“Raya and the Last Dragon” Review
Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, (Left) stares at her new-found companion Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina, in “Raya and the Last Dragon.”
While Pixar had two great films come out in 2020, “Onward” and “Soul,” Walt Disney Animation Studios hasn’t turned out any original work since “Moana” back in 2016, sticking mainly to sequels. “Raya and the Last Dragon” is an incredible return to original storytelling from Disney and features an incredible fantasy world, great voice-acting and a wonderful message for viewers of all ages.
Set in the fictional world of Kumandra, a mystical world made desolate by a vengeful spirit called the Drunn, the film follows Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, as she scours the world looking for the last dragon Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina. Upon finding her, Raya and Sisu go on a quest to find pieces of the Dragonstone across the five kingdoms of Kumandra to restore Sisu’s powers and destroy the Drunn.
Among the film’s strengths is its characters. Raya is one of the best heroines in Disney’s history as she is strong and able to fend for herself while also having flaws in her character that must be solved by the film’s end. Due to the incredibly hostile nature between the five kingdoms and the subsequent decimation of the country by the Drunn, Raya has issues trusting others and has spent years surviving.
Sisu provides a perfect contrast as she has been brought back from a 500 year slumber and is naive of the world she’s in. However, she’s much more trusting than Raya and so the two have to learn from each other to be better. The film also boasts very entertaining supporting characters who slowly join Raya to form a band of unlikely heroes. What makes the group of characters even more wonderful is that they each come from different kingdoms and break down Raya’s assumptions about outsiders.
“Raya and the Last Dragon” may have a lot of characters but the film’s story is just as strong. There’s the perfect balance of action and slow, contemplative moments to satisfy both children and adults.
The world of Kumandra is incredibly well-established, with all the five kingdoms surrounding a giant body of water shaped like a dragon, being named after different parts of the dragon (heart, fang, spine, etc.) having different terrains (tundra, water, desert, etc.).
Raya (Left) prepares to duel her enemy Namaari, voiced by Gemma Chan, in a scene straight out of a Akira Kurosawa film.
As per usual with Disney, the animation is incredible and the range of movement is fascinating with the action being fast-paced and seamless and the emotional moments being just as natural as a live-action feature.
The film certainly has origins with Asian storytelling with the entire voice cast made up of Asian actors, the world and dragons being designed like Japanese myths and the scale of the film resembling classic Japanese cinema. When characters square up to fight, it feels like the filmmakers watched the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa and tried to replicate the duels of “Yojimbo” or “The Hidden Fortress.”
Not only does the film provide entertainment for children, it also has a powerful message about societal change and the dangers of xenophobia. In order for the character of Raya to bring peace to the world, she must trust people from different nations and that change is easier said than done. Raya doesn’t just instantly change her outlook on the world, she’s been through too much for that, but has to slowly open up to her companions.
The film’s only major flaw is with its humor which is hit and miss. Most of the jokes feel dated, but there’s not too much reliance on humor. For the most part, it’s a fantasy adventure with drama and action at the forefront.
“Raya and the Last Dragon” is one of the most intriguing films Disney has made in a while and, with many Disney films getting unnecessary sequels, this film left me wanting more in the best possible way.
