Good thing Pixar dropped their own friendship story this weekend, plus for the first time in basically forever, we finally got a straightforward villain character in a Disney/Pixar movie, there's no twist baddie, the bully character is our villain for the film
@@erichfiedler1481 Honestly I have mixed feelings about Luca. Structurally it is a great movie and the characters were fine and the arcs were fine a little rushed but fine. Then we have Giulia as a Hollywood outsider which I can ignore. But the LGBTQIA+ allegory is really hamfisted and you know symbolism is fine if it supports a theme and not if it has to carry the entire theme. Honestly I am sick of LGBTQIA+ allegory. JUST make the characters LGBTQIA+ you cowards. Sorry had to vent there for a second. The movie is still fine but how it handles its themes holds it back from being one of the greats
I was thinking of a mix between three characters: 1) Genie (Aladdin) because of the jokes 2) Discord (Mlp) cause of the sarcasm and some of the movements 3) Father (Codename kids next door) because of the interesting backstory
Do you know the funny thing is that the fact that the villain keeps his hands in his pockets and mostly gestures with his feet. It’s not all me quirky funny it also makes sense considering his main goal. It’s like he’s practicing when he finally does get the Midas touch so that he doesn’t touch things with his hands it’s weird but it shows a level of competency from the villain that he was preparing for the side effects of his wish.
Well he died from touching himself with his golden touch in the end, so I think the directors were using his character as kind of a joke on those types of anime characters that are so confident that they keep their hands in their pockets when they fight
That's a stupid idea, there's no way he wouldn't ever scratch his head while he sleeps, unless he uses a golden glove or something. You'd he take a shower or do most things without henchmen? Think, villain, think!
@@cl0p38 well considering the way the henchmen seem to know what they needed to do like hold him up while he was using both feet to kick. What do you want to bet he had a henchman whose only job is to clean him when he showers. Otherwise you get the image of him using his foot with a loofah attached to it trying to scrub his own back.
Keep in mind, they are also making adult-oriented animated films in the future, two of which are made by Genndy Tartakovsky, the man who was in charge of Hotel Transylvania, as well as some other animated stuff you might have heard of. I believe Black Knight is going to be amazing when it releases, and feel somewhat hopeful for Fixed.
@@DatJaneDoeArchive Celly herself theorized that Genndy makes more and more Hotel Transylvania movies simply to get money for his own ambitious and often adult oriented creations.
He did ask her to go on a date with him. I feel like the movie was trying to push them as more of a romantic couple towards the end then continue the friendship
is everyone just missing the scene on the rooftop when they were about to kiss? lol. i think what they showed is that their friendship will always last and they left it open for possible and likely romance
as an avid dragon enjoyer i will never forgive raya for its garbage dragon design wish dragon is whole proof that you dont need god like realistic rendering and textured animation to have good design and animation
I'm glad that the movie is better than basically anyone could have hoped for. I'm still a bit on the lower-end in that I think it's just above average, but that's more than I was hoping for at the very least. Also, Long has some of, if not the best animation I have seen all year so far. They use that rubber hose stretch so perfectly with his design to really bring his full comedic potential forward. Good job on them.
and when taking the whole plot into consideration, it kinda makes sense. He still is her best friend, which she didn't see in years, her current situation was very unnerving to any outsider and she knows Din as a person, so putting all together, she would perfectly understand everything that happened.
It’s sad seeing critics on rotten tomatoes call it an “Aladdin rip off”. As if the writers were sneakily trying to copy the film and assume viewers just wouldn’t catch on 😂
What I really love is that Din is one of the few "pure of heart" characters that actually FEELS like they are pure of heart. Aladdin was a "diamond in the rough", yet the whole plot is centered on him lying so he could win a girl over, and the minute things got hard he was going to break his promise to free Genie, even though Genie literally spent *10,000 YEARS* in a lap and only wanted freedom. Meanwhile, Din just wanted to see his friend and nothing else. The "pure of heart" thing gets used so much and yet its so rare when the characters are actually PURE OF HEART.
I watched this movie in a hotel. All I could think is “Wow this is actually pretty good” I especially liked the ending Longs character got. It is both subversive and heartfelt.
Look You need to have experienced like, A LOT to understand it's true meaning If you weren't the golden child that suddenly didn't wanted to have a purpose anymore, you'll compare this to Aladdin But this is so much more refined and perfect than Aladdin when it comes to themes
as someone with really high expectations of animated movies im reccommending you to watch this movie, the animation style is basic but the movements are actually amazing and the comedy is so well timed. Plus at least the dragon design looks like an actual dragon compared to whatever Raya has got going on
not to overhype. This kind of movie is one that can be easily misunderstood as a cheap story with nothing special to add, but for me it was a delightful evening watch with family. It was fun, and if you're a fan of wacky animation physics then the fight scenes will be especially engaging.
I was immediately nervous after seeing the trailer about whether or not the “liar revealed” thing would work. I’m so glad that it ended up going a different direction! Also, _infinite_ bonus points for not forcing an unnecessary romance into Din’s motivation! Also also, thank you CellSpex for pointing out that this movie _doesn’t_ do those things so I know that I should definitely watch it!
Yeah, I’ve gotten pretty sick of the every opposite gender of the main character ALWAYS having to date them, it feels forced. The platonic relationship is one of the reasons I adored this movie
The plot was sooo predictable but as a Chinese Canadian this movie still made me cry multiple times. Why? I saw myself in it! THIS is why representation matters so damn much! Like I knew who the villain was 1/4 into the film but I still loved it! Oh and Aladdin actually originated as a Chinese story. So this isn’t a copy of Aladdin.
My brother guessed it from the very beginning, but we still absolutely enjoyed it. Also your point on representation is so important! I loved that this movie not only featured Chinese people in its entirety, but VAs were all Asian(I think they were all also Chinese, but not 100%) as well. I hope more films like this get created. It’s nice to see this🥺🥺
@@a.a.6318 And the designs of all the characters despite having that cartoon element were really on point with the facial traits of Chinese people too. Really happy for you happiness, guys! 👍🏻
The main dude not being able to go to Nomani: Fine Suits and instead having to go to Nomoney: Fine Soots was one of the best visual gags I’ve ever seen in an animated film.
I've heard so many times that Aladdin was originally Chinese and that his mom was still around and low and behold! Obviously its super modern, but probably still more accurate to the original than the Disney film then,
It's not really that accurate to the story (there's no cave here, no ring genie, or even an evil wizard), and the China in that story was completely Muslim. It's still a great movie, though.
Aladdin is from a group of middle-eastern folk-tales called 1001 Arabian Nights hence his name Aladdin (or علاء الدين which obviously isn’t Chinese and means nobility of faith) those folk tales are a big part of middle eastern culture, they’re everyone’s go to stories to tell their kids, I don’t know where you got the Chinese origin from but I’d like a source
Alright, I hate Aladdin (the movie) it’s not accurate to the original folk tale AT ALL and presents an overly glamourized version of the middle east. But just a bit of info, the original story of Aladdin most likely existed before the Chinese folktale and 2 stories being similar doesn’t make them the same story. Not only that but if you did even ONE TINY google search you would find out that Aladdin is part of the Arabian nights stories “Arabian” being the most important word in this instance. Now if you think that the story of Aladdin itself was ripped from Chinese folklore then you would ALSO be wrong because at the time Aladdin was created and 1001 Arabian nights itself was created China and the middle east had little to no contact at all. Now with all the cultural differences between China and the middle east WHY would the middle east take ONLY the story if Aladdin. Next time don’t spread false info about my culture without any research, let me remind you that there are in fact people who live in the middle east and no we don’t travel on camels.
