When Din meets a wish-granting dragon who shows him the magic of possibilities, he goes on a journey to meet his childhood friend.
Yet another Netflix China-based movie that is, in some ways or another, a riff-off of fan favorites Disney movies.
“Wish Dragon” draws close similarities to Aladdin, but director Chris Appelhans seems unconcerned about this. Besides, there are “differences” like the dragon and the jade teapot.
Din (Jimmy Wong) is a college student who hopes to reconcile with Li Na (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), his childhood buddy who has since moved away from his neighborhood. She is now a member of society's upper crust.
One day, while delivering food around the city, Din meets an old man who handed him a teapot. Inside it is a wish-granting dragon named Long (John Cho).
Long informs Din that in order to enter the Spirit world, every dragon must serve ten masters by granting them three wishes. Din is his tenth master.
Obviously, Din intends to use his wishes to reunite with Li Na. But a group of nasty gangsters led by Pockets (Aaron Yoo) were on his tail to steal the teapot.
“Wish Dragon” rehashes most of its Disney counterpart. But surprisingly, it did it very carefully and with pure intent. The movie did not just change the characters, it improves an already good story by touching on important themes such as class divide and capitalism.
When it comes to the core of the story, it is still there. In love, fancy cars and suits do not really matter. What matters is the humanity and sincerity within.
Truly, what Applehans made here is a movie filled with heart, humor and adventure. It is touching and charming in all ways possible, plus it contains a great message about loving.
But the film is still overshadowed by the beauty and tenderness of “Aladdin” and its unforgettable plot.
“Wish Dragon” is too afraid to break the box that contains it.
Yes, the quality of the animation is quite impressive. It showcases how China is becoming a movie juggernaut. But unless they make something really creative and new, they are still behind Disney and all the animation studios who take risks.
In essence, “Wish Dragon” feels like a well-made unoriginal film. It is a fun dragon movie, but it is not something that people will look forward to watching again.
3/5
Watch "Wish Dragon" on Netflix.