History WesternAnimation / WishDragon

* AsiansEatPets: The opening sequence features Din and Li Na crying over their dead pet, Clucky the chicken, whom they raised since Clucky was a chick. They then take a bite out of a pair of drumsticks, implying that Clucky was being raised for food. Later in the movie, Din says he has no regrets because of how delicious Clucky was, but Mr. Huang claims that Din still puts flowers on Clucky's grave every year.

* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Gold is a heavy but pliable metal. So when the solid gold [[spoiler:Pockets hits the bridge]], the statue would not have shattered into dozens of pieces as shown, but more likely disfigured by the impact and maybe torn in two.]]

* ArtisticLicensePhysics:
** Gold is a heavy but pliable metal. [[spoiler: When solid gold Pockets hits the bridge, he would not have shattered into dozens of pieces as shown, but more likely disfigured by the impact and maybe torn in two.]]
** Given the height of the fall from the sky to the water, [[spoiler:it's very unlikely Din would have survived the impact.]]

* AngryChef: Subverted with Din's mom. When someone else is prepared her soup recipe she seems as if she's going to hit him before complimenting his cooking.

* AsiansEatPets: The opening sequence features Din and Li Na crying over their dead pet, Clucky the chicken. They then take a bite out of a pair of drumsticks, implying that Clucky was being raised for food. Later in the movie, Din says he has no regrets because of how delicious Clucky was, but Mr. Huang claims that Din still puts flowers on Clucky's grave every year.

* ButNowIMustGo: At the end, Long reveals [[spoiler:that in order for him to return to help Din, he has to serve another 10 masters. After a heartfelt hug, Din takes Long's teapot out to the street where he spies a familiar gray-bearded pipa player cycling towards him and gently adds the teapot to his cart.]]

* GenieInABottle: Or in this case teapot. Long, the wish dragon, is trapped in a teapot and made to fulfill the wishes of 10 masters before he can be freed.
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: [[spoiler:Long's new teapot for his second 10 masters run is gold and white, likely due to this being on more pleasant and voluntary terms compared to his grimy jade teapot during his bitter past.]]
* GoofyPrintUnderwear: When Din's cheap suit disintegrates it reveals his cloud-print boxers.

* HeavenSeeker: Long's trying to get to Heaven by serving 10 masters.

* IHatePastMe: Long doesn't initially feel this way about [[spoiler:his former life as a human lord. But after witnessing Din experience true happiness amongst his mother, Li Na, and their neighbors, Long starts to [[HeelRealization understand]] ''why'' he was BarredFromTheAfterlife. By the time he tells Din his backstory, it's with a lot more awareness of how horrible he was to his subjects and his family.]]

* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Din is given the teapot because he is pure of heart. Rather than wish for money or power, he insists that friendship is the most important thing. [[spoiler: This is tested when Li Na doesn't want to jeopardize all her father's done for her, prompting him to ask Long for that final wish of riches out of grief.]]
* InstantExpert: Din accidentally wishes to be able to fight, and Long makes him a kung fu master. He is very confused by his new reflexes.

* LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand: [[spoiler:This occurs with the soundtrack and a literal band when Long returns to the afterlife after sacrificing himself, only to beg to return to help Din. It is fitting that his noble act is given literally no fanfare, as Long [[CharacterDevelopment does not care about the praise anymore]].]]

* MockMillionaire: Din's wish for wealth is only for 24 hours as the thinks that's all he needs to be able to meet with Li Na.

* MundaneWish: When Tall Goon and Short Goon get their hands on the teapot, Tall Goon just wishes for enough puppies to open a pet store, while Short goon just wishes for longer legs. By the end, they're perfectly happy with the results.

* NeverMyFault: When Din is surprised that [[spoiler: Long used to be a ruler, the latter points out that he'd know this by now if he had bothered to notice the design on the teapot depicting his human self.]] In Din's defense, Long never bothered to let Din ask his question, which might've shed some light on [[spoiler: Long being human.]]

