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Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon,” available this week in limited theatrical release and on Disney+ for an extra fee, is a wonderful adventure. Blending imagery and mythology from several Southeast Asian cultures into its own vision, it's an ambitious family film that will work for all ages, and one that never talks down to its audience while presenting them with an entertaining, thought-provoking story. It also contains some of the most striking imagery Disney has ever produced, dropping its characters in a world that feels both classic and new at the same time.

Raya ( Kelly Marie Tran ) has long heard the stories of the last dragon from her father Benja ( Daniel Dae Kim ). As a villainous force was working its way across the land, turning people into stone, magical dragons united their forces together into a stone and one named Sisu used it to stop the pending apocalypse. She sacrificed herself in the process, although rumors persist that she survived. That stone resides with Benja and Raya’s people when the film begins, but the other clans of the now-divided world steal it, break it into pieces, and scatter it across the land.

Years later, Raya goes on a quest to find both Sisu (Awkafina) and the fragments of the stone, trying to bring her people back together and fulfill her father’s vision of loyalty. Along the way, they are chased by the princess of a clan seeking full power named Namaari ( Gemma Chan ), and encounter several memorable supporting characters, including the gregarious Boun ( Izaac Wang ), one-eyed Tong ( Benedict Wong ), and even a “con baby,” a kid who uses her undeniable cuteness as an alley con artist. All of these lively characters were impacted by the stone’s fragmentation, and they form an unforgettable core in what is basically an old-fashioned adventure movie that recalls everything from Indiana Jones to " Princess Mononoke ."

Directors Don Hall (“ Big Hero 6 ”) and Carlos López Estrada (“ Blindspotting ”) imbue every design element of “Raya and the Last Dragon” with top-notch craftsmanship. Each of the lands that Raya and her compatriots travel to feel like fully-realized worlds. Look at the streets in which Raya meets the baby and her monkeys-in-crime—they’re filled with bustling life and background detail that many movies like this simply ignore. And then there’s the character design, which is much more carefully considered than most modern blockbuster animation, particularly the gorgeous look of Sisu and her fellow dragons. Yes, she bears a strong resemblance to dragons we've seen in Asian cinema before—it’s hard not to think of “ Spirited Away ” when she takes her own form of flight—but she ultimately stands on her own, thanks in part to how her design melds with Awkwafina’s fantastic voice work. She’s expressive without being overly cartoonish. All of “Raya” has that going for it—a vibrant color palette and remarkable level of detail that never pushes too far into fantasy elements, achieving the perfect balance.

That balance is maintained because screenwriters Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim don’t get lost in their new animated playground, and never forget the story's emotional stakes. Raya isn’t just trying to bring her father back to life, she’s trying to reunite the world. It’s a smart film about one of the big themes of our current age—a quest for unity. The social and political readings of the movie will be plentiful because it’s about trying to find common ground and cause again after betrayals and division. One of the many things I love about it is how much it challenges the traditional superficiality of blockbuster animation, knowing that kids can handle more complex plots and themes than Hollywood usually gives them. One can enjoy "Raya" purely on an adventure movie level, but it will also likely start a few interesting conversations with children about trust, forgiveness, and courage. Is fear a result of distrust or the cause of it? Are we divided because we're enemies or because we're told we're enemies?

This is a rare criticism of studio animation, but “Raya and the Last Dragon” can sometimes be almost too dense with theme. In particular, the film's last half-hour has a habit of spelling out its ideas through dialogue more than it really needs to. The characters and storytelling are very strong, but I sometimes wished "Raya" would allow for more quiet development than the breakneck pacing chosen by Hall and Estrada. It has a habit of overexplaining itself when its imagery and narrative get the job done on their own.

The voice work is stellar throughout. Tran finds just the right mix of vulnerability and strength in Raya and Awkwafina locks into a register of optimistic wonder that’s infectious. The whole ensemble brings their A-game: Kim grounds a father/daughter dynamic with just a few scenes, Wong is so fun that he could anchor a spin-off about his character, and Chan sells the complex arc of a young woman forced by her mother to act against her own beliefs. All of them are also ably supported by one of James Newton Howard ’s best scores.

“Raya and the Last Dragon” could have been a traditional princess story—another tale of a young woman chosen by legacy or magic to save her people. It’s not that movie. It’s a story about fallibility and the uncertainty that often accompanies courage—wrapped up in an unforgettable narrative that pays homage to mythology that has come before while creating its own past, present, and future. Many films have felt dismissed because of the closure of theaters in the last year, not getting the attention that may have resulted from normal times. “Raya and the Last Dragon” is the kind of movie I wish I could have experienced in a crowded theater, but it’s also one that I’m certain won’t be lost to history and will find its audience. It’s too good not to.

In theaters on March 4 th , 2021, and available on Disney+ the next day for an extra charge .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Rated PG for some violence, action and thematic elements.

