So, I’m planning to go see Disney’s new movie Wish when it comes out, and as perhaps is unsurprising, I’m most excited about the film’s villain. King Magnifico looks like he’s gonna be a fun, likable (in the sense you love to hate them) villain while also perhaps being a little more complicated. Some things I’m loving so far from the trailer clips and soundtrack:
We get a classic Disney villain again! Finally! There’s nothing wrong with the “surprise” villains or the idea of family trauma as being the real source of evil but I have desperately missed the old villains who embraced and reveled in their role. We’ve been severely lacking in those over-the-top villains with their catchy songs and big personalities for a long time now, and it’s good to see it again.
“This is the Thanks I Get,” while a lot more upbeat and lighthearted compared to many classic villain songs, is definitely a song that gets stuck in your head. Gives me Gaston vibes, for sure.
Classic evil villain lime green returns!
I really have missed how the old hand drawn characters used to be so strongly based on the voice actors performing the role. You could see the live action reference model’s facial expressions, etc., in the character if you looked closely. It made them feel more…real? Human? Wish, though not traditionally animated, seems to be returning to that to some extent. King Magnifico looks exactly like an animated Chris Pine should.
I don’t think we’ve ever had much in the way of evil kings. (Unless you count Scar, maybe, but I’m mostly talking about human characters here.) We’ve had plenty of evil queen tropes and we do have Hans, who is a prince, but this just feels different somehow. I think part of it is the fact that the king is married. Most all the classic villains are single. Magnifico has a wife who genuinely seems to love him and is concerned when he lets the power go to his head.
“At All Costs” - This song is the least advertised and yet probably the best on the soundtrack in my opinion. It’s a gorgeous villain/hero duet that sounds like (entirely out of context) it could be a love song or a father/daughter duet. Now, I’m totally aware that that is very likely NOT what is actually going on in the song, BUT it doesn’t take away from the fact that we rarely, if ever, get to hear a villain be a part of such a sweet, gentle song. It’s different and I like the “softness” of it. Chris Pine has a great voice and while “This is the Thanks I Get” is fun, “At All Costs” is the song that really showcases his talent.
I’m not expecting King Magnifico to have a change of heart in the end, but I do like how Disney has seemingly gotten just the right mix of a classic villain and a complicated character in Magnifico. I hope he lives up to the hype!
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