Graphic Novel Review - 'We Could Be Magic' by Marissa Meyer (Writer), Joelle Murray (Artist)

Whoever first described 'We Could Be Magic' as "Pumpkinheads in Disneyland" was on the money.

People who have been to Disneyland or Disneyworld, anywhere in the world, will likely resonate with this fictional comic's attempt at replicating its magical, childlike feel and wonder. Any child and adult who wants to believe that true love, soulmates, and magic - and positivity and everything good in this world - are in fact real, will fall for 'We Could Be Magic'.

Indeed, I call it a fictional comic with a tinge of sadness, because I would fall head over heels for its version of Disneyland, Sommerland.

From what I can gather, it is based on a franchise created by Winda Sommers (a female Walt Disney) about a group of magical girl princesses (their Disney princesses), princes, magical castles, a magical cat mascot named Kitty Wise (their Mickey Mouse), and battling evil and true love conquering all. It's like 'Sailor Moon', 'She-Ra and the Princesses of Power', 'Winx Club', and 'Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders' all rolled into one. How I long for a reality where something like this could be popular enough to be on the same level as Disney and have its own world famous theme park! Sommerland/the Winda Sommers franchise (does it have an official name, that's not the creator's?) even has Hidden Kitties!

But hey, I can dream. We can all dream.

And wish, and go from there and make it come true.

It is all positively charming.

I felt like a kid again reading this colourful graphic novel. The magic is all in the feeling, and it doesn't stray too far from being grounded in real life and its share of disappointments and struggles.

The "magic" and "true love" are an illusion in this "most magical place on earth", of course; it's for show, a fake and polished capitalist marketing strategy, designed to sell you merch - sell you your "dreams" - and tell you what you want to hear, so you will buy said merch. Behind the scenes, as all things under capitalism, it is far from perfect and fair.

But hey, maybe a bit of showy positivity and whimsy isn't too bad in this case, if it teaches morals such as love, kindness, compassion, bravery and determination winning. (Though it can lean into toxic positivity culture, most notably with these theme parks' smile-at-all-times policy. How painful, exhausting, and unhealthy.)

And maybe "true love" can be real. It's just in unexpected places. As the protagonist of 'We Could Be Magic', Tabitha "Tabi" Laurie, learns.

Seventeen year old Tabi achieves part of her dream of working at Sommerland, as part of a summer program. Her whole dream is to act as her favourite Disney princess since childhood there. She's such an adorable optimist, who wants to believe in eternal love and happily ever afters, even after her parents' divorce. She's always been a fan of Winda Sommers, and going to Sommerland as a child changed her life. I admire her, and her tenacity.

James the park attendant is a wonderful guy, too, with his own backstory and foibles to sort out.

Through their different personalities and life experiences, both Tabi and James want to believe that magic is real, in one form or another. In the commercialised Sommerland where the higher-ups nonetheless try their darndest to make sure its guests have the best time of their lives, perhaps the two can find it in each other...

In 'We Could Be Magic', the protagonist Tabi is a fat Black girl, and the graphic novel does acknowledge the lack of that kind of rep, but especially of fat female character rep, in multibillion dollar pop culture media. First it is through microaggressions, until it is, finally, outright pointed out. The people working at the Sommerland park think Tabi should be in a full-body animal mascot costume - silent, not heard and not seen as who she really is - no matter her talents and desires. The princesses in Sommerland are multiracial and ethnically diverse, but they are all the standard skinny heroine archetypes.

Yes! There absolutely should be plus-size Disney princesses!

However, in highlighting and advocating for that kind of diversity in the media, 'We Could Be Magic' leaves out another important human group that needs representing: the LBGTQA+ community.

Sommerland seems to be very heteronormative (in that aspect it isn't like 'She-Ra', or 'Sailor Moon', or heck, any Magical GirlTM franchise), and every princess seems to have her own prince as her true love. The book's only explicit queer rep is in a minor character who I don't think is even given a name, and a park character actor who doesn't appear until the epilogue. Queer people are overall ignored and overlooked.

Of course a lot can be said for Disney's own troubling and downright abysmal and disgraceful history with its LBGTQ+ rep and politics - let's not mention recent years. I just wish (hmm) that 'We Could Be Magic' had the gemstones to at least mention the importance of queer rep, now more than ever, in its own in-universe multimedia franchise and conglomerate. An effective real life parallel could have been made there. It's strange, even cowardly (just like Disney), to see such an omission and missed opportunity in a 2025 publication.

One leg up that Disney does have over Sommerland: Disney now allows its new princesses and female protagonists to be single. It sees that the concept of "true love" can apply to not solely romantic love. Intentional or not, a cop out or not, Disney is ahead in its asexual rep.

But 'We Could Be Magic' is too darn charming and enchanting otherwise for me to be too hung up on this issue. Real life context and implications aside, it is great as it is.

It is like a real fairy tale. A heteronormative fairy tale - therefore it doesn't reflect reality entirely - but still!

Sidenote: the character development of Kyra. She is Tabi's dorm roommate at Sommerland's summer program, a slightly cynical popular girl who gets the part of a princess no problem. On first meeting Tabi, Kyra calls her a "Spiriter", the name for members of the Winda Sommers fandom - a fangirl, meant in the derogative sense. She either avoids or teases Tabi initially, but gradually they become friends, with Kyra warming up to Tabi, and supporting and helping her out. It's a nice touch, and seeing female friendships like this is always welcome.

'We Could Be Magic' - a magical time, a wonderous trip, an enchanting place, even if it didn't reach its full star potential. I mean, it's a cute graphic novel (I'd say it's for all ages, even though it's marketed as YA; is this to do with author Marissa Meyer's name being attached to it?) that is needed in this increasingly divisive, cynical, apathetic, and violent and dangerous world of ours. We all need something like it to brighten our hearts, to clear and crystalise our minds, and to inspire and encourage creativity and art.

Okay, I admit that I care more about its cute, positive atmosphere, and diversity pluses and minuses, than its romance, but I can't help it. Any book that has magical girls and princesses in it, and a behind the scenes media deconstruction theme, is a win for winsome old me.

That's what 'We Could Be Magic' ultimately is: charming and winsome.

Is its magic for real? Well, you can read it and judge for yourself.

I personally wish to believe in its magic and messages, certainly.

An optimistic and idealistic child at heart - someone who believes in something, who has values, morals and ethics - is someone who will always be wanted and needed, during trying times.

Final Score: 3.5/5