You probably remember the glitter. It was 1997, and Hollywood was obsessed with trying to make "family magic" happen through a very specific blend of practical effects and early, slightly clunky CGI. If you grew up then, you definitely saw the posters for A Simple Wish. It had Martin Short looking chaotic as a male "fairy godmother" (actually a Fairy God-Father named Murray) and a very young Mara Wilson, who was basically the queen of 90s childhood cinema after Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire.
But here’s the thing. People forget how weird this movie actually is. It wasn't just another Disney-fied fairy tale. It was a Universal Pictures gamble that leaned hard into slapstick comedy and a strangely dark performance by Kathleen Turner as the villainous Claudia. Honestly, if you're trying to figure out how to watch A Simple Wish today, you're likely chasing a hit of pure nostalgia or trying to show your kids what special effects looked like before Marvel took over the world.
Finding a Stream: How to Watch A Simple Wish Right Now
Streaming rights are a total mess lately. One day a movie is on Netflix, the next it has vanished into the digital void because some licensing agreement expired at midnight. Currently, A Simple Wish doesn't usually sit on the "free" tiers of the big platforms like Disney+ (since it’s a Universal flick) or Max.
Most people end up heading to the usual digital storefronts. You can find it for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. Sometimes it pops up on "free with ads" services like Tubi or Freevee, but that’s hit or miss depending on the month. If you’re a physical media nerd, the Blu-ray actually looks surprisingly decent, preserving that specific 90s film grain that gets lost in low-bitrate streaming.
It’s funny. We live in an era where almost everything is available at the click of a button, yet these mid-tier catalog titles from the 90s often require a $3.99 "rental tax" just to revisit your childhood for 90 minutes.
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Why This Movie Struggled (And Why We Still Care)
When it hit theaters in July '97, it bombed. Hard. It pulled in about $8 million against a budget that was significantly higher. Critics weren't kind either. Roger Ebert gave it a thumbs down, mostly because the logic of the magic felt inconsistent. He wasn't wrong. The "North American Federation of Fairy Godmothers" subplot is objectively ridiculous.
But looking back, the movie has this frantic energy that modern kids' movies lack. Martin Short is doing a lot. He’s sweaty, he’s nervous, and he’s constantly messing up spells. In one of the most famous (or infamous) scenes, he tries to turn a guy into a giant red apple but turns him into a giant Shrek-colored onion instead. It’s gross. It’s weird. It’s exactly what 7-year-olds find hilarious.
The Mara Wilson Factor
You can't talk about watching this movie without talking about Mara Wilson. By 1997, she was already a legend for Matilda. In A Simple Wish, she plays Anabel, a girl who just wants her dad—a struggling Broadway actor played by Robert Pastorelli—to land a lead role.
Wilson had this incredible ability to stay grounded while everything around her was exploding in glitter and bad CGI. She was the "straight man" to Martin Short’s mania. Interestingly, Wilson has been very open in her memoir, Where Am I Now?, about how the filming of this movie coincided with an incredibly difficult time in her personal life. Knowing that she was dealing with the loss of her mother while filming these high-energy magical scenes adds a layer of bittersweet reality to her performance that most adults will pick up on now, even if they missed it as kids.
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The Visual Style: Practical Effects vs. 90s Digital
If you watch A Simple Wish with a critical eye today, the visual effects are a time capsule. This was the era where directors were just starting to realize they could do anything with computers, but they didn't quite know how to make it look real.
The villain, Claudia, is a disgraced fairy godmother who steals wands. Kathleen Turner plays her like a drag queen on 1.5x speed. She’s draped in dark furs and towering hair, and her lair is filled with these ornate, gothic practical sets.
- The "spell" effects are bright, neon-colored streaks.
- There is a literal "wand shop" that looks like a high-end jewelry store for wizards.
- The transformation scenes use a mix of animatronics and early morphing tech.
It’s clunky. It really is. But there’s a charm to it. Everything feels tactile. When a carriage turns into a pumpkin (or in this case, when a spell goes wrong), you can tell people were actually on a set moving physical props around.
Is it Actually "Good"?
"Good" is a strong word. Is it a masterpiece like Matilda? No. Not even close. Matilda had Danny DeVito’s specific directorial vision and Roald Dahl’s dark wit. A Simple Wish feels more like a chaotic variety show.
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However, it excels in its portrayal of New York City. There’s a specific romanticism to 90s NYC movies—the Central Park scenes, the theater district, the snowy streets. It captures a version of the city that felt safe and magical. Plus, the supporting cast is stacked. You’ve got Teri Garr. You’ve got a very young Amanda Plummer. These are heavy hitters doing absolute nonsense for the sake of a children’s comedy.
The movie deals with a surprisingly mature theme: the idea that magic can't actually fix your life. Murray (Short) is a terrible fairy godmother. He fails constantly. The resolution doesn't come from a perfect spell; it comes from Anabel and Murray working through the mess. It's a bit of a subversion of the "perfect wish" trope.
Technical Details for the Modern Viewer
If you're planning a nostalgia night, here are the specs you're looking at. The movie was shot on 35mm film, which means it actually scales up to 4K reasonably well if the studio ever decides to do a proper restoration. Most streaming versions are standard 1080p HD.
- Runtime: 89 minutes. It’s fast. No bloat.
- Director: Michael Ritchie. This is wild because Ritchie directed The Bad News Bears and Fletch. He knew comedy, which explains why the timing in the dialogue is better than the script probably deserved.
- Score: Bruce Broughton. He’s a veteran who did The Rescuers Down Under. The music is doing a lot of heavy lifting to make the "magic" feel big.
The "Simple Wish" keyword here is actually ironic. The plot is anything but simple. It involves a high-stakes auction of magic wands, a dog being turned into a man (and vice versa), and a climax that takes place in a giant gothic tower in the middle of Manhattan.
Actionable Steps for Your Rewatch
Don't just turn it on and scroll on your phone. To actually enjoy this for what it is—a relic of a bygone era of family filmmaking—you've got to lean into the absurdity.
- Check the "Free" Apps First: Before you drop $4 on a rental, use a search engine like JustWatch. Streaming rights for mid-90s Universal movies rotate between Peacock, Hulu, and Starz frequently.
- Look for the Cameos: See if you can spot the Broadway veterans in the background. The movie is a love letter to the theater community of the late 90s.
- Compare the "Magic": If you have kids, watch this alongside something modern like Encanto or Frozen. It’s a great way to talk about how storytelling and technology have changed.
- Skip the "Critics": If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, you'll see a dismal score in the 20% range. Ignore it. This is a "vibes" movie, not a "prestige" movie.
To wrap this up, watching A Simple Wish is basically like eating a bowl of sugary cereal you haven't had since you were ten. It’s a bit much, it’s definitely not "good" for you, and it’s a little dated—but for 90 minutes, it takes you exactly where you want to go. Whether you're there for Martin Short’s physical comedy or just want to see Mara Wilson at the height of her child-star powers, it’s a weirdly essential piece of 90s history.