Synopsis
Raya and the Last Dragon takes us on an exciting, epic journey to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well.
Review
I am a Disney fan. Unabashedly so. I find that whenever Disney has a new film being released that I hold an unordinary amount of hype around it and put it on a very high pedestal, even before the film has been released. I mean, can you blame me? They have had an excellent track record. Which is why it’s so weird to think that I didn’t think much of this film when I first heard about it. It flew under the radar for so long, and Disney had not been promoting as much as they do their more well-known fare. It had been relegated to the dreadful Disney+ for $30/in-theater rollout that ruined Mulan (2020) and just nobody was talking about it. Granted, we have been in the middle of a global Panda Express for a year, so everything is done to a lesser extent now, but still... it’s Disney.
That’s why I was so pleasantly surprised with Raya and the Last Dragon. It is spectacular. I had so much fun watching this film. It is about a group of nations, all a part of one larger broken nation called Kumandra. They are all fighting over control of the Dragon Gem, a stone that is imbued with the magic of the last dragons and is the guiding force behind the prevention of the Droon (again, I think I spelled that right), purple gaseous beings that turn people into stone. The nation of Heart currently has control of the gem, of which Princess Raya was recently made guardian. The other four nations of Tail, Fang, Spine, and Talon (all parts of a dragon) led by the leaders of Fang, all attempt to take this stone and this causes the stone to be broken into 5 pieces, with each nation taking one. Now the stone is broken, Droon are running amok turning everyone into stone, including Raya’s father, the leader of Heart. 6 years later, Raya goes on a quest to get the other 4 pieces and find the last remaining dragon, Sisu, to restore the broken nations to their ideal state of Kumandra.
This film is one of the first (if not the first, certainly the most significant) representations of South Asian culture in an animated or family-oriented film. It’s certainly the first one for Disney. That is a large part of what makes this film so beautiful. I love seeing communities represented that deserve it. This is long overdue. The character design is beautiful, and the world building is really strong. All the nations in this film have a distinct look and they all look amazing, whether they be desolate like the land of Spine or futuristic like Fang. They’ve really set themselves up well for a sequel, and let me tell you, it would be welcome. On that note, the animation in this film is beautiful, as per usual with Disney, but I think with this film, we are really starting to see Walt Disney Animation rival Pixar in terms of animation quality.
In terms of the story, this is a very heartwarming film. The story is not really anything new – the “ragtag group of misfits who has to save everyone” trope is not uncommon. It’s really the characters and the representation that set the film apart and make it unique. Now, the “ragtag group of misfits” part of it does get a little clumsy, in the sense that it, at a point, doesn’t feel as it is “Raya and the Last Dragon” but more like “Raya and the Last Dragon, and a baby, and 3 monkeys, and another kid, and another man, and an animal.” It’s kind of the opposite of 2020’s Birds of Prey (weird comparison, right?). That film was advertised as a group outing when it’s more of a solo venture. This film is advertised as a two-hander when it’s actually a group outing. So, it loses a little bit of focusthere, but otherwise, I didn’t see much wrong with this film. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The voice work in Raya is great. Kelly Marie Tran is basically telling those The Last Jedi haters to kiss her ass because she kills it here, but the real scene-stealer is Awkwafina as Sisu. We know Awkwafina to be a scene-stealer from Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8 and a lead from The Farewell (WATCH THE FAREWELL!!!), but her character here was so great. She provides a lot of the funny moments here. The film is also very funny, but she has a lot to do with it. Though I think they distract from the story a bit, the supporting cast of characters are fun to watch on-screen. I can already see the Tuk-Tuk stuffed animals now. Also, Gemma Chan as Namaari, the film’s antagonist, is particularly good.
This film has a great message about trust and friendship and how you need to work together to get through things (what is a Disney movie without a message). So, I think this is a good movie for kids, especially. Even though it is a kids’ movie, this is fun for the entire family. Parents should not be bored. Unfortunately, I think this film will not get the audience it deserves and will be overlooked. I don’t know if it’s due to the fact that it’s South Asian characters (I hope it’s not that) or the $30 paywall on Disney+, but I just want to say to please see this film. I was very surprised by this film and it is worth your time. And if you think about it, $30 is less than you would spend for a trip to the theater with the whole family anyway, so there you go.
