Wish Dragon is no ordinary animated film that makes the viewers laugh and laugh. It’s a story of true friendship and how two friends with nothing in common, stand against social evils.

Like Disney’s classic Aladdin (released in 1992), where an Arab peasant boy and a blue genie wreaked havoc, here the story revolves around a not-so-rich-boy, who befriends a wish-granting dragon by mistake.

Set in contemporary China, Wish Dragon revolves around Din, a poor college student who makes a living by doing odd jobs. He is always longing to be with his long-lost childhood friend, Lina, who has now grown into a fashion model. Things change for the better when Din comes across a magic teapot and frees a pink dragon named ‘Long’ trapped inside. Together, the two set off on a hilarious adventure where they fight bad guys, meet Lina and even discuss the three wishes.

What makes this association more interesting is that nobody besides Din can see the dragon, whereas the dragon can see everyone (and grant the wishes, if you missed it!).

Written and directed by debutant Chris Appelhans and co-produced by action movie star Jackie Chan, the film features the voices of John Cho as Long and Jimmy Wong as Din. Despite being a Netflix film, the animation, the background score and the voice acting, are at par with any recent animated feature film, making it a must-watch for those who love a good animated feature.

It draws a comparison with Aladdin, but the Chinese ancient wish dragon concept technically happened long before the Arabian Nights. Some historians even believe that Aladdin is not part of the Arabian Nights and was always Chinese folklore. In that case, Wish Dragon has brought Aladdin to its roots, and that too in a style that would be remembered for a long time.

With fun, wishes action, and comedy, it surely is a movie that kids wish for.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 9th, 2021