* NotSoAboveItAll: When Long first spots a bag of shrimp chips, he writes it off as peasant food. But one bite from it, and he quickly deems it "MAGNIFICENT" and gobbles it up. [[spoiler: What's more, Long was a ruler in his past life, giving it a certain [[PlayedForLaughs comedic effect]] that a [[TheEmporer Lord]] from the Qing Dynasty would come to like something as cheap and modern as ''shrimp chips''.]]
* NouveauRiche: Li Na and Mr. Wang.

* ParentsAsPeople: Mr. Wang works hard to give Li Na a better life, starting when they moved out of their apartment. The trouble is, Li Na was content to live there and be Din's friend. And she doesn't get happier with her "better life", as her rich career stifles her from being herself. His working hard to keep providing that "better life" also keeps him from spending quality time with Li Na like they used to. [[spoiler: He even goes as far as to hire the likes of Pockets and his associates so he can use Long's teapot to wish for more money and keep his business afloat. A choice that nearly costs his life ''and'' a chance to reconnect with his daughter, had it not been for Din's kindness.]] At the end of the day, however, everything Mr. Wang does is for the love of his daughter.
** Din's mother has shades of this. She's strict, assumes the worst on why Din is being secretive, and overbearing about how he needs to focus on his studies. But for the most part, she's also a caring mother whose strictness is actually a mixture of AngerBornOfWorry and ToughLove.

* PowerIncontinence: At Li Na's birthday party, a disguised Long gets a little tipsy and begins losing control over maintaining his human form.

* RestoredMyFaithInHumanity: At first, Long had a very bleak view of humanity, saying they're all money-hungry things, which is mostly due to [[spoiler: his own experiences as a human, but his time with Din's family and neighbors changed that.]]

* ShadowArchetype: Mr. Wang is more-or-less a reflection of what Din almost became, chasing a rich and "better" life and oblivious to how unhappy Li Na is. [[spoiler: Long is a reflection of the ''both'' of them. As a powerful ruler, he had more than enough riches. But instead of being content, he craved more treasure and sacrificed those closest to him in order to achieve it. He worked his loyal subjects to the bone, he had his daughters married off for political gain, and his sent his only son to conquer more lands (only for him to return a ''dead'' war hero). After everything he did to gain more wealth, Long died alone. In a twist, Mr. Wang almost died a similar death to Long, losing a chance to have a lasting relationship with his own daughter.]]

* TheStarscream: Pockets betrays [[spoiler: Mr. Wang as soon as he claims the teapot, and lets him fall to his death for good measure.]]
* StepfordSmiler: Mr. Wang's assistant insists that Li Na should smile and act more pleasant when she associates with other rich families. Sure enough, Li Na is forced to put on the biggest [[TheUnSmile painted-on smile]] while she claims [[BlatantLies her life is absolutely perfect]]. Her calling her forced smile a "game face" implies this isn't a rare occurance. It's only after her own father fails to come to her birthday that she has to excuse herself from the party and find a quiet, lonely place in her mansion ''just'' to have herself a good cry.

* TakenForGranite: When [[spoiler:Pockets]] gains the MidasTouch he can turn characters into gold statues.
* TemptingFate: As children, Din and Li Na make a [[ThePromise promise]] to be best friends forever together. Not long after, Mr. Wang moves out of the apartment, and he's set on making sure his daughter never looks back on their old life.

* TookALevelInKindness: Long by the end of the film, especially compared to [[spoiler: his life as a lord who sacrificed his family members to gain wealth and power]].
* UsedToBeATomboy: Li Na was a playful and spirited tomboy when she is a kid. She's now working as a beautiful model. [[spoiler:Subverted when more of her true personality comes out on the date: turns out she's just as rambunctious and fight hungry as she was as a kid, she's just been hiding it.]]
* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler: Long was once a powerful ruler before becoming a wish dragon.]]