112 minutes

Kelly Marie Tran as Raya (voice)

Awkwafina as Sisu (voice)

Gemma Chan as Namaari (voice)

Daniel Dae Kim as Benja (voice)

Benedict Wong as Tong (voice)

Sandra Oh as Virana (voice)

Alan Tudyk as Tuk Tuk (voice)

Thalia Tran as Little Noi (voice)

Izaac Wang as Boun (voice)

Carlos López Estrada

Co-Director

Paul Briggs

Writer (story by)

Kiel Murray
Dean Wellins
Fabienne Rawley
Shannon Stein
James Newton Howard

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Raya and the Last Dragon Review

Disney's latest animated film has action, heart, and introduces an exciting new hero..

Raya and the Last Dragon Visual Development

Raya and the Last Dragon opens in theaters and on Disney+ with premier access on March 5th.

Disney+ Spotlight: March 2021

Click through for a spotlight on some of the most notable March Disney+ releases.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a beautifully animated, action-packed hero’s journey, and a great next evolution of Disney’s modern-day princess films. Where princesses like Moana and Elsa spent their films learning to trust in their powers, Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess Raya is already an excellent fighter, capable of besting even the strongest of warriors (including her nemesis and fellow princess Namaari). This gives the film space to focus on themes of trust, and the importance of finding a support system of friends and family, as well as truly tackling concepts like grief — the thematic mainstays of Disney’s princess films that haven’t always been adequately explored.

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Raya and the Last Dragon Reviews

Gorgeously animated with superb acting, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON suffers from a messy narrative that can’t decide what it wants to say.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 13, 2024

Raya and the Last Dragon welcomes a reflection on its Asian-fusion design because western adaptations of Asian culture, even with visible and vocal creative Asian input, will come with a spectrum of orientalism…

Full Review | Dec 13, 2023

The diversity is great, it's visually pleasing, the score is catchy, and the awesome characters turn this into a really likeable watch with a positive overall message.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 6, 2023

A SPECTACLE, Beautiful, exhilarating, & A fantastic story that brought a tear to my eye! With a great message wrapped around its incredible action & characters, Raya has cemented itself as one of my new favorite DISNEY ANIMATED FILMS

Full Review | Jul 26, 2023

Boasting a predominantly Asian-American cast delivering exceptional voice work, Raya and the Last Dragon follows a partially disappointing, formulaic narrative but compensates it with stunning animation, a chill-inducing score, and quite a nice ending.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jul 24, 2023

A mess both in ideals and execution, the film fails to have the charm and poignance it presents and has to be seen as a rare failure for modern Disney animated features.

Full Review | May 1, 2023

Not a bad movie, but doesn't take any risks. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Sep 14, 2022

A beautifully heart-swelling put a lump in your throat kind of family film that doesn’t come around too often.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Sep 11, 2022

Raya and the Last Dragon is a visually striking spectacle with equally effective emotional resonance and a lively lead – in short, another win for Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 1, 2022

Disney films are no stranger to heavy stuff, but this film really seemed willing to grapple with some more complicated ideas even if it doesn’t quite have the nerve to see it through to the end.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 17, 2022

“Raya” has a story pulsating with urgency. It uses its fantastical setting, cultural inspirations, and enormous heart to encourage us to keep our faith in humanity, to trust one another, and to come together as a people.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 17, 2022

The animation work is interesting, drawing on shadow puppetry, classical Asian figures and symbols, alongside thoroughly modern animation.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 15, 2022

The film has a message, but its biggest win is accomplishing old Walt Disney's trademark quote that prevailed in his work: 'For every laugh, there should be a tear...' and a kung fu kick. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 27, 2022

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON creates a pretty adventure world and a nice, colorful group of heroes. Overall, however, the film is a bit too stuck in familiar patterns to really excite more.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Apr 8, 2022

With stunning visuals, energetic and kinetic action sequences and an expansive world rich with lore and details, this was Disney's most exciting film in years.

Full Review | Apr 1, 2022

...a distressingly ineffective misfire thats rarely as engaging (or entertaining) as one mightve anticipated.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 22, 2022

Raya and The Last Dragon hums along to a familiar rhythm, but its what it does in between these beats that makes it so entertaining.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 1, 2022

Raya and the Last Dragon is an epic adventure that brings Disney to a new and exciting direction, all while taking advantage of their strongest assets.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Feb 16, 2022

It's a film with a clunky first half but finds more of a groove later in the second. Raya and the Last Dragon displays a cornucopia of amazing visuals, and the animators have created a lavish fantasy world inspired by Southeast Asian culture and folklore.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 14, 2022

The adventure of this new Disney princess is told with grace, simplicity and animation as fickle as water that makes me have a pretty pleasant time. Full review in Spanish

Cast & crew
User reviews

Raya and the Last Dragon

In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon. In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon. In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

Carlos López Estrada
Paul Briggs
Kelly Marie Tran
1.3K User reviews
6 Critic reviews
74 Metascore
13 wins & 61 nominations total