@@doopdacoop4054 Okay, I sense I may have said something offensive. I've just heard multiple times over the years online that Aladdin, the character, was Chinese, and having never read 1001 Arabian Nights, had no reason to know one way or the other. But just for the sake of research and thoroughness, Aladdin actually IS set in China and IS Chinese. The stories of "Aladdin and his magic lamp", "Ali Baba and the forty thieves" and "Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor" were added later by Antoine Galland in 1704. While the characters were Muslim and had Arabic names they were still technically Chinese. Sources: interestingliterature.com/2013/01/surprising-facts-about-aladdin/ www.pookpress.co.uk/project/history-original-aladdin-story/
@@kingofsomewhere8636 Okay, I wasn't talking about the Disney movie at all beyond that it's inaccurate, but you seemed to blow all that hate on me. Whatever, do you. But I did take your advice and did go to google, and guess what. Aladdin actually is Chinese! I thought maybe the character was an immigrant or something in the Middle East, and having never read 1001 Arabian Nights never had any reason to think otherwise. But thanks to you I did do some research, and the stories "Aladdin and his magic lamp", "Ali Baba and the forty thieves" and "The Seven voyages of Sinbad the Sailor" were all added to the original 1001 Arabian Night by Antoine Galland, and Frenchman who heard it from a Syrian man who heard it from a Chinese man, where the story was originally set and written in: China. So hey, we both learned something new! Sources: www.pookpress.co.uk/project/history-original-aladdin-story/ interestingliterature.com/2013/01/surprising-facts-about-aladdin/
The fault with live action Aladdin was that they didn't handle jafar near as well as they could have. Also I'm always put off when there's a huge age gap between actors who are an on screen couple.
"A perfect, mainstream animated film with all the predictable attributes that implies." So you consider it the Paddington 2 of animated cinema? In that case, I'm definitely watching it
I don't think they feel particular similar in their individual relation to the works that directly preceed them, Paddington feels in a very different way great, but other than that, that comparison has some merit, I think.
The only real issue I personally have with the film is, and spoilers, the villains, who I felt added very little. Lina’s dad could’ve been a better main antagonist because he was like Long in the sense that he believed having money and everything in the world would make his daughter happy, which is why he was going after the teapot. His goals aren’t necessarily evil, just that he’s going to by any means necessary to see those goals fulfilled despite Lina’s actual wishes that she never needed money and fame, just her father to be happy, which is already something her father learns in the climax as is. I think it’d fit the theme of the movie much better, because as is the goons we got feel kinda disconnected and only exist because, obviously, a magic wish-granting being of any kind is going to be sought after by horrible people. Which I feel isn’t that interesting when Long’s character arc and his relationship with Din are satisfying enough to carry the weight of the narrative up until the pivotal moment Long’s arc comes to its climax when he finally puts someone’s life before his own and literally sacrifices himself to save Din, which admittedly would be a bit difficult to pull off without a villain of some sort, though there were some other options. Otherwise though, I don’t feel the villains add much at all minus that moment in the third act of the film, and feel more like window-dressing. Other than that, the movie is spectacular in my eyes, and I don’t see why so many people are disliking it for the Aladdin comparisons. There’s definitely a lot to be compared in Wish Dragon to Aladdin, but again that doesn’t necessarily make it bad. Everything doesn’t need to explore new territories to be good, and even then the movie is fresh in its own ways.
100% Agree with you. I enjoyed everything about the movie, except for the villain. Initially I was stoked with the plot twist of Li Na's dad as the henchmen's boss, but in the end they made the bald guy the real villain. Which I thought was pretty cliché and unrealistic. It certainly would have been more impactful if the father was the antagonist. In fact, I imagined Din and him having a face off on the high beams and he inevitably falling to his near death. It would still work and further emphasize his turning point. But since Long is considered the main character, that instead did not happen as you have explained.
I just watched this movie and the first thing I did was look up reviews to see if I wasn't the only one who thought it was incredible. Like no joke amazing. As an Aladdin-type ( genie and wishes) movie I was taken aback. I related to the character soo much... a bit too much might I add. The comedy was amazing, The plot despite being done before felt unique, and the message in the movie stood out perfectly. I got nothing but good things to say about this film. 9.9/10 in my book
Something Sony animation does very well : emotional narrative, rather than its actual story narrative which is not the most creative or original. Which makes us feel for the character in the movies
How do they do emotional narratives well? CWACOM 2's scene of Flint getting humiliated at the ceremony was a beat-for-beat recreation of the first movie's intro and caused by his dumbass monkey that he was somehow allowed to bring to the ceremony, Spiderverse's Aaron death scene was nothing it just filled me with anger and confusion. Aaron had no reason to work for kingpin and if he didn't, he wouldn't have gotten himself in that situation to begin with. Hair Love featured a pointless story of a dad trying to do his daughter's hair at the last minute and made her cry all because his ass wanted to give up.
@LaBrava Altonia The emotional scenes were the worst part of the story imo. Particularly with Aaron's death scene. The premise was neat but it could've done its characters a whole lot better.
@@aletanook I don’t blame you on the Spiderverse thing, in fact I don’t even care about Spider-verse if there’s not much character to it. I actually didn’t mind CWACOM1&2, the TV series, on the other hand…
While I personally didn’t enjoy it, I’m really glad this movie is getting love given how much it was going through development and barely got any advertisements.
Long is my favorite character. He’s so cute, so soft, so floofy, I JUST WANNA HUG HIM. Okay but for real, I’m glad more people are discovering and actually watching this film. It has its flaws, but it has its own spin on the whole genie, 3 wishes only thing. Also, as a Chinese American, I love that actual Chinese Americans are casted. I mean to be honest, I understand why Sony refused to push Wish Dragon’s marketing, but at the same time, it’s not a bad film. It’s not the BEST, but it is GOOD. It’s cute and enjoyable, despite being contemporary and at times cliche, but sometimes, that is all we need.
I will admit the characters and backgrounds do look like they came from a Disney Junior show. The big budget animation studios have spoiled us with intricately detailed character models, clothing, and backgrounds. Here, everything looks a bit plastic aside from the fur on Long and the hair on the human characters' heads. I mean, they could've given the main human character something a little more exciting than a plain white t-shirt. A part from that, I agree, it is a good movie. The story, though predictable, is pleasant and so are the characters.
My only problem is that according to IMDB there is going to be a sequel. Which is supposed to focus on the protagonist as an adult who is supposed to be married and has children which in my opinion kinda ruins the point of the film. I hope it’s a joke…
@@a.a.6318 Well, they are already close friends, I don’t see how them being married changes anything. We don’t have to see them being married in this story, I would be worried about how their relationship would be after marriage. Some say Marriage Partners are best friends, and if this movie DOES get a sequel, I wonder how they’ll make it work?
While I personally prefer Mitchells, that’s purely because of how much I relate to its main character and love its aesthetic (plus queer representation in a general audience film and whatnot).
