‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Review

Disney animation experienced a new renaissance during the 2010’s. Almost every film delivered great characters and stories that brought success back to Disney that they hadn’t really seen since their films in the 1990’s. With films like Frozen, Moana, Zootopia, and Wreck-it Ralph, the 2010’s were a rebound from a lackluster 2000’s. Raya and the Last Dragon is the beginning of a new decade for Disney animation and they’re starting off mostly strong. 

Premise

Raya and the Last Dragon focuses on Raya (Kelly Marie-Tran). Kelly is the daughter of a chief of one of the tribes in Kumandra. Kumandra used to be a land of harmony where humans and dragons lived in peace. However, after evil spirits known as Druun attacked, the dragons disappeared and Kumandra became divided. When the Druun return, Raya seeks out Sisu (Awkwafina), the last dragon, in order to defeat the Druun and unite Kumanda once more. 

Review

Once again, the animation here is breathtaking. Each environment comes to life through bright colors and incredible detail. The movie wisely moves to unique settings so the set pieces never become stale and it keeps the movie moving at a steady pace. The expressions on the characters are really well done and capitalize on the emotional moments. 

This movie has a lot more action than a typical Disney movie. The animators and director, Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada, captured the action well. The chase sequences are well shot and the martial arts sequences are very smooth. It’s more intense during the action than I was expecting. 

The voice acting is great as well with Marie-Tran doing a phenomenal job in the lead role. Awkwafina works for the most part. There are moments where I felt Awkwafina’s personality was taking over her character when it should be the other way around. However, as the movie went along, she fell into the character more. Some of the comedic moments don’t work, especially if you aren’t someone who enjoys Awkwafina. 

Gemma Chan voices Namaari who has a rivalry with Raya which has been going on since they were kids. Namaari’s a good character as she’s never a true villain. She does many bad things but you never dislike her. You understand her perspective and that comes through with Chan’s voice work. 

Along the way, Raya forms a crew that has many enjoyable characters. I especially liked Noi, a stealthy baby who is accompanied by three monkey-like companions, and Tong, a warrior voiced by Benedict Wong. Wong is giving an interesting vocal performance that does fit this character well. Wong delivered the funniest lines in the film. Raya also has a pet named Tuk Tuk that is absolutely adorable. I’m sure Tuk Tuk will sell plenty of merchandise. 

The story itself has been done before, but there is enough originality in the lore and world-building that makes this film seem fresh. However, the message of the film often gets in the way of the believability of many of the characters’ decisions. 

The overall message of the film is that people should be more trusting and less prejudiced towards others. While it’s a good and important message, the film’s dedication to preserving this message creates some plot holes. There is a huge divide between the five tribes due to a lack of trust and an unwillingness to work together. 

However, the Druun are a problem for all five tribes and it didn’t make sense to me why the tribes couldn’t come together to defeat the Druun. The characters do address it at one point, but I didn’t believe in their reasoning. Unfortunately, this issue stayed with me for the duration of the film and never cleared itself up.

Final verdict

I do still believe that Raya and the Last Dragon is a strong outing for Disney. There are still some plot holes and the message of the film gets muddled. However, it has a lot of heart, likable characters, beautiful animation, and an intriguing environment. The action is solid and it has great pacing. It’s also great to see a Disney film with a strong representation of southeast Asian cultures. Raya and the Last Dragon is a worthwhile adventure to see for yourself. 

Final score: 4/5