This movie plays on the “when you wish upon a star” theme that Disney loves. It’s about a girl, Asha (meaning “wish, hope, desire”), who is invited to apprentice under a magic king who grants wishes to his people. The king creates order, law, stability, and peace. But then Asha learns that the king only grants the most important wishes, which seems unfair – why would an all-powerful king who claims to love all his people withhold his power and mercy from some of his citizens? She wonders, is this even a good king?

(Do you see where this is going?)

We see snippets of the king’s vanity. The people around him adore him, even worship him. He is their Father God, but Asha has discovered that he is actually a villain.

Instead, Asha will have to flee society – that ordered realm of the god-king, and reconnect with Gaia, Mother Earth, that cosmic force that will grant her the power to become her own goddess with literal star power.

[Wanna bet that “star power” and Gaia turn out to be more benevolent than the King? This is only barely disguised paganism. What in the world is Disney thinking? Never mind … I think we all know the answer to that. — Ed]