I wouldn't have minded if it was romantic or platonic since they had chemistry either way but I'm happy to see the male and female leads not fall in love for once
I gotta say it, I was really pleasantly surprised about Wish Dragon. Definitely after seeing Spider-Verse and Mitchells, I'm indeed hooked on Sony Animation's streak of success, and after seeing it, it is another good win for them. I think despite being the retelling of Aladdin, the characters and key mystical figure here are so drastically different that make this story its own, specially by how charming and relatable Din and Li Na's story and friendship ended up being, and yes, Long was the BOSS and MVP right here on the movie, and I appreciated as well how great and nicely was the resolution of Li Na's dad. I think Wish Dragon would be what Storks feels to me, how by constant viewing it will get better and more entertaining for me. Wonderful surprise indeed 8/10
I gave Wish Dragon a watch after seeing you posted a video about it but before watching your video. It was honestly the best part of my day and I'm not sure if I would have gone for watching it without seeing the thumbnail of your video, so thank you for that. :)
It was very entertaining to watch the writers navigate around the expected pitfalls. Several times during the film I found myself ever so slightly cringing in anticipation and then sighing out of relief. MORE MALE/FEMALE PLATONIC FRIENDSHIPS!!!!
One of the few times I stopped watching the review and tossed on Netflix to see it to not be spoiled. Legitimately worth every second, I was hooked the entire way through
One of my favorite part of the movie was the traffic scene. That was absolutely amazing and accurate, capturing the loud, overwhelming, and frustrating atmosphere. Also the small apartments, the different types of handwriting for the characters in that school scene, the food, the markets, and the skyscrapers being accurate to real landmarks so that if you know you’re geography you could figure out where this story takes place without being told (we could guess early on we’re in ShagHai just by looking at that one shot of the skyscraper) just feels so accurate. Even though the visuals aren’t as “detailed” as most movies (like Coco and the visually amazing land of the dead), there’s still so many details where you can feel like you’re actually in China.
I tend to use the word "perfect" to describe Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. Also, finally, an ace approach to this kind of storyline. Childhood me would have been happy.
The humor stood out to me. The story's alright, the animation is alright--but the amount of quick jokes that actually surprised me was pleasant and enjoyable!
Ngl, I was expecting an Aladdin type of plot only to be surprised at how I couldn’t try to predict what happens at the end. Great movie about humility and happiness too.
When Din hugged Long in the end I was tearing up. It's such a good ending because all he has to do is go through 9 masters and he can be with his friend forever. It's a heartwarming ending. I love it.
I think "it's basically modern Aladdin but good" matches this movie because the ORIGINAL story of Aladdin supposedly IS ABOUT A CHINESE PEASANTBOY. (Or what the Middle East thought was Chinese like Aladdin equals Arab name but eh) I was crying tears of happiness but THIS WHOLE MOVIE WORKS.
That’s your opinion IMO, Aladdin is fantastic, Wish Dragon is just average. I really don’t remember anything about Wish Dragon besides Longs character arc.
Watched it with my nephew and it was way, way better than I expected. When I saw the title and Netflix thumbnail, I honestly thought it was a cheap rip-off, boy was I wrong. First, it focused on their friendship, instead of forcing an insipid romance. Second, it was so delicious to see the subversion of expectation everytime the movie approached a trope, the different responses and reactions from the characters, they felt genuine, real genuine. Yeah, the bad guys were pretty basic and simple, but provided just the right amount of comic relief and action scenes. And the taller henchmen always using his legs for literally everything was pretty hilarious. I'm so glad my nephew asked me to watch it with him.
Honestly, I have been loving the animation movies that have been coming out. They aren't groundbreaking, but it's sooo nice to have wholesome and enjoyable movies to just watch. This pandemic has been hard on so many people and I think we all needed a breather and a good laugh
Whelp, you got me to watch it. And actually, yeah, I think I saw what you meant - between the punchy animation and the smooth remixing of the tropes, to keep you on board with everyone's behavior, it went down pretty easy. Impact-wise, I don't think it ever topped that opening sequence, which was such a perfect, cartoonified blitz of what it's like to hit it off with a friend who gets you and vice versa. The rest pulled out shades of the top-tier slapstick, freewheeling fantasy, and lovable character mashup it could have been, while on its own, being just good enough to make me want more.
I think it’s good to compare this movie to Aladdin.. as a start. It gives people a point of reference, and from there on you can list the differences (ie. “It’s Aladdin but the genie is the one that gets character development”). Also as a Mexican I continue to be surprised at how similar Chinese culture is to ours.
This movie deserves _all_ the credit for being ballsy enough to make guys and girls friends. They don't always have to end up as a couple just because 'hehe peen need vagoo' It also tossed my guesses and expectations of all the things that I thought might happen. Like.. the guy getting with the girl at the end, the weird foot villain guy having something freaky or unusual about his hands which would be why he keeps them hidden all the time, the girl's dad turning out to be evil.. All of those things, I was completely wrong about.
Watched it today and loved it. It had that kind of storytelling qualities that I normally would have had expected from Luca. I think your review is a fitting take on the movie, so thumps up!
Honesty this movie was done dirty by the marketing team. I saw literally no ads and the trailer barely has any views for a major studio release. I only knew about cause I kept up to date on animated releases.
When Din closed the door, reopened it to give him his hot sauce, and saw the man had disappeared, then for the camera to pan out to show the man standing off to the side... I knew this movie would be special 😂
I loved the movie, however, i couldn't help but feel this was wasted potential to do a gender bend on the Aladdin story ( i know it's not fair to compare them but hear me out). I think it would have been really interesting because it would have added a unique twist to the "pretending to be rich" part. We have also seen so many "rich girls with a golden heart" in this kind of films, so i would have liked to see the male version of that. Still liked it though!
@@autumnramble yeah but with a little more personality, which for the prince only happens on the third Cinderella movie. But i bet the world is big enough for two rich boys with a heart of gold. After all i could name 50 female versions of the trope off the top of my head
I’ll make a couple of points about their relationship 1) he goes through a lot of effort to impress her 2) in the scene when they’re in the gift room, they look into each other’s eyes (again you don’t look at your “friends” like that) 3) in that same scene, after Li Na’s dad sets her up on a date with “Dan” . Din asks her “so, um, would you really like to-“ but Li Na replies with an emphatic “YES. Yeah. [chuckles]” before he could finish his sentence, implying that she’s interested in him in a romantic sense 4) in the alley scene after they use the dragon to fly. Din catches Li Na’s punch & they just stare each other (again these are nuances that show romantic connection, if you can’t see that then idk what to tell you ) 5) when they’re on Din’s rooftop, he hands her his jacket they look away, to shy to make eye contact (this isn’t something you do in a platonic relationship) they then end up doing they’re pinky promise ending it with both staring into each other’s eyes for a good period of time before they get interrupted by the bright billboard . Din exclaiming, “it doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing, though “ and she LITERALLY BLUSHES 6) after that, Din finally asks her “what do you say we go for a real date?” If you want to say thats it’s just strictly platonic, I’d suggest rewatching the movie. You can be best friends and still have feelings for each other.
I see your point, but I think it's great that they begin to have these romantic feelings toward one another AFTER they grow up and as they reconnect. I think his intentions toward LiNa were always platonic, but those emotions began to spark and grow as they spent more time with each other. Still very refreshing, in my opinion.