%% =============
%%* BigBad: This movie doesn't actually have a BigBad just antagonists. Mr. Wang sets his mooks in motion in his search for the teapot, but his motives are not selfish, Pockets is an EliteMook but still just an antagonist. He steals the teapot and for a few minutes becomes the main threat, but isn't the BigBad.
%% =============

* ShoutOut: during their childhood, Din and Li Na watch an episode of ''Journey to the West-Legends of the Monkey King''.

* AnAesop: "Money can’t buy happiness."

* CommonalityConnection: Li Na first befriended Din after throwing a rock at a kid that mocked him for his mom being late picking him up. She's had experience with a father who couldn't always pick her up on time, and they hold hands to walk home together.

* NonIdleRich: Mr. Wang is too busy to attend his daughter's birthday party because he doesn't want them to go back to an impoverished life.

* DelightfulDragon: Long himself qualifies, while he does Start out a little jaded with people and is a bit snarky, he does grow and becomes a lot more friendly and caring towards Din.

** When Li Na tells "Dan" that she has met "someone from a respectable family ''[she] enjoys talking to''", Din is more focused on the part where she says "from a respectable family". The dramatic part is, this leads Din to look to Long to teach him how to act like a rich person, rather than rely on [[BeYourself being his kindly self]]. It ends just about as badly as you would expect.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:Din and Li-Na's families start a modest restaurant together, and due to Long agreeing to serve 10 more masters in order to return to Earth and grant Din's final wish, we see his teapot added to the Pipa God's cart to be taken to his next master.]]

* BigShutUp: Near the end, the nosy neighbors say this to one of their own when she jokingly comments that [[spoiler:Din and Li-Na are too young to be holding hands[=/=]pinkies]].

** In the [[AMinorKidroduction prologue]], Din and Li-Na try to fly a dragon kite and find themselves on an unexpected ride through the air. Ten years later, the two do the same thing while flying on an ''actual'' dragon, Long.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Li-Na suggests she and "Dan" have their date somewhere ''other'' than the fancy restaurant, both Din and Long fail to realize she means she wants someplace simpler and comfortable. Din thinks she means she wants to go to an ''even fancier'' restaurant. Building on that, Long thinks she's trying to finagle for a better venue.

** When Li-Na tells "Dan" that she has met "someone from a respectable family ''[she] enjoys talking to''", Din is more focused on the part where she says "from a respectable family". The dramatic part is, this leads Din to look to Long to teach him how to act like a rich person, rather than rely on [[BeYourself being his kindly self]]. It ends just about as badly as you would expect.
** Later, Li-Na tries to have a heart-to-heart with her father about the absence of meaningful relationships in their lives because of their focus on wealth. She tries to illustrate her point by relating how "Dan" is really Din, and that they had a great time together ''despite'' his lack of wealth. However, instead of listening to what his daughter is saying, Mr. Wang instead [[spoiler:pieces together that Din is the one in possession of the teapot his mooks have been looking for. As such, he leaves his daughter in mid-conversation so he can go through with his plan of taking the wish dragon for himself so he can save his business and keep providing for Li-Na.]]

** As children, Din and Li-Na play with a dragon kite which bears a striking resemblance to Long.
** While wearing his "No-Money" suit, Din goes up to the rooftop to rehearse how he'll hook up with Li-Na for the first time in years using a digital billboard that displays one of her ads. But once her billboard image rotates away, Din's suit starts to fall apart. Much to his chagrin, it's nearly fallen to pieces before Li-Na's image re-appears. This frames how [[spoiler: Din's wish to be rich for only 24-hours wears off while Li-Na's back is turned, and she turns to see "Dan" as Din.]]

** While disguised as a valet, Long's eagerness to enter Li-Na's party as a guest (and his disappointment at having to take the servant's entrance) [[spoiler: foreshadows his noble background.]]

