All these comparisons to previous works illustrate how Wish may have reached but fell short of those high bars. I think the Spiderverse films are the closest I’ve seen to the playful microexpressions in Paperman popping up anywhere else, and there’s no question on which of those two water reflection wide shots are more dramatic: the Sleeping Beauty shot is better stylized, better refined, with unnecessary elements completely removed to smack you in the face with an epic shot focused on two animated characters dancing. The Wish shot, by comparison, is a throw-away joke about King Magnifico’s cult of personality, with extra elements for no apparent reason. “Ehh, this shot looks empty… throw a couple of merchant carts in there. Not enough to make it seem like an actual bustling outdoor market, just two so the space still seems weirdly vacant.”
All these comparisons to previous works illustrate how Wish may have reached but fell short of those high bars. I think the Spiderverse films are the closest I’ve seen to the playful microexpressions in Paperman popping up anywhere else, and there’s no question on which of those two water reflection wide shots are more dramatic: the Sleeping Beauty shot is better stylized, better refined, with unnecessary elements completely removed to smack you in the face with an epic shot focused on two animated characters dancing. The Wish shot, by comparison, is a throw-away joke about King Magnifico’s cult of personality, with extra elements for no apparent reason. “Ehh, this shot looks empty… throw a couple of merchant carts in there. Not enough to make it seem like an actual bustling outdoor market, just two so the space still seems weirdly vacant.”