Raya and the Last Dragon is Disney’s latest animation film that finally made its debut in the first weekend of March. The movie was originally scheduled to be released last November, but it was delayed due to the pandemic. Raya, a warrior princess, is the voice of Kelly Marie Tran, who is known for her recent Star Wars movies. Sisu, who plays the last dragon, is the voice of Nora Lum, also known professionally as Awkwafina. Awkwafina is famous for being the first Asian woman to win a Golden Globe in any lead actress film category. The film is directed by Don Halland and Carlos Lopez and co-directed by Paul Briggs and John Ripa. This film is centered on the traditions and cultures of Southeast Asia.
Hundreds of years ago, humans and dragons lived peacefully together in the imaginary land of Kumandra. A plague took over the land and turned everyone into stone. The movie starts out by showing how Raya’s father wishes to make peace with everyone to reunite the land. The reunion turns out to be a disastrous one. Raya is then forced to travel to various lands to gather the missing pieces of a magic gem to restore the world. Raya’s journey is a challenging one in which she meets interesting friends along the way who join in her journey. Throughout her adventures, she learns that the only way to reunite Kumandra is to place her trust in others again.
In my opinion, this is a good film to watch together as a family. Adults will notice the significance of the cultural aspects of the movie and the positive message of trust that it teaches. The film’s animation will be the key that keeps children interested in watching till the end. It is also more action-packed than Disney’s usual princess films.
Raya and the Last Dragon can be seen in theaters and it is also available on Disney+ for an additional cost as part of Premier Access.