Lowkey can't wait for the Luca review. The movie was so simple and sweet which was really neat, it didn't try to be ground breaking or revolutionary. It also showed how little things can be so big to kids. Also having the villain stay the villain was pretty cool. Of course there were some downsides like the dumb dad, overprotective mom, and chill grandma trope that is frankly overdone.
I personally prefer the relationship between Din and Long instead of Aladdin and Genie. Din and Long were perfect opposites who learn from each other and become better for it. Long literally sacrificed himself and sentenced himself to serve ten more masters instead of going to paradise, just to help his friend. Din also really listened to Long, and worked to protect him from those thugs who didn’t have pure intentions. It was really beautiful, and I really love them more than Aladdin and Genie. Especially as Din’s ultimate goal isn’t to be with a girl he saw once and fell in love with after an hour, but to find his friend and be friends again. I also love that when Din was about to make a bad last wish, rather than let him go through with it, Long showed him exactly why it would be a mistake. Even if they never see each other again, these two will be best friends forever. (This is my opinion, please don’t start cursing me for it).
I actually semi-disagree about the whole Midas Touch thing being illogical. Of course, we know that it ended badly for Midas but if you think about like it this, it's an ability that would guarantee lifetime wealth as long as you use it sparingly and when the price of gold is high. Also, for the villain who almost never takes out his hands anyway and, if need be, could also use it as a weapon, it seems like pretty much a win-win situation.
I love the midas touch wish, like the guy had only one gold hand, like he thought the only thing wrong with the original was that midas had both hands turn everything to gold, like oh, I fixed the problem with Midas's wish
![Why The Screenslaver is Pixar's Stupidest Villain [Incredibles 2]](/img/n.gif)
I LOVED how the movie was about friendship and not romance. We barely see male and female friendships in media these days!!
Friendship in movies and shows is underrated
Good thing Pixar dropped their own friendship story this weekend, plus for the first time in basically forever, we finally got a straightforward villain character in a Disney/Pixar movie, there's no twist baddie, the bully character is our villain for the film
@@erichfiedler1481 Honestly I have mixed feelings about Luca. Structurally it is a great movie and the characters were fine and the arcs were fine a little rushed but fine.
Then we have Giulia as a Hollywood outsider which I can ignore.
But the LGBTQIA+ allegory is really hamfisted and you know symbolism is fine if it supports a theme and not if it has to carry the entire theme. Honestly I am sick of LGBTQIA+ allegory. JUST make the characters LGBTQIA+ you cowards.
Sorry had to vent there for a second. The movie is still fine but how it handles its themes holds it back from being one of the greats
And yet, people will ship them anyway,
@@harmonetheanimationaddict4419 No No he's got a point
The dragon is almost like perfect combination of the genie from Aladdin and discord
NO KIDDING I LOVE HIM
He has Genie's zanyness and Discord's caustic wit.
No wonder why I really enjoyed Long so much as someone who grew up with Disney, and watched MLP Gen 4 for so many years.
Oh. My god. Yes
I was thinking of a mix between three characters:
1) Genie (Aladdin) because of the jokes
2) Discord (Mlp) cause of the sarcasm and some of the movements
3) Father (Codename kids next door) because of the interesting backstory
Do you know the funny thing is that the fact that the villain keeps his hands in his pockets and mostly gestures with his feet.
It’s not all me quirky funny it also makes sense considering his main goal.
It’s like he’s practicing when he finally does get the Midas touch so that he doesn’t touch things with his hands it’s weird but it shows a level of competency from the villain that he was preparing for the side effects of his wish.
That makes a lot of sense, damnnn how did I not think of that
Well he died from touching himself with his golden touch in the end, so I think the directors were using his character as kind of a joke on those types of anime characters that are so confident that they keep their hands in their pockets when they fight
That's a stupid idea, there's no way he wouldn't ever scratch his head while he sleeps, unless he uses a golden glove or something. You'd he take a shower or do most things without henchmen?
Think, villain, think!
@@cl0p38 well considering the way the henchmen seem to know what they needed to do like hold him up while he was using both feet to kick.
What do you want to bet he had a henchman whose only job is to clean him when he showers.
Otherwise you get the image of him using his foot with a loofah attached to it trying to scrub his own back.
Wow, that's brilliant analysis. I just thought his legs gestures were just for comedy.
“That’s my wish; I want my friend back”
That shit hit different.
Hit right at home base
Especially during these times…
That’s how I feel lot of times these days
“So smart and yet so stupid”
The human race in a nutshell
Yup
"Like it says in the book, we are blessed and cursed."
-Big Smoke (GTA:SA)
Exactly!👍🏾
The truth has be spoken.
True
Sony Animation before: *eternal Hotel Transylvania sequels.*
Sony Animation now: *three great movies in a ROW and a Hotel Transylvania sequel.*
I still haven't figured out who asked for more Hotel Transylvania.
Keep in mind, they are also making adult-oriented animated films in the future, two of which are made by Genndy Tartakovsky, the man who was in charge of Hotel Transylvania, as well as some other animated stuff you might have heard of. I believe Black Knight is going to be amazing when it releases, and feel somewhat hopeful for Fixed.
Also Sony: Makes the EMOJI MOVIE
Wasn't Angry Birds 2 made in 2019 by Sony, which was AFTER Spiderverse? So it isn't really a row.
@@DatJaneDoeArchive Celly herself theorized that Genndy makes more and more Hotel Transylvania movies simply to get money for his own ambitious and often adult oriented creations.
Can we mention how the male and female leads ended up as friends??? Finally, a lovely representation of a close male-female friendship!
He did ask her to go on a date with him. I feel like the movie was trying to push them as more of a romantic couple towards the end then continue the friendship
is everyone just missing the scene on the rooftop when they were about to kiss? lol. i think what they showed is that their friendship will always last and they left it open for possible and likely romance
@@frostymane7628 dates aren’t always sexual
@@bigboi2334 Romance are not always sexual either.
@@Nicamon yes I know
Raya and the Last Dragon: Top this.
Wish Dragon: Observe.
👌
Raya wasn t even that great tbh
@@sladey6541 that's kind of the point. I almost want to draw a picture of Long blowing a raspberry at the dragon from Raya.
as an avid dragon enjoyer i will never forgive raya for its garbage dragon design
wish dragon is whole proof that you dont need god like realistic rendering and textured animation to have good design and animation
@@louminouz As someone who likes Dragons A LOT Raya annoyed me
I'm glad that the movie is better than basically anyone could have hoped for. I'm still a bit on the lower-end in that I think it's just above average, but that's more than I was hoping for at the very least.
Also, Long has some of, if not the best animation I have seen all year so far. They use that rubber hose stretch so perfectly with his design to really bring his full comedic potential forward. Good job on them.
yes
The assets they use look a bit weird though.
I have a feeling that it's going to be like Storks when I watch it repeatedly its going to grow on me
Same
@@Merdicano Over and over, over and over again.
Get it, because rubber hose animation. Nice coincidence.
This movie was great. Loved that the lier reveal did not get drawn out.
That's was so satisfying
and when taking the whole plot into consideration, it kinda makes sense. He still is her best friend, which she didn't see in years, her current situation was very unnerving to any outsider and she knows Din as a person, so putting all together, she would perfectly understand everything that happened.
