Wish upon a charming Chinese riff on Aladdin
Wish Dragon (7+, 102 mins) Directed by Chris Appelhans Reviewed by James Croot ★★★★
Li Na (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Din (Jimmy Wong) promised to be best friends forever. Both the children of solo parents, they acted as support for each other, while also embarking on endless adventures.
It was each other’s shoulders they were able to cry on when Clucky died, mourning her loss while chomping on her delicious drumsticks.
One day though, even more devastating news came their way. Li Na and her businessman father were moving out of their shikumen and across Shanghai Harbour in search of ‘‘a better life’’.
But even years later, Din still hasn’t given up hope of reuniting with her. In the lead-up to Li Na’s 19th birthday, he’s been skipping school to work as a delivery boy so he can earn money to give her a ‘‘special surprise’’.
Now that she’s a model on billboards around the city, Din knows he’ll have to get a suit to even get past the door of her party.
However, his plans come under threat when his disapproving mother discovers his education deception and his latest delivery decides that instead of paying cash, he’ll give him a jade teapot.
As he curses his luck, a closer inspection of the trinket unleashes the dragon Long Zhu (John Cho). Transformed by the gods as a punishment, he reveals that he’s spent the past 1000 years granting three wishes to nine successive masters. One more trio of requests and he’ll be freed.
‘‘I’m not here to be your friend,’’ Long sniffs, before revealing that Din can ask for anything he wants as long as it doesn’t involve ‘‘time travel, killing people or love’’.
‘‘I just want my friend back,’’ comes the sombre, sober reply.
Writer-director Chris Appelhans, best known for his animation work on everything from Coraline to The Princess and the Frog and Wonder Park, has crafted a charming, contemporary and surprisingly emotional Chinese spin on Aladdin.
Aside from the three wishes conceit, there’s also a riff on the magic carpet and the boy from the streets trying to impress a girl who now lives in a whole other world.
Its emotional groundedness and sense of place and space though also reminds one of Slumdog Millionaire, and Long’s backstory will feel familiar to avid animation fans who caught Disney’s Raya earlier this year.
Sony’s trademark chunky animation style fits the story well, and the vocal work is excellent, as much as I would have loved producer Jackie Chan to have not just voiced the Mandarin-language version of Long.
But it’s the writing that really impresses. Appelhans takes the expected Aladdin tropes and subverts them, makes sly digs at other animated features (‘‘it’s a tale as old as time – and we all know how that ends,’’ Long laments at one point) and adds depth and nuance to traditionally fairly onedimensional characters.
Plus, there are also moments when you and your kids will be laughing like a drain, whether it’s a classic bidet gag, Long’s growing obsession with shrimp chips or the antics of a couple of incompetent, half-hearted henchmen.
As good an absorbing, entertaining watch as you could wish for, Dragon was a delightful surprise to discover.