The directors behind Disney’s Wish share their thoughts on how the movie ended for Chris Pine’s King Magnifico and if a Wish 2 could be in order.
Warning - This article contains spoilers for Wish.
By the third act of Wish, King Magnifico fully embraced forbidden magic in his quest to destroy Asha’s Wishing Star. Despite getting close to victory, Asha and the town of Rosas unite and drive the villain into defeat.
Decidedly, Magnifico is not gone forever. Instead, the former King gets imprisoned at the tip of his own magical staff, which is to be hung on the walls of his dungeon.
King Magnifico's Ending In Disney's Wish Explained
In an exclusive interview with The Direct, Wish directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn shared their thoughts on what became of Chris Pine's King Magnifico at the end of the film and the likelihood of a Wish 2 materializing.
"The idea of him stuck in the mirror [seemed] so right for someone who loves vanity," claimed Veerasunthorn, "which was the reason why" that ending for him was chosen.
As for the possibility of the storyline getting picked up in a potential sequel, Veerasunthorn made it clear that right now, they're just focused on getting this first film out into the world:
"As of right now, we [are] just completed this story, putting this baby out in the world to live in this moment for a second and maybe get to take a nap after all of this."
But did the duo ever consider offering Magnifico a path to redemption? Chris Buck doesn't seem to recall that they did:
"I don't think so. I think he was always in that [downward] spiral. I don't think we ever talked about redeeming him, did we?"
Veerasunthorn jumped in, saying that throughout the movie, the character is actually "repeatedly" given chances "to make a different decision"—which he never does:
"What's interesting is that we repeatedly give this character a chance to make a different decision. Right? And then we're like, well, but being who he is, Magnifico will not take that decision. And it's fun to see someone who just kept going deeper and deeper into this obsession with forbidden magic."
What Might a Potential Wish 2 Explore?
While the initial social media reactions to Wish were generally positive, its Rotten Tomatoes score paints a much darker picture. As of writing, the film only has a 48% critic approval rating.
The movie's also had a poor box office run thus far, grossing a measly estimated $20 million during its domestic opening weekend, so fans might not want to put too much stock into the film getting a sequel anytime soon.
But if it did, what could be explored? Well, Magnifico is still around technically—perhaps he could get a proper redemption arc.
Asha is also in an interesting place, having been granted a magical wand by Star and becoming Rosas’ new Fairy Godmother. That seems like a strong hook for a handful of new stories that could be told about the hero.
While a sequel to Wish will likely remain hypothetical, the latest Disney Animation film can now be seen in theaters worldwide.
