'Wish' review: Disney stares into mirror and finds empty reflection

When you wish upon a star you hope for something more pleasing than "Wish," Disney's calculated, confusing and magic-free new animated riff on its own 100-year-old company history and the times when that carefree Disney splendor was a little bit easier to come by.

"Wish" centers on Asha (voiced by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose), a teenager living in Rosas, an island kingdom where wishes are a sacred rite of passage. Here's how it operates: When citizens of Rosas turn 18, they make a wish, which then appears in an orb and is given off to the vain King Magnifico (Chris Pine), whose castle acts as a sort of holding cell for wishes, which he grants when he feels like it and if they fit his agenda. The politics of the wishes are granted an inordinate amount of screen time and, when it comes down to it, don't make a whole lot of sense. (The specifics of the wishes are also forgotten by their wishers immediately after they're wished, adding another unnecessary wrinkle to an already overcomplicated process.)

Asha is getting ready to wish her big wish, but is concerned her grandfather, who is turning 100, has been waiting 82 years to see his come true. When Asha interviews for a position to be Magnifico's assistant, she spots his scheme, and goes on a mission to expose his corruption and remove him from power. She's assisted by a talking goat (Alan Tudyk) and an anthropomorphized star.

This action is all set to music of the generically inspiring Disney variety, the best of the bunch being "This Is the Thanks I Get?!" which is sung by Pine and could become an anthem for overworked, underappreciated moms everywhere. But this is a convoluted story that pulls in references to other Disney properties to try to evoke some of their magic (references to "Peter Pan," "Snow White" and "Mary Poppins" abound), and is animated in an off-putting style that tries to split the difference between 3-D animation and the hand-drawn kiddie cartoons of yore, and ends up making the characters look like animated AI.

The hope is that none of this matters and that kids think the star is cute, and then go buy the toy. "Wish" will indeed likely inspire some merchandise sales, but not a whole lot else.

'Wish'

GRADE: C-

Rated PG: for thematic elements and mild action

Running time: 95 minutes

In theaters

agraham@detroitnews.com