Yeah , that was so refreshing
i really love that it didnt
@@MrKlausbaudelaire I expected to get mad, but nope. I'm glad she understood
The fact that this movie is something more than what meets the eye really tempts me to check it out
Dont do it! It's worse than you think...
@@cloudyanimates7024 let the dude think for himself
I thought at first this was a Aladdin ripoff but it surprised me
"The Autobots battle to defeat the evil forces of the Dec-"
Oops, sorry. Wrong franchise.
I watched it and liked it and I’m 18 😅
It’s sad seeing critics on rotten tomatoes call it an “Aladdin rip off”. As if the writers were sneakily trying to copy the film and assume viewers just wouldn’t catch on 😂
Also funny because Aladdin was the second movie Disney made with that formula.
@@GaiashKetoji really what’s the other?
@@joelsytairo6338 Yeah, what's the other?
@@joelsytairo6338 They probably mean Cinderella
Exactly, can't understand why they don't see its actually being more faithful to the source material as well.
*CellSpex is honestly an underrated movie reviewer.*
Exactly
Indeed.
Yeah
ngl, she is literally one of my favourite movie reviewers, every time she post a new video is basically a holiday for me
This is true
What I really love is that Din is one of the few "pure of heart" characters that actually FEELS like they are pure of heart. Aladdin was a "diamond in the rough", yet the whole plot is centered on him lying so he could win a girl over, and the minute things got hard he was going to break his promise to free Genie, even though Genie literally spent *10,000 YEARS* in a lap and only wanted freedom.
Meanwhile, Din just wanted to see his friend and nothing else. The "pure of heart" thing gets used so much and yet its so rare when the characters are actually PURE OF HEART.
Kind of wished it got more advertising.
you used one of your wishes 😁
2 more we can get this done by noon
@Zoe Glow why do you link something completely irrelevent to the comment?
@@ToxicNoxic they dont trust their content to be good enough to get legitimate viewers
RIP your wish
I watched this movie in a hotel.
All I could think is “Wow this is actually pretty good”
I especially liked the ending Longs character got.
It is both subversive and heartfelt.
I think that's a signature phrase of this movie. "Wow this is pretty good."
Exactly. It completely fits in the rules of how this pipa god works and shows just how developed Long became.
i love how the hair and fur are animated in the movie. i want to touch it.
They might be really feathers!
-IT'S SO FLUFFY-
I wasn't inclined to watch this because I didn't really like the art style or the dragon design, but you make it sound really worth watching.
Look
You need to have experienced like, A LOT to understand it's true meaning
If you weren't the golden child that suddenly didn't wanted to have a purpose anymore, you'll compare this to Aladdin
But this is so much more refined and perfect than Aladdin when it comes to themes
as someone with really high expectations of animated movies im reccommending you to watch this movie, the animation style is basic but the movements are actually amazing and the comedy is so well timed. Plus at least the dragon design looks like an actual dragon compared to whatever Raya has got going on
not to overhype. This kind of movie is one that can be easily misunderstood as a cheap story with nothing special to add, but for me it was a delightful evening watch with family. It was fun, and if you're a fan of wacky animation physics then the fight scenes will be especially engaging.
The four horsemen of cuteness: The fluffy wish dragon, the new Sonic movie design, Live action Pikachu, Baby Yoda
Baby Souls from Soul?
And the 234 Puppies!
I was immediately nervous after seeing the trailer about whether or not the “liar revealed” thing would work. I’m so glad that it ended up going a different direction!
Also, _infinite_ bonus points for not forcing an unnecessary romance into Din’s motivation!
Also also, thank you CellSpex for pointing out that this movie _doesn’t_ do those things so I know that I should definitely watch it!
EXACTLY
There's nothing wrong about a healthy friendship
Yee
@@sapofazbemechaebom1594 I agree!
agree because I love their platonic chemistry
@@sapofazbemechaebom1594 It didn’t have to be in-your-face romantic, since they’ve known each other when they were children.
I've always *wished* Wish Dragon would be another Sony masterpiece.
Finally another film that can stand next to cloudy with a chance of meatballs, hotel transivania, and spiderverse
Bam dum tiss!
@@EthanMastercrafter Don't forget "The Mitchells vs. The Machine". That was good one.
@@axelmationz Oh yeah that one was incredible as well
You probably didn't noticed the jade teapot next to you when you made that wish xD
Saw this a few days ago and knew you'd love it! More platonic main character relationships please!
Din and Lina weren't in love with each other
@@leonardofarias8843 Exactly, and I love this movie for it
Yeah, I’ve gotten pretty sick of the every opposite gender of the main character ALWAYS having to date them, it feels forced. The platonic relationship is one of the reasons I adored this movie
The plot was sooo predictable but as a Chinese Canadian this movie still made me cry multiple times. Why? I saw myself in it! THIS is why representation matters so damn much!
Like I knew who the villain was 1/4 into the film but I still loved it!
Oh and Aladdin actually originated as a Chinese story. So this isn’t a copy of Aladdin.
My brother guessed it from the very beginning, but we still absolutely enjoyed it. Also your point on representation is so important! I loved that this movie not only featured Chinese people in its entirety, but VAs were all Asian(I think they were all also Chinese, but not 100%) as well. I hope more films like this get created. It’s nice to see this🥺🥺
@@a.a.6318 And the designs of all the characters despite having that cartoon element were really on point with the facial traits of Chinese people too. Really happy for you happiness, guys! 👍🏻
I mean the villain is blatantly shown to the audience upon their introduction, so…
Aladdin originated as an Arabic story set in China, which is nothing like how China actually was because it was how Middle-Eastern people imagined it.
Right? I'm Chinese Australian and I think a lot of non Asian or non Chinese people don't understand the depth of the references in this movie
i was scared the story was going to be exactly like aladdin but actually it felt like a much better version of aladdin
For me it felt modernized
The main dude not being able to go to Nomani: Fine Suits and instead having to go to Nomoney: Fine Soots was one of the best visual gags I’ve ever seen in an animated film.
I've heard so many times that Aladdin was originally Chinese and that his mom was still around and low and behold! Obviously its super modern, but probably still more accurate to the original than the Disney film then,
It's not really that accurate to the story (there's no cave here, no ring genie, or even an evil wizard), and the China in that story was completely Muslim.
It's still a great movie, though.
Aladdin is from a group of middle-eastern folk-tales called 1001 Arabian Nights hence his name Aladdin (or علاء الدين which obviously isn’t Chinese and means nobility of faith) those folk tales are a big part of middle eastern culture, they’re everyone’s go to stories to tell their kids, I don’t know where you got the Chinese origin from but I’d like a source
Alright, I hate Aladdin (the movie) it’s not accurate to the original folk tale AT ALL and presents an overly glamourized version of the middle east. But just a bit of info, the original story of Aladdin most likely existed before the Chinese folktale and 2 stories being similar doesn’t make them the same story. Not only that but if you did even ONE TINY google search you would find out that Aladdin is part of the Arabian nights stories “Arabian” being the most important word in this instance. Now if you think that the story of Aladdin itself was ripped from Chinese folklore then you would ALSO be wrong because at the time Aladdin was created and 1001 Arabian nights itself was created China and the middle east had little to no contact at all. Now with all the cultural differences between China and the middle east WHY would the middle east take ONLY the story if Aladdin. Next time don’t spread false info about my culture without any research, let me remind you that there are in fact people who live in the middle east and no we don’t travel on camels.
