SPOILER ALERT: the following article contains massive spoilers, including the ending. If you have not yet seen the movie, proceed at your own risk, or better, come back to this article later!
Din, a working-class college student with big dreams but small means, and Long, a cynical but all-powerful dragon capable of granting wishes, set off on a hilarious adventure through modern day Shanghai in pursuit of Din’s long-lost childhood friend, Lina. Their journey forces them to answer some of life’s biggest questions – because when you can wish for anything, you have to decide what really matters.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Wish Dragon Plot Summary and Synopsis
Din is a working-class college student in Shanghai who dreams to reunite with his childhood friend Li Na, who moved years ago from his neighborhood with her father, Mr. Wang, and lives a lavish life. One day, Din is given a teapot by an elderly man from which emerges a dragon named Long, whose job as a wish dragon granting three wishes to whoever holds the teapot.
Long informs Din every wish dragon must serve ten masters in order to enter the Spirit world, and Din is his 10th master. Subsequently, Din is chased off by a trio of goons, led by a man named Pockets, who were sent by Mr. Wang to recover the teapot in hopes of saving his failing business. Din uses his first wish to fight the goons and escape.
The next day, Din and Long make it to Li Na’s birthday party. Din makes his second wish to temporarily appear as a wealthy prince, hoping Li Na will notice him to rekindle their friendship. Li Na is disappointed when she realizes her father will not be attending her party. Din, keeping up with his wealthy cover-up, comforts her and they are asked by Mr. Wang (through a video call) to share a meal together. Long warns Din that Li Na would leave him as soon as she finds out his identity because of their different socioeconomic statuses.
At the date, Din asks Long for advice on how to act accordingly to his new status, but ends up upsetting Li Na in the process. They end up in Din’s neighborhood after the goons intercept them again.
Din reveals himself to Li Na and spend the rest of the day in the neighborhood, reliving their childhood pastimes. However, Li Na retreats claiming that she has responsibilities and expectations she needs to meet, hurting Din. Later that night, Din angrily asks Long to make him rich in a last-ditch effort to be respected. Long reveals to Din that in life he was a wealthy and powerful lord whose reign ended in loneliness and tragedy and was punished to become a wishing dragon.
He informs Din that his time as a wishing dragon is meant to serve as a means to understand the meaning of life and has failed to accomplish with all of his previous masters before Din.
After tracking down Din, Pockets betrays Mr. Wang by taking the teapot for himself and asks the wish dragon for his first wish to turn everything he touches to gold, and drops Mr. Wang from a large scaffolding. Li Na finds her father seriously injured while Din chases the goons.
During a fight atop Long’s back, Pockets inadvertently touches Long and himself, turning them both into gold statues. Long sinks to the bottom of a river as Pockets shatters to pieces against the ground.
Long finds his human self at the entrance to the Spirit world. Despite being tempted to go through the gates, he pleads with the guardian god of the gate to return to Din because he has not used his third wish. The guardian agrees, on one condition and Din uses his last wish to bring Mr. Wang back to life, and Long disappears.
Sometime later, Mr. Wang starts a restaurant with Din’s mother. Din, now working at the restaurant, finds a teapot like the one Long resided in and releases him. Long tells Din on the condition for his return to Earth was to stay and serve ten more masters.
Wish Dragon Ending
Din places the teapot on a carriage driven by the elderly man at the beginning, who is actually the guardian of the gate to the Spirit world.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).