Reese Witherspoon has just signed on to star in Disney’s Wish List, which focuses on “an overly imaginative little girl who makes ten wishes at a wishing well,” but those wishes never come true because her coin never reaches the well’s bottom. Somehow, it takes twenty-five years for that pesky coin to shake loose and, when it does, the now-adult little girl (Witherspoon) is faced with all of her wishes coming true at once.
First of all, what sort of wishing well grants ten wishes per coin? Also, what sort of wishing well has enough nooks and crannies that coins can stay lodged in them for a quarter of a century? I just fail to understand the mechanics of this supposed “magic” well. Who is building these things these days? Elves? Just shoddy magical construction, all around. In any case, hijinx will surely ensue as Witherspoon’s character, now a career-focused adult, must handle the onslaught of wish fulfillment at its most unexpected. I will be legitimately shocked if one of those wishes is not for a pony, possibly even a unicorn.
The strange thing about Disney’s Wish List, however, is that it smacks of another Disney film. Did I say “strange thing”? I meant “embarrassing thing,” mainly for me, because I now have to admit that I’ve seen Disney’s recent made-for-television film, 16 Wishes. The film stars one of the Mouse House’s new tween stars, Debby Ryan, as a gawky teen who drew up a list of sixteen wishes (natch) that she hoped to see come true on her sixteenth birthday. Guess what happens on her sixteen birthday? In any case, surely Wish List will be a bit more adult, but it’s not exactly a fresh premise, sort of 16 Wishes meets When in Rome, plus more ponies (I am really gunning for those ponies).
The project was originally developed for a male lead, which would have probably amounted to a much weirder film. What do little boys wish for? Robots and stuff? On second thought, maybe this could have been developed as a Transformers reboot! There’s still time, Hollywood! [Deadline Anaheim]
Related Topics: Disney
