasant and why. That the writer should be blacklisted from the industry, yada yada yada. Pop song writer and producers hired with a couple of weeks and no story to work with, is that not suspicious? Like. more suspicious?? My hunch was strong and loud, it was sabotage! The more I heard about this movie I kept thinking "oh my gosh, this bitch is LITERALLY DISNEY" about Magnifico and got increasingly upset no one else seemed to bring it up as part of the movie's thesis. My first assumption was that the higher up saw themselves immediately on Magnifico and didn't like it, so the writing bent over to make the justice searching protagonist to be annoying and illogical compared to the altruistic CEO. But with your video, it might've been the employees, the base of the pyramid that flanderized the movie as big "Fuck you and your mother and your dog" letter to the company on its 100th Anniversary, lovely. Either way, I'm still probably not gonna watch the movie but I'm so happy to know this video and perspective exists. THANK YOU MR. VENUS!!