Set in Shanghai, China, Din Song (Jimmy Wong) is a working class college student living with his strict but loving mother (Constance Wu) while working a side-job as a delivery driver hoping to one day reunite with his childhood friend Li Na Wang (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). During a delivery Din delivers a meal to an eccentric old man (Ronny Chieng) in a demolished part of the city who claims to be a god and instead of paying with money he gives Din a jade teapot saying Din is pure of heart. Din soon discovers the teapot contains Longzhu (John Chu) a wish dragon who has the power to grant Din three wishes and encourages Din to wish for gold and opulence so he may ascend to the spirit world but Din being of humble means only desires to reunite with Li Na. However a trio of mysterious thugs lead by Pockets (Aaron Yu) are searching for the Jade teapot at the behest of an unknown third party.
Wish Dragon is a 2021 animated film from Sony Pictures Animation produced as a co-production with Chinese based companies Base FX and Tencent Pictures. The film is the writing and directing debut for Chris Appelhans a concept in Visual Artist who has worked on several projects in the industry including Monster House, Princess and the Frog, and Rise of the Guardians just to name a few. The movie covers the well worn tale of "three wishes" down to even having similar parallels to the original Aladdin story from the original Arabian Nights (such as taking place in China and the protagonist having a mother) but despite covering well worn ground Wish Dragon manages to keep it engaging.
While the animation is slightly more frugal than comparable titles such as Mitchells vs. The Machines, the design work on the characters and Shanghai gives the film a unique visual identity so that we become engrossed in the film's depiction of Shanghai and the modern day residents. Jimmy Wong makes for a likable protagonist as Din and has some fun exchanges with Constance Wu as his mother, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo is quite strong as Li Na with some solid moments of chemistry between her and Wong. But stealing every scene he's in is John Cho's portrayal of Longzhu "Long" the titular wish dragon and while the animation used to convey the character does bare some similarities to Robin Williams' Genie from 1992's Aladdin, Cho manages to find his own identity for the character playing the wish granter as a cynic who thinks he knows everything there is to know about humans and desire. The character is more at the forefront of this story than the Genie was in Aladdin and it really is Long's story of redemption rather than Din since Din is a goodhearted man who appreciates his situation and it makes for a dynamic that separates itself from comparable pieces.
Wish Dragon is a solid rendition on the well worn story well of wish fulfillment and with a likable cast of characters and stylish and unique locale I was kept entertained.
