This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

When Anabel (Mara Wilson) wished for a fairy-godmother, she never dreamed his name would be Murray (Martin Short)! Before you can say “SHABOOM,” Anabel quickly learns that Murray is short on experience and long on excuses. As they are whisked into a hilarious whirlwind of magical mishaps, Anabel and the blundering Murray have until midnight to rescue her dad, battle a wicked witch (Kathleen Turner) and recover stolen magic wands to restore the world to a place where wishes really can come true.

For thoughts on A Simple Wish, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/tgmHjkh1298?si=qZMv2nvIJzjSJnxN&t=3718]

Video Quality

A Simple Wish comes to Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 that stands as a very poor effort from Universal Pictures. The movie was first released on Blu-Ray in 2014, and that disc was subsequently re-released in 2019 for this MOD Blu-Ray release that drops the digital copy. This transfer appears to be derived from an ancient master that is in dire need of a refresh. This experience seems to showcase major signs of digital tinkering which robs the feature of its naturally filmic aesthetic. The source at least appears to be in good shape with only slight speckling of debris so mild that it is unlikely to ruin anyone’s experience.

Colors are decently saturated with some amount of vibrancy to them. Black levels are lacking in their depth with numerous moments struggling with delineation and crush. You will not find much in the way of fine detail even in close up as the digital smoothing makes textures look waxy and unnatural. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are kept to a minimum but do show up at points. We are glad that Universal has mostly evolved past many of their bad habits showcased on this release, but that is no consolation to fans of this film who are left wanting a better viewing experience.

Audio Quality

Universal brings us this Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that holds up much better than the video side of things as it packs a punch. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overshadowed by the music or sound effects. The environmental elements such as the sounds of the city are delineated nicely within the speakers. There are a handful of scenes that make an impression when it comes to sound design, especially magical moments or the scene with the giant rabbi. The sounds of certain wondrous flourishes bring some heft to the low end. The pleasant score establishes a tone for the narrative which comes through with a good fidelity. Universal has delivered a really fine track for this. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

A Simple Wish has all the makings of a pleasant family film, but it never sees fits to break through beyond the status quo. The humor is lightly amusing and there are fleeting moments of inspiration, but by and large this all feels like a lesser version of various other films. Martin Short is fighting for his life to give this movie a pulse, but his efforts lean more towards the grating side of the spectrum rather than the humorous. We love Mara Wilson, but this is one of her weakest showings in her line of childhood classics. Universal Picture Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that sports a disappointing A/V presentation and barely anything in the way of special features.

A Simple Wish can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.