Chris Applehans' "THE WISH DRAGON"
A movie review by Dennis D. McDonald
What saves this nicely animated tale from just being a mishmash of familiar story elements and character designs is its being rooted in Chinese culture.
We have a genie in a bottle who grants wishes, a young Horatio Alger type hero working hard to better himself, character designs and movement that look copied from Despicable Me and Pixar films, a rich young heroine dissatisfied with her privileged life, and pursuit of our hero by a villain surrounded by goofy henchmen straight out of an old Disney cartoon. All familiar stuff.
But direction and editing are tight, animation and artwork are excellent, and enough Chinese elements are included to make one thankful that few attempts have apparently been made to homogenize social or cultural references to “appeal” to Western audiences.
A harsh social divide between haves and have nots is always front and center. Also present is a major focus on materialism as a driving force in modern Chinese society. Topping it all off as a core story element is the role of the gods and reincarnation and their influence on human society.
While I was somewhat disappointed by all the familiar story elements and character tropes on display, I was entertained as was my three year old granddaughter. I am happy she is being exposed to such multicultural influences. She is growing up in a much more diverse world than the one I grew up in!
Review copyright (c) 2021 by Dennis D. McDonald
