'Raya and the Last Dragon' Review
PG: Some violence, action, and thematic elements
Runtime: 1 Hr and 47 Minutes
Production Companies: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Director: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada
Writers: Qui Nguyen, Adele Lim
Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, Izaac Wang, Thalia Tran, Alan Tudyk
Release Date: March 5, 2021
Theaters and Disney+ (Premier Access)
Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she'll learn that it'll take more than dragon magic to save the world — it's going to take trust as well.
Lately, I’ve felt a disconnect from the films made by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Their projects during the 2010s had range but I find myself reminiscing on that experimental era from the early 00s where they took risks with sci-fi or fantasy flicks that focused on rich worldbuilding, grand storytelling, with an emotional core and a surprising dose of heavy swashbuckling action. To my surprise, Raya and the Last Dragon delivers on that early ‘00s Disney nostalgia that I’ve been craving by drawing inspiration from Southeast Asian culture to create a fantastical world and tell a powerful story about unity and trust in a time we need that lesson most.
When Pixar isn’t upping the ante in terms of animation quality, their next-door neighbors at Walt Disney Animation Studios are. The animation in Raya and the Last Dragon is utterly breathtaking. The animators poured their soul into creating this mythical Southeast Asian world with every intricate detail imaginable. The different lands that compose the once united nation of Kumandra — which is now divided into Heart, Fang, Spine, and Tail — all have their own specific styles and flairs and it’s visually spectacular. Much like Frozen II, the environments have an impressive hyper-realistic look that helps the characters and creatures in this world integrate so beautifully. You can tell that they wanted to respectfully and accurately represent the community by bringing their cultures and traditions to the forefront. Much like Avatar: The Last Airbender, the film uses a unique blend of Asian culture, history, and tradition as a vessel for a badass world that holds so much life. From the food to the architecture and wardrobes, there is a satisfying richness to the visuals and details. It’s one of the first animated movies in a long time that made me want to live in its world due to how beautifully fleshed out it is. While it’s clearly a Disney movie, the animation team played with different art styles and paid tribute to the styling from the communities it took inspiration from.
The film gives you an explanation of how the broken nations of Kumandra were once united, but because of human squabbling, they became divided and unleashed dark spirits called the Druun, which turn everything living in their wake to ash. Raya, a young warrior princess (more the former than the latter) who lives in Heart, along with her father, Chief Benja, are the sole protectors of the Dragon Gem, which was created by the last of the magical dragons to protect them from the Druun.
Benja invites the other lands’ leaders to a feast in hopes of uniting and making a better future for his daughter. Raya befriends Namaari, a fellow princess from the land of Fang who shares a common interest in dragons. When Raya shows Namaari the gem, Namaari takes advantage of Raya’s trust and tries to take the gem for her land. This results in all the leaders arguing, breaking the gem, and the Druun being unleashed. Six years later, Raya sets out to awaken the magical Sisu and gather the pieces to restore the gem and the nation.
The film’s narrative features a theme of trust that is relevant right now. Raya experiences a Shakespearean betrayal courtesy of Namaari, who she simply wanted to befriend, and to see the effects of what she faced makes you sympathize with her, completely validating her trust issues. When the older, colder Raya awakens the magical dragon Sisu, the theme of trust becomes the core of the film. Sisu is a direct contrast to Raya, for she is upbeat and optimistic, seeing the glass as half full in nearly every situation. Since Sisu has not seen the world in 500 years, she’s a little out of touch with how cruel it’s gotten. I love how writers Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim committed to the contrasting ideologies, for I saw so much of myself in both of the titular characters. I saw much of my current self in Raya, the cold, lone warrior who has a hard time trusting people because they’ve been misled by those they were kind to. I saw much of my younger self in Sisu, who tries to see the good in everyone. Nguyen and Lim do a great job setting their characteristics, along with their ideologies, apart. The story they tell and the adventure they embark on are absolutely riveting to experience.
The supporting characters are all likable yet complex humans. Raya and Sisu find companions to join them on their quest, including a 10-year-old entrepreneur, a warrior giant, and the cutest little con baby with her own team of monkey-like creatures who all deal with a loss in such a harrowing manner. The film is relatively dark and the emotional character moments feel too real, especially with the current pandemic situation where many people had to face similar tragedies. It doesn’t sugarcoat the cruelness of the world and the weight of loss.
The voice performances by the Asian ensemble are also great. I’m so glad Disney is giving Kelly Marie Tran the shot she deserves with a new iconic, badass female heroine, and her voice acting as the titular Raya is incredible. She brings so much energy and emotion to her role that I wasn’t just hearing Tran, but a solid character who you adore. The same goes for Awkwafina, who brings so much heart to the lovable dragon Sisu, which anyone would want to have as a friend. While she does provide some awkward comedy, her optimistic and sweet nature combined with her lack of awareness of the new world makes for some hilarious moments.
Raya maintains a consistent tone for the most part in terms of balancing comedy and action. Let me tell you, all the action set pieces are exhilarating and fun. One location evokes the style of a heist flick while another provides the feel of an adventure film straight from the ‘80s, and other set pieces feel like a straight-up action flick. Though it sounds like it tackles so much, it truly bears its own identity to keep you enthralled the entire time. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an R-rated cut out there because, while the body count is not that high, the fight sequences are brutal for a PG film, especially when Raya and Namaari are battling. It’s well-choreographed, the sound design as their punches and kicks land is effective, and John Newton Howard’s badass score complements every scene. It reminded me of the ambitious action-oriented early ‘00s when Disney deviated from the renaissance era. All I can say is more of this, please!
Despite having its own identity and great characters across the board, it still feels as if some chief creative executive said, “Yo, we need to coat it with the Disney formula. The lead protagonist needs to have a single parent, a super cute animal sidekick to sell as merchandise (though Tuk Tuk rules and is absolutely adorable), and we need to borrow some story elements from our back catalog to help establish this world.” While I wasn’t completely bothered by the Disney formula material that we’re all too familiar with, I couldn’t help but mumble to myself, “Okay, this is borrowing from Moana. Now it’s borrowing from ten other Disney movies.”
That aside, I absolutely adored Raya and the Last Dragon. It’s crazy how this is the second time Disney is utilizing the Premiere Access model, but this time it’s for a deserving film. I cannot wait to see this again but on a big IMAX screen.
After I experienced an endless series of traumatic events last year that resulted in me gaining major trust issues, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON came along at the perfect time. The film delivers its central theme of trust in such a creative manner while telling a tight, rich, and fantastical story. It’s a remarkably poignant and exquisitely animated adventure that delivers the thought of something foreign to all of us lately: hope.
