WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wish Dragon, now streaming on Netflix.
At first glance, Wish Dragon has a lot in common with Aladdin as Din finds a magical teapot instead of a lamp. Din then gets a wish dragon named Long Zhu, and upon granting Din three wishes, Long would be free to enter heaven. As usual, one of wish is about winning the heart of a girl, with Din's Princess Jasmine being Li Na, his childhood best friend whom he hasn't seen in a decade. However, there's one crucial part of Wish Dragon that makes it a lot better than Aladdin, and it has to do with Li Na.
In Aladdin, Genie turned Al into a prince, so he could woo Jasmine and the royal court of Agrabah. In the final act, when the jig's up and he reveals the truth, freeing Genie with his final wish, the king changes the rules so he and Jasmine can get married, yet it felt a bit superficial as she only knew the real Aladdin in spurts.
Their reconciliation was rushed to wrap the animated film up and give it a typical Disney ending. The live-action remake, while it did give Jasmine more altruism as someone who wants to do social work, followed a similar path in that we don't really connect with the couple as they have yet to get to know each other deeply before making that leap of faith into marriage.
Wish Dragon, though, leans into self-discovery more when it has Li Na figure out that Din's no prince midway through the film. Rather than a convenient, happy decision where she decides to embark on a life of poverty with the boy she may love, Li Na adopts a realistic approach. She's been in the world of fashion and fragrance for years, programmed as a celebrity, and she is now unsure how to handle things. Her mental health's taken a hit too as her dad's empire is financially struggling.
As such, she doesn't magically cast her old life aside. She tells Din she can't make the jump back, not because she's superficial but because she has prior responsibilities to clients and her dad. This break allows Din to dissect his identity too, as he realizes how a lack of privilege and wealth keeps hurting people like him because it denies them that extra lift in society, so it's rigged for them to lose. It's why he wants to use his last wish to become rich permanently, which worries Long because it means a good soul will be corrupted by greed.
It's a realistic perspective in this modern fairytale, with Din aspiring to be an elite while Li Na is tethered to that life out of duty. Eventually, Long helps them understand the concept of sacrifice, family and pursuing what one really wants in life.
It's why the end has them all making the right choices, holding hands but never confirming if it's a relationship. They're besties again but still need to discover things about themselves as they're so young. They're working to push Din's restaurant off the ground, so it's a nuanced start of a journey that isn't too idealistic or just a cliff note in a script.
Written and directed by Chris Appelhans, Wish Dragon stars the voice talents of Jimmy Wong, John Cho, Constance Wu, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Will Yun Lee, Jimmy O. Yang, Aaron Yoo, Bobby Lee and Ronny Chieng. It is currently streaming on Netflix.