In spite of blatantly borrowing from Disney favorites Aladdin, Mulan and even Cinderella – Sony Pictures Animation has delivered a delightful film that claims its own identity and essentially uses a Rom-Com template to mix romance, humor, and, of course, a series of obstacles before the couple we know should be together finally gets their happy ending.
Set in modern day Shanghai, Din (Jimmy Wong) and Li Na (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) are best friends growing up in the poor part of town, they vow to be friends forever, but it isn’t long before Li Na has to move away to another neighborhood, apparently her Dad is climbing the social status ladder.
Ten years later, Din is delivering food and Li Na is a supermodel. Their fortunes have gone in opposite directions. Or have they? After delivering food to a weird old guy’s house, Din ends up (I’m skipping the how and why) with a magical Jade teapot, and guess what comes out of it?
That’s right – a Wish Dragon! His name is Long (John Cho) and his gig is just like the Genie in Aladdin: he will grant three wishes to his master, and Din is in that position.
Of course, things are always more complicated than that. How will Din reconnect with the girl he clearly loves? Will their different classes be a problem? What about her Dad? And what about the three goons who are chasing after that same Jade teapot?
Director Chris Appelhans, who spent time in China and formed many relationships that found their way into the soul of this film, has injected a lot of heart into the characters. The animation is gorgeous, and the action flows well for a film that could’ve been ten minutes shorter.
John Cho, a great guy, seems miscast as the voice of the dragon. One expected a more mature or seasoned voice from a dragon that’s been locked up for 1000 years, but he grows on you as the story goes along.
By the way, before I get too snarky about Aladdin as an influence, Appelhans explains, “Aladdin was originally a Chinese folktale. It’s about a peasant boy who lives with his mother, meets a wish-granting genie, falls in love with a princess, loses himself and finds himself again. And as I watched my friend navigate life in modern China — struggling with family and class and concepts of ‘success’ — it seemed like that timeless story could have newfound relevance today. And so began a seven-year journey to make “
Wish Dragon on Netflix June 11th | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars | Reviewed by Kyle Osborne
