The following article has spoilers for the film, Raya and the Last Dragon.
It has been over four years since we last got an original Disney animated feature film.
While it was fun to catch up with fan-favorite characters in Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen II, sequels to Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen respectively, I have to admit, seeing Raya and the Last Dragon, a brand new story with all new characters, was like a breath of fresh air. Or perhaps, more appropriately, like a splash of fresh water.
Raya and the Last Dragon was one of the many movies affected by the pandemic. It was originally meant to be released in November of 2020, which is the usual slot for Disney’s animated movies. However, it was more than just the movie’s release that was affected by COVID-19.
According to Jennifer Lee, the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios and director of the film, this was “the very first [film] to be produced at home. Over four hundred different homes at that.”
Everything from animation to story-boarding to voice work was produced from the homes of the talented members of the Disney animation team. Raya and the Last Dragon is a groundbreaking film in many ways.
Firstly, it is the first Disney animated movie to draw inspiration from Southeast Asian culture and feature a Southeast Asian leading lady. Raya is voiced by the incredible Kelly Marie Tran, who you may know as Rose Tico from the Star Wars sequel trilogy. After The Last Jedi, there was a lot of backlash from the fans because of the character of Rose, and many directed their displeasure at the actress herself.
In Tran’s words, this sent her “down a spiral of self-hate, into the darkest recesses of my mind, places where I tore myself apart, where I put their words above my own self-worth.”
I, for one, am proud to see Tran emerge from those ashes to become a literal Disney princess.
This movie also featured some of the most breathtaking animation that I have ever seen. In the 2016 film Moana, I was blown away by the beauty of the animated water, which, as the movie was inspired by Polynesia, there was a lot of. Water played an equally important part in this movie.
The titular dragon, Sisu, the last dragon, is a water dragon. Most of the powers she gains throughout the movie have to do with water. Water is one of the forces that can repel this movie’s antagonistic force, the Druun. And at this point, Disney is just showing off how well they can animate water. Every river, lake, channel and drop was truly a work of art.
One of the other things that made this movie so wonderful was its main theme. Raya’s family has been guardians to a magical Dragon Gem that has protected their kingdom, Kumandra, for five hundred years against the Druun. But when it was created, instead of uniting the people, it divided them, as they all wanted the Gem.
After the Gem breaks and the Druun return, Raya goes looking for the last dragon to rebuild it. However, what ultimately restores the Gem is Raya’s trust in the friends she has made from enemy clans, even her long-time enemy Namaari.
The idea of unity was particularly poignant as we are in the midst of a pandemic that has divided many when it should have brought us together. Raya and the Last Dragon is currently in theaters or available on Disney+ for an additional fee of $29.99. I know I can’t speak for everyone, but I certainly think that Raya was worth the price and worth the wait.
Photo by Tate Walden
