Wish Dragon is a new movie by Sony Pictures Animation flying into Netflix this Friday based in modern-day China. We had a chance to screen it early to give you the scoop on what you need to know, and conversations you might want to have after. Here’s our spoiler-free review of Wish Dragon. 

‘Wish Dragon’ Review

Right out the gate I was drawn to the movie from the setting in China to the colorful pink dragon. The opening scene was cute and gave me some Up feels. We quickly fell in love with the main character, Din. 

There’s no doubt you’ll get Aladdin vibes while watching the movie. Even my kids called that out right away. But as the similarities diverge the movie gets more entertaining. 

A familiar genie story but much more centered around family. A big loving one that sometimes gave me Coco feels. And I don’t know what shrimp chips are, but we sure want some now. We love seeing different representations on screen. So the little peeks into a different culture were a welcomed treat for us. (Pssst: Looking for more AAPI representation in family movies? Check out my special AAPI movie watchlist).

What the kids thought 

Kung fu fighting scenes that had 8-year-old Ty bouncing in his seat. There were several laugh out loud points with the kids and myself.

Ty got frustrated when characters weren’t honest and he had some major yell at the screen moments. Here are a few things he said about the movie: 

“This is kind of like Aladdin”

“The dragon is like Sisu but all the stuff he says is like Aladdin.”

“Long was my favorite because he’s a dragon and he looks like a snake with two arms.”

10-year-old Jayda started the movie questioning if it was “too kiddie” for her, but quickly got into it. Here are a few things she said about the movie:

“I love that it’s a movie about friendship.”

“It copies Aladdin but I liked Wish Dragon more because it’s funnier.”

“I think it’s a good family movie, but if someone wanted to watch it alone I’d recommend it for ages 6-9. If I watched it alone I might think it’s too kiddy for me, but it’s a great family movie.” 

Overall Rating 

Our favorite villains are the villains with a story and this movie is no exception. Though it didn’t make any of our personal top animated movie lists, this was still worth the watch. And we all agree we’d watch it again. 

Jayda gives it 7/10 Ty gives it a 4.5/10, I give it a 6.5/10.

Wish Dragon is a cute movie to watch together as a family. Worth a movie night pick and fun discussions during the ending credits. Here are a couple ideas:

“what would you wish for if you had three wishes?” “Would you wish for riches? Why or why not?” 

Wish Dragon flies onto Netflix June 11th. Are you planning to give it a watch?

Tags: kids movie reviews, movie review, netflix