@@doopdacoop4054 Okay, I sense I may have said something offensive. I've just heard multiple times over the years online that Aladdin, the character, was Chinese, and having never read 1001 Arabian Nights, had no reason to know one way or the other.
But just for the sake of research and thoroughness, Aladdin actually IS set in China and IS Chinese. The stories of "Aladdin and his magic lamp", "Ali Baba and the forty thieves" and "Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor" were added later by Antoine Galland in 1704. While the characters were Muslim and had Arabic names they were still technically Chinese.
Sources:
interestingliterature.com/2013/01/surprising-facts-about-aladdin/
www.pookpress.co.uk/project/history-original-aladdin-story/
@@kingofsomewhere8636 Okay, I wasn't talking about the Disney movie at all beyond that it's inaccurate, but you seemed to blow all that hate on me. Whatever, do you. But I did take your advice and did go to google, and guess what. Aladdin actually is Chinese! I thought maybe the character was an immigrant or something in the Middle East, and having never read 1001 Arabian Nights never had any reason to think otherwise. But thanks to you I did do some research, and the stories "Aladdin and his magic lamp", "Ali Baba and the forty thieves" and "The Seven voyages of Sinbad the Sailor" were all added to the original 1001 Arabian Night by Antoine Galland, and Frenchman who heard it from a Syrian man who heard it from a Chinese man, where the story was originally set and written in: China. So hey, we both learned something new!
Sources:
www.pookpress.co.uk/project/history-original-aladdin-story/
interestingliterature.com/2013/01/surprising-facts-about-aladdin/
Funny how a cotton candy dragon makes a better Genie than Will Smith.
Damm uncalled for
John Cho was so good in this
The fault with live action Aladdin was that they didn't handle jafar near as well as they could have. Also I'm always put off when there's a huge age gap between actors who are an on screen couple.
@@BrickLifeTV now let's see how doesn't try to make Koichi Yamadera and Steve Blum not facepalm at his Spike Spiegel performance
Wish Dragon as a whole is better than the crappy live-action Aladdin remake.
I could listen to Cellspex talk about ham sandwiches for 15 minutes and I wouldn’t get bored
You would get hungry
"A perfect, mainstream animated film with all the predictable attributes that implies."
So you consider it the Paddington 2 of animated cinema? In that case, I'm definitely watching it
I don't think they feel particular similar in their individual relation to the works that directly preceed them, Paddington feels in a very different way great, but other than that, that comparison has some merit, I think.
The only real issue I personally have with the film is, and spoilers,
the villains, who I felt added very little. Lina’s dad could’ve been a better main antagonist because he was like Long in the sense that he believed having money and everything in the world would make his daughter happy, which is why he was going after the teapot. His goals aren’t necessarily evil, just that he’s going to by any means necessary to see those goals fulfilled despite Lina’s actual wishes that she never needed money and fame, just her father to be happy, which is already something her father learns in the climax as is. I think it’d fit the theme of the movie much better, because as is the goons we got feel kinda disconnected and only exist because, obviously, a magic wish-granting being of any kind is going to be sought after by horrible people. Which I feel isn’t that interesting when Long’s character arc and his relationship with Din are satisfying enough to carry the weight of the narrative up until the pivotal moment Long’s arc comes to its climax when he finally puts someone’s life before his own and literally sacrifices himself to save Din, which admittedly would be a bit difficult to pull off without a villain of some sort, though there were some other options. Otherwise though, I don’t feel the villains add much at all minus that moment in the third act of the film, and feel more like window-dressing.
Other than that, the movie is spectacular in my eyes, and I don’t see why so many people are disliking it for the Aladdin comparisons. There’s definitely a lot to be compared in Wish Dragon to Aladdin, but again that doesn’t necessarily make it bad. Everything doesn’t need to explore new territories to be good, and even then the movie is fresh in its own ways.
A morally grey villain, I'd love that! I think the villain they went with could've been good if there was more time to flesh him out but ah well
100% Agree with you. I enjoyed everything about the movie, except for the villain. Initially I was stoked with the plot twist of Li Na's dad as the henchmen's boss, but in the end they made the bald guy the real villain. Which I thought was pretty cliché and unrealistic. It certainly would have been more impactful if the father was the antagonist.
In fact, I imagined Din and him having a face off on the high beams and he inevitably falling to his near death. It would still work and further emphasize his turning point. But since Long is considered the main character, that instead did not happen as you have explained.
He may make alot of new friends but Never Ever A Friend Like Genie!
I just watched this movie and the first thing I did was look up reviews to see if I wasn't the only one who thought it was incredible. Like no joke amazing.
As an Aladdin-type ( genie and wishes) movie I was taken aback. I related to the character soo much... a bit too much might I add. The comedy was amazing, The plot despite being done before felt unique, and the message in the movie stood out perfectly. I got nothing but good things to say about this film. 9.9/10 in my book
Something Sony animation does very well : emotional narrative, rather than its actual story narrative which is not the most creative or original. Which makes us feel for the character in the movies
How do they do emotional narratives well? CWACOM 2's scene of Flint getting humiliated at the ceremony was a beat-for-beat recreation of the first movie's intro and caused by his dumbass monkey that he was somehow allowed to bring to the ceremony, Spiderverse's Aaron death scene was nothing it just filled me with anger and confusion. Aaron had no reason to work for kingpin and if he didn't, he wouldn't have gotten himself in that situation to begin with. Hair Love featured a pointless story of a dad trying to do his daughter's hair at the last minute and made her cry all because his ass wanted to give up.
@LaBrava Altonia The emotional scenes were the worst part of the story imo. Particularly with Aaron's death scene. The premise was neat but it could've done its characters a whole lot better.
@@aletanook I don’t blame you on the Spiderverse thing, in fact I don’t even care about Spider-verse if there’s not much character to it. I actually didn’t mind CWACOM1&2, the TV series, on the other hand…
@@robbiewalker2831 I only liked Cloudy 1, that's the only sony movie I really liked.
@@aletanook you need to watch the mitchells vs the machines. It is very apparent there
While I personally didn’t enjoy it, I’m really glad this movie is getting love given how much it was going through development and barely got any advertisements.
Long is my favorite character. He’s so cute, so soft, so floofy, I JUST WANNA HUG HIM. Okay but for real, I’m glad more people are discovering and actually watching this film. It has its flaws, but it has its own spin on the whole genie, 3 wishes only thing. Also, as a Chinese American, I love that actual Chinese Americans are casted. I mean to be honest, I understand why Sony refused to push Wish Dragon’s marketing, but at the same time, it’s not a bad film. It’s not the BEST, but it is GOOD. It’s cute and enjoyable, despite being contemporary and at times cliche, but sometimes, that is all we need.
I will admit the characters and backgrounds do look like they came from a Disney Junior show. The big budget animation studios have spoiled us with intricately detailed character models, clothing, and backgrounds. Here, everything looks a bit plastic aside from the fur on Long and the hair on the human characters' heads. I mean, they could've given the main human character something a little more exciting than a plain white t-shirt. A part from that, I agree, it is a good movie. The story, though predictable, is pleasant and so are the characters.
