Raya and the Last Dragon

Inspired by Southeast Asian cultures, aesthetics, and mythologies, Raya and the Last Dragon is Disney's latest in its animated film slot. Set in a land known as Kumandra that's in the shape of a dragon, its people live in different tribes in certain parts that define a dragon's features like the heart, spine, claw, talon and tail. In its past the people were protected by magical dragons who sacrificed themselves to defeat demons known as the Druun, with a gem left behind to ensure they would never return. 500 years later, with Heart keeping the gem, an attempt by the other tribes to take it causes the gem to break and bring back the Druun. Feeling responsible, Raya, the daughter of Heart's chief, sets out to find the pieces and seek out Sisu, the last surviving dragon, to defeat the demons. Along the way, Raya and Sisu get help from other people from the different tribes and not only manage to defeat the Druun, but are also able to bring the tribes together and resurrect the other dragons. This isn't Disney's first foray into Asian culture, as Mulan proves, but unlike with that movie, Raya does have a mostly all Asian cast voicing their characters like Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Benedict Wong, and Daniel Dae Kim. One drawback, however, being that many of its cast aren't from or don't have any ancestry from Southeast Asia. Regardless, all of the actors involve all do a remarkable job, especially the chemistry between Tran's Raya and Awkwafina's Sisu. The story for the film may not be entirely new, but it takes itself very seriously and is told in such a fun and engaging way. Its theme, especially at the end, of how unity can bring people together and can help defeat their inner demons is well done and is very well earned. As usual for Disney, the animation is spectacular, but not just how visually stunning it is but the combination of expressive faces and brisk fight choreography really knocks it out of the park. The writing is fun, but there are many times when characters would use modern day slang that often feels forced and doesn't fit the setting. There's also the word "binturi" that often gets repeated multiple times and described at someone, the problem being that they never explain what it means and is said way too many times. So despite these few flaws, Raya and the Last Dragon is still a wonderful and deserving entry in Disney's animated canon that no doubt will be seen as important as Mulan is. Over all: 96%

2021 top list so far:

1. Raya and the Last Dragon