Lessons from Wish Dragon and Wish Dragon review written by the Ent . This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch
Movie: Wish Dragon
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids, Animated
Length: 1 hr. 38 mins.
Age suggested: 6 and up
Release Date: June 11th, 2021
Streaming Service: Netflix
Themes: Friendship, Being yourself, Selfishness, Materialism
Warnings: Small uses and references of alcohol, mild flirting/sensuality between adults, Death of loved one, mildly intense violence towards an older boy (getting kicked and punched during a fight). See our Is Wish Dragon Appropriate section for more details.
Quick Summary of Wish Dragon
A modern retelling of the Arabian Nights classic, Aladdin, Wish Dragon comes in with powerful, important lessons and morals. It does this while maintaining a constantly stimulating and enjoyable plot with very likable characters. Din (voiced by Jimmy Wong) is a boy who is determined to rekindle his friendship with Li Na, who moved away when they were children. Things go from impossible to complicated when he is gifted a teapot that contains a Wish Dragon who is there to grant him three wishes.
Wish Dragon Review: (May Contain Spoilers)
Is Wish Dragon Appropriate?
Wish Dragon contains a few mild topics and visuals that may need discussion or explanation, but does not have anything overtly offensive or scary. In one scene, there is a woman who is interested in the human form of Long in an intimate way. She is carrying an alcoholic beverage, as are a few others at the party, and when Longs tail pops out, she believes that he spanked her and is interested. It is a little overt, but unless your kid is a bit older, it will most likely go over their head. There is also a small reference to alcohol as Din’s mother grills him about what he has been doing.
In the big climax of the movie, Li Na’s father is thrown to his seeming death. The impact is not seen, but the before and after is. There is nothing graphic or bloody, but could still require discussion with young children. Also, during a fight scene, Din, a young man, is seen being hit repeatedly with kicks and punches. Lastly, after the fight scene, Long is believed to have lost a battle and seemingly dies. Despite these dark scenes, all ends well and the overall movie tries to have a bright appearance overall.
Why Watch Wish Dragon
Wish Dragon does an amazing job at re-imagining the classic tale of Aladdin with a modern day twist. One of the major differences is that Din and Li Na are not strangers when Din is trying to get into her life, but childhood friends. This adds an emotional depth that is not in the original story. Another great aspect of the story is that the moral compass is Din rather than the Wish Dragon (While in Aladdin, the Genie is constantly trying to get Aladdin to just tell the truth).
On top of all of this, Wish Dragon is simple a beautiful film with thrilling scenes and a script that is filled with laugh out loud jokes. This movie is much more than just an Aladdin rip-off, but rather adds a lot of depth and comedy to an already beloved tale. As long as your kids can handle the topics listed in the above section, we would highly recommend Wish Dragon to anyone.
3 Lessons from Wish Dragon
1) Being Yourself is Important
As is common in the story of Aladdin, Wish Dragon shows that in order to have a legitimate relationship with someone, you must be willing to let them see your real self. Din is placed in a situation where he feels like he must lie about who he is or lose his childhood friend forever. However, this facade does not last long as he knows that he must tell her who he is in order to continue their relationship.
2) Wealth Does Not Provide Happiness
Long, the Wish Dragon, spends much of this movie believing that people are terrible and true happiness is found in treasure and wealth. He carries this belief into the afterlife and even though he is punished by becoming a Wish Dragon, he does not see the truth about love in relationships until he sees the way Din is treated by his family.
3) We Need Each Other
Din spends most the movie simply trying to rekindle a childhood friendship that he has been longing for for a decade. In between this, we are led to believe that Din’s mother and neighbors have come behind him to keep him going. This alongside Long’s lessons about family show us that we do need some system of support in our lives.
Wish Dragon Discussion Questions
- If you had a wish dragon, what three wishes would you make?
- Who was your favorite character and why?
- What caused Li Na and her father to move away from Din? How did this affect their life going forward?
- If you have seen Aladdin, what are the similarities and differences between the stories?
- What lesson did Long learn about wealth and riches? What did he do with this information?
Before you go, check out these other posts
–Over the Moon: A little girl learns how to love and accept her step mom.
–Aladdin: The live action remake of a Disney classic. Also the inspiration of Wish Dragon
–The Mitchells vs the Machines: After the robot apocalype, a struggling family must come together to save the world
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