I appreciate the fact they didn't just get together in the end. I'm really glad they stayed best friends
My only problem is that according to IMDB there is going to be a sequel. Which is supposed to focus on the protagonist as an adult who is supposed to be married and has children which in my opinion kinda ruins the point of the film. I hope it’s a joke…
I hope so, too. This kind of story best works as a standalone, especially with how little rep female-male platonic relationships get in media
@@a.a.6318 Friendships. Relationships get too much rep.
@@thevioletbee5879 let me change that. You're right
@@a.a.6318 Well, they are already close friends, I don’t see how them being married changes anything. We don’t have to see them being married in this story, I would be worried about how their relationship would be after marriage. Some say Marriage Partners are best friends, and if this movie DOES get a sequel, I wonder how they’ll make it work?
He literally asks her on a date, at least twice. I agree I don't want to see a sequel, but pretending they're "just" friends isn't accurate.
I love Celly and her videos! Why she's so underappreciated on this platform, I will never know.
This may be a unpouplar opinon but I like Wish Dragon more then The Mitchells VS the Machines
I haven't seen TMVTM but I definitely love Wish Dragon more than I expected.
While I personally prefer Mitchells, that’s purely because of how much I relate to its main character and love its aesthetic (plus queer representation in a general audience film and whatnot).
I like both the same.
IMO Mitchell’s Versus The Machines is fantastic, Wish Dragon is just alright.
I love platonic friendships with a potential hint of romance like in this and castle in the sky.
The sound byte of “I’m So Good at Yoga” from Crazy Ex Girlfriend was a surprise, but a welcome one
Came to the comments just to find this 💖
I don’t know but I love how the main characters didn’t become lovers.
I wouldn't have minded if it was romantic or platonic since they had chemistry either way but I'm happy to see the male and female leads not fall in love for once
I literally just finished watching this
Same and i love it! it was just incredible
I gotta say it, I was really pleasantly surprised about Wish Dragon. Definitely after seeing Spider-Verse and Mitchells, I'm indeed hooked on Sony Animation's streak of success, and after seeing it, it is another good win for them. I think despite being the retelling of Aladdin, the characters and key mystical figure here are so drastically different that make this story its own, specially by how charming and relatable Din and Li Na's story and friendship ended up being, and yes, Long was the BOSS and MVP right here on the movie, and I appreciated as well how great and nicely was the resolution of Li Na's dad. I think Wish Dragon would be what Storks feels to me, how by constant viewing it will get better and more entertaining for me. Wonderful surprise indeed 8/10
I loved the movie, well i mean it had it's ups and downs like all movies do but it was still fun to watch!!!
Cell just casually dropping that pic of Heaven's Design Team is golden
Also my favorite scene in this movie was Long slowly going insane in traffic
I gave Wish Dragon a watch after seeing you posted a video about it but before watching your video. It was honestly the best part of my day and I'm not sure if I would have gone for watching it without seeing the thumbnail of your video, so thank you for that. :)
It was very entertaining to watch the writers navigate around the expected pitfalls. Several times during the film I found myself ever so slightly cringing in anticipation and then sighing out of relief. MORE MALE/FEMALE PLATONIC FRIENDSHIPS!!!!
One of the few times I stopped watching the review and tossed on Netflix to see it to not be spoiled.
Legitimately worth every second, I was hooked the entire way through
One of my favorite part of the movie was the traffic scene. That was absolutely amazing and accurate, capturing the loud, overwhelming, and frustrating atmosphere. Also the small apartments, the different types of handwriting for the characters in that school scene, the food, the markets, and the skyscrapers being accurate to real landmarks so that if you know you’re geography you could figure out where this story takes place without being told (we could guess early on we’re in ShagHai just by looking at that one shot of the skyscraper) just feels so accurate. Even though the visuals aren’t as “detailed” as most movies (like Coco and the visually amazing land of the dead), there’s still so many details where you can feel like you’re actually in China.
I tend to use the word "perfect" to describe Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.
Also, finally, an ace approach to this kind of storyline. Childhood me would have been happy.
Something that made the movie for me is Lina and Dins hand size difference. It's SO CUTE
The Heaven's Design Team picture just made my whole day! I love that anime to pieces!
It's funny that people accuse this movie of copying Aladin when Aladin was originally a Chinese tale.
source?
The humor stood out to me. The story's alright, the animation is alright--but the amount of quick jokes that actually surprised me was pleasant and enjoyable!
Sounds like a good idea for a story. I might check this out later because I just finished Luca
It's a really good movie, also i need to watch luca. thanks for reminding me
You should really watch it. It’s a charming story about friendship with likeable characters and a very pretty setting.
I really loved Luca. It is just so freaking charming and just pleasant.
@@dylanweathers9727 and not to mention how pretty it is
@@chaotic-doxxer now that sounds promising!
Ngl, I was expecting an Aladdin type of plot only to be surprised at how I couldn’t try to predict what happens at the end. Great movie about humility and happiness too.
Holy crap Long is just Discord but toned down
When Din hugged Long in the end I was tearing up. It's such a good ending because all he has to do is go through 9 masters and he can be with his friend forever. It's a heartwarming ending. I love it.
I think "it's basically modern Aladdin but good" matches this movie because the ORIGINAL story of Aladdin supposedly IS ABOUT A CHINESE PEASANTBOY. (Or what the Middle East thought was Chinese like Aladdin equals Arab name but eh)
I was crying tears of happiness but THIS WHOLE MOVIE WORKS.
That’s your opinion
IMO, Aladdin is fantastic, Wish Dragon is just average. I really don’t remember anything about Wish Dragon besides Longs character arc.
Watched it with my nephew and it was way, way better than I expected. When I saw the title and Netflix thumbnail, I honestly thought it was a cheap rip-off, boy was I wrong. First, it focused on their friendship, instead of forcing an insipid romance. Second, it was so delicious to see the subversion of expectation everytime the movie approached a trope, the different responses and reactions from the characters, they felt genuine, real genuine. Yeah, the bad guys were pretty basic and simple, but provided just the right amount of comic relief and action scenes. And the taller henchmen always using his legs for literally everything was pretty hilarious. I'm so glad my nephew asked me to watch it with him.
I have the advantage of being bilingual Chinese English so watching it twice in both languages is sooo much more epic!
I’m so jealous 😭… I would love to learn mandarin but…
Korean and English is quite a damn jump ✋💀
Honestly, I have been loving the animation movies that have been coming out. They aren't groundbreaking, but it's sooo nice to have wholesome and enjoyable movies to just watch. This pandemic has been hard on so many people and I think we all needed a breather and a good laugh
You compared it to Hotel Transylvania, but with the more rounded designs it reminded me more of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs.
That's actually probably more accurate
@@CellSpex Yeah, I don't know about the more specific studio, but I think Cloudy was made under Sony too.
I legit saw this yesterday and just so happened to get this in my recommended now
I've been wondering if this movie would be good. This video title makes me excited
Whelp, you got me to watch it. And actually, yeah, I think I saw what you meant - between the punchy animation and the smooth remixing of the tropes, to keep you on board with everyone's behavior, it went down pretty easy.
