Wish Dragon (2021)

To be fair, I didn't expect much. Having pretty much watched everything on Netflix over the past 18 months, I had spent over 30 minutes scrolling and clicking, seemingly in vain, for something interesting. So, in an effort to avoid defeat and an early bedtime, I thought that I'd at least give Wish Dragon a try. So glad I did. It turned out to be a heartwarming, well animated, expertly acted gem. It would be easy to think that this is a simple re-telling of the Arabian Aladdin story but in a Chinese setting, yet it's so much more than that. Indeed, a little research shows that the Aladdin tale originated in China. Instead, it's a well woven story of promises lost and refound, the value and endurance of real friendships, the importance (or lack thereof) of monetary riches and the true meaning of success in life. Animation and other production values are superb and polished, characters are eminently likeable (sometimes quite loveable!) and believably evil in equal parts. It's an hour and a half of pure joy. It has a warm, wholesome, fuzzy feeling in the same vein that The Iron Giant once did. Even for a cynical old sci-fi addicted geek like myself. Highly recommended.