* HeelRealization: Witnessing Din and Li-Na enjoy their meaningful connections with friends and neighbors alike is what makes Long realize [[spoiler: where he went wrong in his previous life as a human ruler. Before, he was convinced that his [[BarredFromTheAfterlife banishment from entering heaven]] and being made a wish dragon were undeserved on his part. But by the time he shows Din his backstory, he has a sobering comprehension that he deserved his punishment for his terrible treatment of his servants and family alike.]]

* IHatePastMe: Long doesn't initially feel this way about [[spoiler: his former life as a human lord. But after witnessing Din experience true happiness amongst his mother, Li-Na, and their neighbors, Long starts to [[HeelRealization understand]] ''why'' he was BarredFromTheAfterlife. By the time he tells Din his backstory, it's with a lot more awareness of how horrible he was to his subjects and his family.]]
* ImpossibleShadowPuppets: One of the first activities Din and Li-Na did together as children is playing shadow puppets. While they initially make simple shapes like rabbits and a dog-like creature, it quickly escalates into impossible shapes like the Monkey King and dinosaurs.

* IsThisThingStillOn: During her birthday party, the DJ announces a daddy-daughter dance between Li-Na and Mr. Wang. However, Mr. Wang is too busy to even attend the party, and instead, Li-Na is left standing on the dance floor alone. To add insult to injury, Li-Na hears the DJ remark "Who doesn't come to his own daughter's birthday?" before said-DJ realizes he didn't turn off the mic.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Long may be speaking as [[spoiler: a former ruler who hails from a time when wealth was everything]], but he's not wrong to say it was wrong for Din to lie and tell Li-Na his name was Dan. And he also has Din pegged that he's letting his poor background keep him from being honest with [[NouveauRiche Li-Na]] about not being rich.
* KarmicJackpot: As the pure of heart person he is, Din [[spoiler:uses his last wish to bring Li-Na's father back to life. This earns the respect of Mr. Wang, who visits Din's home to thank him. Lin's mother offers them dinner and he realizes it's the most delicious soup he's ever had. This in turn leads to Mr. Wang helping Din and his mother start a restaurant. Li Na ends up working the business end of the restaurant allowing Din the opportunity to be financially stable ''and'' be together as friends again.]]

* ParentsAsPeople: Mr. Wang works hard to give Li-Na a better life, starting when they moved out of their apartment. The trouble is, Li-Na was content to live there and be Din's friend. And she doesn't get happier with her "better life", as her rich career stifles her from being herself. His working hard to keep providing that "better life" also keeps him from spending quality time with Li-Na like they used to. [[spoiler: He even goes as far as to hire the likes of Pockets and his associates so he can use Long's teapot to wish for more money and keep his business afloat. A choice that nearly costs his life ''and'' a chance to reconnect with his daughter, had it not been for Din's kindness.]] At the end of the day, however, everything Mr. Wang does is for the love of his daughter.

* ShadowArchetype: Mr. Wang is more-or-less a reflection of what Din almost became, chasing a rich and "better" life and oblivious to how unhappy Li-Na is. [[spoiler: Long is a reflection of the ''both'' of them. As a powerful ruler, he had more than enough riches. But instead of being content, he craved more treasure and sacrificed those closest to him in order to achieve it. He worked his loyal subjects to the bone, he had his daughters married off for political gain, and his sent his only son to conquer more lands (only for him to return a ''dead'' war hero). After everything he did to gain more wealth, Long died alone. In a twist, Mr. Wang almost died a similar death to Long, losing a chance to have a lasting relationship with his own daughter.]]

* ShoutOut: during their childhood, Din and Li-Na watch an episode of ''Journey to the West-Legends of the Monkey King''.

* StepfordSmiler: Mr. Wang's assistant insists that Li-Na should smile and act more pleasant when she associates with other rich families. Sure enough, Li-Na is forced to put on the biggest [[TheUnSmile painted-on smile]] while she claims [[BlatantLies her life is absolutely perfect]]. Her calling her forced smile a "game face" implies this isn't a rare occurance. It's only after her own father fails to come to her birthday that she has to excuse herself from the party and find a quiet, lonely place in her mansion ''just'' to have herself a good cry.