Impact-wise, I don't think it ever topped that opening sequence, which was such a perfect, cartoonified blitz of what it's like to hit it off with a friend who gets you and vice versa. The rest pulled out shades of the top-tier slapstick, freewheeling fantasy, and lovable character mashup it could have been, while on its own, being just good enough to make me want more.
I think it’s good to compare this movie to Aladdin.. as a start. It gives people a point of reference, and from there on you can list the differences (ie. “It’s Aladdin but the genie is the one that gets character development”).
Also as a Mexican I continue to be surprised at how similar Chinese culture is to ours.
When the chicken joke at the beginning happened and I absolutely lost my shit laughing, I knew I was in for something special
Netflix drop the ball on marketing Wish Dragon.
Almost stopped watching at the restaurant scene, in fact even paused it. But that’s really when it starts to come into its own. Happily surprised.
Can’t wait for her Luca review, it was soooooooo fruity
@Zoe Glow help?
THEYRE LIKE 12????
@@howai4204 who the kids in the movie? nah their 19, didn’t watch it yet ? Don’t worry it won’t be a spoiler
@@howai4204 and? that doesn’t mean they can’t have a crush when there are tons of straight young couples in kids media everywhere.
@@howai4204 um so your telling me your 12 year old self never had a crush? that can’t be true
I saw a clip of this on FB and really wanted to watch it. I'm so glad you did a review of it.
This movie deserves _all_ the credit for being ballsy enough to make guys and girls friends. They don't always have to end up as a couple just because 'hehe peen need vagoo'
It also tossed my guesses and expectations of all the things that I thought might happen. Like.. the guy getting with the girl at the end, the weird foot villain guy having something freaky or unusual about his hands which would be why he keeps them hidden all the time, the girl's dad turning out to be evil.. All of those things, I was completely wrong about.
3:31 I love and appreciate the Heavens Design Team reference, I absolutely loved that show
Watched it today and loved it. It had that kind of storytelling qualities that I normally would have had expected from Luca. I think your review is a fitting take on the movie, so thumps up!
Honesty this movie was done dirty by the marketing team. I saw literally no ads and the trailer barely has any views for a major studio release. I only knew about cause I kept up to date on animated releases.
When Din closed the door, reopened it to give him his hot sauce, and saw the man had disappeared, then for the camera to pan out to show the man standing off to the side... I knew this movie would be special 😂
The 2 pop songs in this are still in my playlist.
I guess you could say that this movie sure was- a WISH come true! :D Ba dum tss!
also as a chinese i love the way it portrays the mom and the neighbours its so funny and actually relatable
Wish dragon was much better than I expected, especially because its goal was friendship, not romance. It felt… genuine? I also enjoy seeing Asian rep.
onward is my version of soap cutting or ASMR and i'm so glad that i found a way to describe it
I loved the movie, however, i couldn't help but feel this was wasted potential to do a gender bend on the Aladdin story ( i know it's not fair to compare them but hear me out). I think it would have been really interesting because it would have added a unique twist to the "pretending to be rich" part. We have also seen so many "rich girls with a golden heart" in this kind of films, so i would have liked to see the male version of that.
Still liked it though!
"i would have liked to see the male version of that."
You mean, like Cinderella?
@@autumnramble yeah but with a little more personality, which for the prince only happens on the third Cinderella movie. But i bet the world is big enough for two rich boys with a heart of gold. After all i could name 50 female versions of the trope off the top of my head
This is one of the rarest situations where the mascot character of an animated film is actually my favorite character.
I’ll make a couple of points about their relationship
1) he goes through a lot of effort to impress her
2) in the scene when they’re in the gift room, they look into each other’s eyes (again you don’t look at your “friends” like that)
3) in that same scene, after Li Na’s dad sets her up on a date with “Dan” . Din asks her “so, um, would you really like to-“ but Li Na replies with an emphatic “YES. Yeah. [chuckles]” before he could finish his sentence, implying that she’s interested in him in a romantic sense
4) in the alley scene after they use the dragon to fly. Din catches Li Na’s punch & they just stare each other (again these are nuances that show romantic connection, if you can’t see that then idk what to tell you )
5) when they’re on Din’s rooftop, he hands her his jacket they look away, to shy to make eye contact (this isn’t something you do in a platonic relationship) they then end up doing they’re pinky promise ending it with both staring into each other’s eyes for a good period of time before they get interrupted by the bright billboard . Din exclaiming, “it doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing, though “ and she LITERALLY BLUSHES
6) after that, Din finally asks her “what do you say we go for a real date?”
If you want to say thats it’s just strictly platonic, I’d suggest rewatching the movie. You can be best friends and still have feelings for each other.
Oh, fuck off with the whole "friends don't do that!" bullshit.
You don't make eye contact with friends???
I see your point, but I think it's great that they begin to have these romantic feelings toward one another AFTER they grow up and as they reconnect. I think his intentions toward LiNa were always platonic, but those emotions began to spark and grow as they spent more time with each other. Still very refreshing, in my opinion.
This movie was good enough for me too watch it 2 times in the same day, back to back
Same, I've seen it 3 times already!
Lowkey can't wait for the Luca review. The movie was so simple and sweet which was really neat, it didn't try to be ground breaking or revolutionary. It also showed how little things can be so big to kids. Also having the villain stay the villain was pretty cool. Of course there were some downsides like the dumb dad, overprotective mom, and chill grandma trope that is frankly overdone.
i watched this a couple of days ago and it was AMAZING
I personally prefer the relationship between Din and Long instead of Aladdin and Genie. Din and Long were perfect opposites who learn from each other and become better for it. Long literally sacrificed himself and sentenced himself to serve ten more masters instead of going to paradise, just to help his friend. Din also really listened to Long, and worked to protect him from those thugs who didn’t have pure intentions. It was really beautiful, and I really love them more than Aladdin and Genie. Especially as Din’s ultimate goal isn’t to be with a girl he saw once and fell in love with after an hour, but to find his friend and be friends again. I also love that when Din was about to make a bad last wish, rather than let him go through with it, Long showed him exactly why it would be a mistake. Even if they never see each other again, these two will be best friends forever.
(This is my opinion, please don’t start cursing me for it).
Wow, we have the same sentiment 🥰
I feel like I'm going to come back here every week and you're going to have a newly edited title each time.
Wow, two Wish Dragon reviews from two awesome animation reviewers in one day
We watched it last night based on your recommendation. My 11 year and I really enjoyed it.
I actually semi-disagree about the whole Midas Touch thing being illogical. Of course, we know that it ended badly for Midas but if you think about like it this, it's an ability that would guarantee lifetime wealth as long as you use it sparingly and when the price of gold is high. Also, for the villain who almost never takes out his hands anyway and, if need be, could also use it as a weapon, it seems like pretty much a win-win situation.
I'll definitely check this out now. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Luca, I absolutely loved it!
Sony Pictures Animation is on fire!! Can’t wait to see some of their future input! >:D
Please… ANYTHING BUT THE SPONDGERBOBLEM PLOBSICKLE
Seeing this video (with this title) show up in my subscription box, made me decide to check out the movie. I'm glad I did.
i recently heard Aladdin actually is a story that comes from China, the general plot at least, and the Arabian nights one was translated from french.
I love the midas touch wish, like the guy had only one gold hand, like he thought the only thing wrong with the original was that midas had both hands turn everything to gold, like oh, I fixed the problem with Midas's wish