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A Review of “Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)”

 

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Raya and the Last Dragon is an original (oh thank god) Disney animation movie that was overshadowed because it’s $30 on Disney+ and it came out the same day as the WandaVision finale. I was intrigued to watch this because of it being focused on Asian culture and the fact that it wasn’t going to be a musical like Frozen. It felt like the Disney Animation Studios were going to do something different and I liked that. The premise “Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. However, 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 (Kelly Marie Tran), to track down the last dragon and stop the Druun for good”. So is this a great surprise or a very unwelcomed one?

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I want to get this straight off my chest but I love that this focuses on Southeast Asia culture. It’s nice to see it get more representation in mainstream movies. I also really love the world-building with the Dragons, the overpowering evil force the Druun and the 5 tribes. It feels familiar such as in Avatar: The Last Airbender but in Raya, the world is still different enough to set it apart from others. It is such an interesting world that I wouldn’t mind more movies or shows set in this universe.

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The animation is very breathtaking and gorgeous. It’s very colorful and there are different variety of locations from the bustling city of Talon and the snowy plains of Spine but all of them are visually stunning.  I also have to praise James Newton Howard for the score is as there is some rapid music for the more intense scenes and some uplifting scores for the more hopeful moments. The entire score feels like it represents the world of Raya and southeast Asia perfectly and it elevates the movie to another level. It also has a great song in the credit “Lead the Way” by Jhené Aiko. There are also some surprisingly great hand to hand combat and swordplay that would put a fair amount of action movies to shame. It’s genuinely got some exciting action sequences!

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The titular character herself Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) is also excellent. She’s a fierce and courageous warrior princess with some swagger but is flawed in not trusting people and not believing the world can become united again. She never gets to the point of unlikeable and to a certain extent the movie shows she’s right in some ways. I thought the dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) might be unbearably annoying from the trailers but she is pretty fun to watch. Raya’s developing friendship with the contrasting view of Sisu is enjoyable and Sisu encouraging Raya to change is convincing. Namaari (Gemma Chan) the “villain” is also wonderful and her rivalry with Raya are some of the best parts of the movie. What makes Namaari work as a character is that she is not evil but also flawed like Raya but both have common ground with each other. Throughout the movie instead of wanting Raya to win, you want her and Namaari to solve their conflict and trust one another. The other supporting characters are hilarious and loveable as well. Boun (Izaac Wang) is funny as the owner of a shrimp boat restaurant, Tong (Benedict Wong) is a scary warrior giant with a heart of gold and there is a toddler con artist, need I say more? Every voice actor in this movie does a phenomenal job in their role, especially Kelly Marie Tran as Raya which is just perfect casting.

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However, I do wish it explored the supporting cast a little bit more through something like a flashback because they just feel like they’re along for the ride than significantly important. Furthermore, the story is very predictable and there is genuinely no surprises as it hits a lot of the clichés which is slightly disappointing. The movie also has a surprising amount of exposition throughout the movie instead of just at the beginning which slows the pacing.

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Overall, Raya and the Last Dragon is one of the best original Disney Animation movies in a long time. It’s filled with amazing visuals, great characters, exhilarating action sequences, a beautiful score and terrific performance from the voice actors. It just does a lot right. I loved the movie and hope Disney does more movies like Raya and The Last Dragon. Just don’t do a $30 premium service and just make it available with Disney+ like Soul okay?


 

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