** As a child, Li-Na used to wear her hair in a ponytail, reflecting her child-like innocence as well as her adventurous tomboy attitude. Ten years later, she wears her hair down since it suits her modeling career, signifying how her rich life has cost her personal happiness and the freedom to be herself. Later, when she and Din are running from the bad guys, Li-Na putting her hair up to psych herself for a fight shows [[HesBack she never quite lost her tomboyish spirit]].
*** Alternatively, the extent to which her hair is tied back indicates how much control Li-Na has over her life. When she's a child, she has it in a partial pony-tail atop her head, since she knows what she wants, but her father has the ultimate say in moving out of her childhood home. Years later, her hair is down, and all the rich people in her life are shoving sponsorships in her face as though it were a one-sided conversation. During [[spoiler: hers and Din's run-in with Pockets and his crew]], Li-Na puts up her hair in a complete ponytail, reflecting how she's taking back complete control over her life.
** While crying over her father not showing up at her birthday party, Li-Na hides inside a tiny fort made up of her own presents, giving a sense that she feels [[LonelyRichKid trapped]] inside her materialistic lifestyle, on top of feeling lonely from having no meaningful connections outside her absent father.

* TemptingFate: As children, Din and Li-Na make a [[ThePromise promise]] to be best friends forever together. Not long after, Mr. Wang moves out of the apartment, and he's set on making sure his daughter never looks back on their old life.
** During her date with "Dan", Li-Na voices how nice it feels to have someone who listens as he does. Meanwhile, Long tells Din "Now completely ignore her (and she's yours)."

* WeNeedADistraction: During the party, Din distracts the partygoers with a makeshift kung-fu performance in order to help [[spoiler:Li-Na whose father was not present for the father-daughter dance which made things awkward for everyone]].

* YourMakeUpIsRunning: Li-Na has this when she cries to herself in a lonely spot in order to vent over how she has no friends or meaningful connections in her life (her own father not showing to her birthday party being the last straw).

** To get Din to burn through his wishes quickly, Long tries to convince Din to use a wish to clear traffic.
** The Short Goon and Tall Goon play with this trope, where their first (and only) wishes have Short get longer legs while Tall gets a ton of puppies to open a pet store with. While their wishes could be considered wasteful because they don't involve vast power or wealth, by the end of the story they are both immensely satisfied and content with the results.

** In order to accomodate the many trappings of being rich into a single wish, Din limits the wish to 24 hours so right while he's in the middle of his "date" with Li Na, his fancy attire and expensive watch all vanish leaving him in a t-shirt and jeans.

* KarmicJackpot: As the pure of heart person he is, Din [[spoiler:uses his last wish to bring Lin-Na's father back to life. This earns the respect of Mr. Wang, who visits Din's home to thank him. Lin's mother offers them dinner and he realizes it's the most delicious soup he's ever had. This in turn leads to Mr. Wang helping Din and his mother start a restaurant. Li Na ends up working the business end of the restaurant allowing Din the opportunity to be financially stable ''and'' be together as friends again.]]

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Din's claim of a three-week-long traffic jam has some truth to it. In the middle of the year 2010, China's G110 highway became heavily congested and suffered a series of jams, with the biggest one keeping people trapped for 10 days straight.

* WhamLine: When Mr. Wang steels his resolve to keep giving Li Na a better life despite [[spoiler: his business will foreclose soon, he turns away from the audience's view and retains the silhouette of the Pockets' mysterious client. ...while he calls them ''[[TheUnmasking as the client]]''.]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Out of despair, Din uses his last wish for instant immense riches. Long summons a magical cloud...only to take him to a desolate desert, indicating that he hasn't granted the wish. Long then reveals the entirety of his life as a rich emperor who abandoned everything for wealth, only to die alone with his kingdom lost to history.]]

* UnresolvedSexualTension: [[spoiler: The film never reveals if Din and Li Na would stay friends or become lovers, leaving it all up to the viewer's interpretation.]]