Wish Dragon

With how often crowded animated family cinema can get, there's definitely going to be a good share that are going to be given the labeled of "this is a version of (insert familiar movie with same premise) but in a different setting". These types of comparisons are usually unavoidable as this type of entertainment can overuse troupes and cliches of popular eras. These comparison statements are often either unintentional similarities found in the films or those projects  that are blatantly ripping off without understanding what made those aspects work. This brings us to a new entry within this topic, Wish Dragon, which was directed by Chris Appelhans and was another Sony Animation that was given to Netflix for distribution. I didn't know much about it as I avoided the marketing to remain blind about it and only heard about it from a YouTube animated movie reviewer. I was hoping for another solid good time like The Mitchells vs the Machines and after watching it, I ended up liking it just fine.

What's it about? The story follows a college student who finds shenanigans after being given a magic teapot carrying a wish granting dragon. Let's get this out of the way really quick: yes, the 3 wishes aspect is the main Aladdin similarity that can be found here alongside minor tidbits of the narrative format. The approach, however, is entirely different as rather than aiming for a love interest angle, this is more focused on two young adults who are unsure about their own lives with the main protagonist wanting to reconnect with a childhood friend. There are a handful of feel-good moments spread throughout that provide a delightful calm to this comedy. There are some pretty good jokes too in the antics that happen throughout (one of my favorites being a traffic scene).

 

That being said, there are some blatant weaknesses in the execution holding it back. As far as the main villain is concerned, it's another stock last minute reveal in the final act that's just meant to push the plot with a physically imposing figure instead of being an actual character. There are parts that feel undercooked such as the scenes with his childhood friend as it would have been nice to get more fleshing out her character more. It still follows cliches to a fault, though to give it credit it gets through a liar revealed part just fine enough. 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Jimmy Wong and John Cho. Jimmy gives a nice serviceable performance in a main role that admittedly was rather standard but likable enough. John provides a solid portrayal that exudes the regal agitated type of attitude with some nice chemistry with Jimmy in their banter together. Honorable mentions Natashu Liu Bordizzo, Jimmy O Yang, and Bobby Lee due to the former giving good voice work that I wish was given more material to work with while the latter two are enjoyable enough in their small but goofy doses. Dishonorable mentions Constance Wu for yet again going for another mother role where she's phoning it in as if she's on autopilot with being typecast hard. 

 

Overall Consensus: Despite its cliches and predictable narrative, Wish Dragon gives enough entertainment with its humor, sweet moments, and solid voice work for a good watch. ⭑⭑⭑3/4 Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes PG

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Chris Appelhans. You don't mind familiar predictable scripts in family entertainment. You want something with a laidback likable charm. You don't mind Aladdin similarities and want to see where they differ here.

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Chris Appelhans. You are bored with familiar predictable scripts in family entertainment. You don't want something with a laidback likable charm. You are bothered with the Aladdin similarities.