Welcome to Disney Discovered. Disney’s newest movie Wish came out in theaters in November 2023 and celebrates 100 years of Disney.
There are many references to other Disney movies. It will be available to watch on digital tomorrow so you can go back and see all of them!
Let’s wish for many Easter eggs! (SPOILER ALERT!)
ONCE UPON A TIME…
Wish has a storybook opening, like in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and starts with “Once upon a time…”
The story is about a girl named Asha, who wants to be the king’s apprentice and wants him to grant her grandfather his wish on his 100th birthday.
The first song in the movie is Welcome To Rosas, sung by Asha. There is a lyric, “Or have hair touch down to your feet”. Reference to Rapunzel!
ASHA’S SEVEN FRIENDS
Asha’s friends resemble the Seven Dwarfs:
Dahlia is Doc
Hal is Happy
Dario is Dopey
Safi is Sneezy
Simon is Sleepy
Gabo is Grumpy
Bazeema is Bashful.
Look at the first letter of their names and the colors they wear. Their actions also match the dwarfs!
When you first meet the friends in the kitchen, (“Sleepy”) Simon wakes up because of the Magnifico cookies and Safi sneezes on one of them. At the end of the movie, an egg lands on Gabo, and he says, “And you wonder why I’m always grumpy!”
I’M A STAR
Asha’s home is in the forest and the setting looks similar to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Sleeping Beauty. There’s a cottage, a bridge and wishing well.
In the forest, you can see talking trees and animals. If you look at one of the bunnies, its right foot is pounding on the ground. Who is that? Thumper! There are also mushrooms that say , “We love crazy!” Reference to Hans from Frozen.
The song I’m A Star takes place in the forest and you can see Disney Easter eggs in this video:
There are many Hidden Mickeys throughout Wish! Star even wears Mickey ears later when opening the door. You can see a Mickey firework at the end. In the I’m A Star video, for 1 split second (at 1:31), a tiny Hidden Mickey can be spotted above the bunny that is on Asha’s head.
At 1:52: Valentino sings, “See that’s where all the balls of gas come from.” That’s what Pumbaa says stars are in Lion King! (Timon thinks they’re fireflies.)
Right after that, there are swaying and singing mushrooms. Those are a lot like the dancing mushrooms from Fantasia.
At the end of the song, two animals are talking to each other. The bear is John (from Robin Hood) and the deer is called Bambi!
One part of the song we don’t get is why the deer sings, “Watch out world, here I are” since it should be “here I am”. 🤔
MAGNIFICO
Magnifico is the villain of Wish and has one of the bests songs in the movie, This Is The Thanks I Get?! He is upset because he is trying to protect the people and wants to stop them from having dangerous dreams, so he only grants very few wishes.
When Magnifico is looking at 3 wishes…
- To wish number 1 about a Fantasyland, he says, “How about NEVERland!” – reference to Peter Pan. (While we’re talking about Peter Pan, he makes a cameo at the end of Wish.)
- For the second, “A perfect nanny for your children”, he pops the wish – a reference to Mary Poppins.
- Watching wish number 3 – “true love, how sweet” – Magnifico says, ”So much for true love!” which is of course what Ursula says in The Little Mermaid.
When King Magnifico (really “sleepy” Simon) is chasing Asha, the cart grows legs to go up the hill. This is a reference to the Nightmare Before Christmas and the bathtub the three Oogie boogie kids ride in.
Of course we can’t forget, ”Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the handsomest of them all-ME!” Magnifico says at the end. It’s a reference to the Evil Queen in Snow White.
MORE WISH DISNEY REFERENCES
Sleeping Beauty: In one of the wishes in the start has a woman cutting a string off of a blue dress. That blue dress looks like Aurora’s! Also, in the end there are thorns that the citizens are trapped in. In Sleeping Beauty, there are thorns surrounding the castle.
Cinderella: When King Magnifico says he knows who the culprit is, and Queen Amaya looks scared, a mouse talks to her. It’s like Gus, and Jaq in Cinderella.
Frozen: Asha says, “I have to finish what I started.” That’s a reference to Anna.
Beauty and the Beast: Inside Asha’s home, the mug that falls on Star’s head has a chip, a reference to Chip from Beauty and the Beast. When Simon’s wish is granted, he transforms into the king’s best knight and is lifted into the air, a lot like Beast when he transforms back into a human.
Lion King or Moana: When Asha said her dad always told her the stars are there to guide us, it might be a reference to Lion King or Moana.
Alice In Wonderland: When Asha is climbing the tree and pushes the leaves, it’s like Alice from Alice in Wonderland when she pushes the tall grass out of her face.
Tarzan: When Asha’s friends try to jump down with ropes to open the roof and let out the wishes, they let out Tarzan-like yells.
Zootopia: Near the end, Valentino wishes for a metropolis where animals wear clothes. That’s what we see in Zootopia!
IF YOU WISH UPON A STAR
A Wish Worth Making is the end credits song, and you can see character star constellations from all of Disney’s animated movies, from Snow White to Mirabel.
Finally, if you stay for the post-credits scene, Asha’s grandfather plays “When You Wish Upon A Star” on his guitar. That’s the song he’s wishing will inspire people!
WHAT IS WISH ABOUT
Wish is about a girl named Asha, who wants to be the king’s apprentice and wants him to grant her 100 year old grandfather’s wish, but fails as she figures out that Magnifico chooses the wishes that he thinks are the least harmful for the city.
Asha makes a wish on a star that comes to life. Magnifico wants Star so he can be the most powerful king in the world. Asha’s friends try to help save Star and release everyone’s wishes, but fail as Asha figures out that the king that is chasing her is actually Simon! Magnifico was on star’s trail the whole time!
Star get sucked up into Magnifico’s powerful staff and now he has the powers. The people of Rosas are struggling because he trapped them and their wishes are gone. But, Asha remembered what Star meant to her. There was a Star inside all of them! The people of Rosas join Asha in telling Magnifico that they have a star.
Star is back, and King Magnifico loses his power and is sent to the dungeon. Rosas and Star are safe. Star has to leave because Star stayed long enough, but they know Star will return. The end
If you found any other Wish Easter eggs, share in the comments below!
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