Top cast 43

Young Namaari

Merchant #2

General Atitaya

(as a different name)

Spine Chief
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Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Trivia Some Vietnamese words are used in this movie such as "Ba" which Raya calls her father. And "Oh, Toi" means "Oh, we're screwed"
Goofs In South East Asian cultures in particular and Asian cultures in general, it's considered very rude to address people who are older or in higher status than you with only their names, such as when Raya calls Tong or Boun calls Raya or Raya calls Sisu (a deity-like figure) with their names only. In Asian cultures usually you would address people using familial relationship: you would call a person who is around your age or slightly older than you with "brother/sister", person who is in the range of your parent's age with "uncle/auntie", person who is older than that with "grandpa/granny", and revered/high status/deity figure with something like "master/lord/lady". So Raya would call Tong "Uncle Tong", Boun would call Raya "Sister Raya", and Raya would address deity-ish Sisu as "Master Sisu" or "Lady Sisu". Though this would, of course, assume that Kumandra is in what is known today as South East Asia. Even if it were, there's nothing to suggest that they would follow the customs of that area as it is today.

Sisu : Also, you broke the gem!

Raya : But I still have a big chunk of it though.

Sisu : Is that supposed to make me feel better? If you lost a puppy, and I said, well, we still have a big chunk of it. Would that make you feel better?

Crazy credits A message appears towards the end of the credits: "The making of this movie from over 400 individual homes was completely unprecedented, and relied entirely on the talent, ingenuity, and dedication of everyone at Walt Disney Animation Studios. The filmmakers would like to thank them for their tireless hard work, good humor, and most of all patience... with our inability to properly use the internet. (Dude, you're still on mute.)"
Alternate versions In the Indonesian version, the original end title theme replaced by "Kita Bisa" by Via Vallen .
Connections Edited into Zenimation: Rain (2021)
Soundtracks Lead the Way Written and Performed by Jhené Aiko Produced by Julian-Quan Viet Le (as Julian-Quán Viêt Lê (Lejkeys)) Recorded and Mixed by Gregg Rominiecki Jhené Aiko appears courtesy of 2Fish/ArtClub/Def Jam

User reviews 1.3K

Apr 25, 2021
How long is Raya and the Last Dragon? Powered by Alexa
March 5, 2021 (United States)
United States
Raya y el último dragón
Hanoi, Vietnam
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$54,723,032
Mar 7, 2021
$130,423,032

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 47 minutes
IMAX 6-Track
Dolby Surround 7.1
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Digital
D-Cinema 96kHz Dolby Surround 7.1
12-Track Digital Sound

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‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Review: Fool Me Once

A new Disney princess from Southeast Asia battles factionalism and her own trust issues.

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By Beatrice Loayza

Disney’s newest princess, Raya, has some serious trust issues.

Not long after she follows her dad’s lead when he extends an olive branch to the fellow leaders of the other kingdoms that once comprised Kumandra — an ancient utopia of cross-cultural unity — she’s betrayed by a new friend, Namaari (Gemma Chan).

Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) had giddily offered to give her pal — a fellow warrior princess with whom she’d bonded over swords and curry — a peek at the dragon gem that’s causing all the grown-ups to act out. Unfortunately for Raya, Namaari’s chumminess is part of a ruse to get that precious rock: in this factionalized, dog-eat-dog world, even the kids are con artists.

Turns out the stone is the only thing standing between humanity and the Druun, a “mindless plague” that turns people into terra-cotta statues. This shapeless, electric-purple evil is unleashed when the gem shatters, throwing the planet into the Dark Ages.

Six years later, Raya is a young woman and a solo adventurer zooming around a desert wasteland on her trusty pill-bug-armadillo. Her moment of past weakness haunts her — figuratively and literally, with a pugilistic Namaari always on her tail.

Faith in the goodness of other people — even those from distant lands and of different persuasions — is the governing theme of “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which the directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, and the screenwriters Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, set in a fantasyland version of Southeast Asia complete with floating markets, water taxis and lots of shrimp congee.

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'Raya And The Last Dragon' Is Not Entirely New, But It's Refreshing Nonetheless

Justin Chang

Raya, a young warrior princess (Kelly Marie Tran), enlists the help of Sisu, a friendly water dragon (Awkwafina) in Raya and the Last Dragon. Disney hide caption

Raya, a young warrior princess (Kelly Marie Tran), enlists the help of Sisu, a friendly water dragon (Awkwafina) in Raya and the Last Dragon.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a lovely, moving surprise. Its big selling point is that it's the first Disney animated film to feature Southeast Asian characters, but like so many movies that break ground in terms of representation, it tells a story that's actually woven from reassuringly familiar parts. I didn't mind that in the slightest.

The movie, directed by the Disney veteran Don Hall and the animation newcomer Carlos López Estrada, brings us into a fantasy world that's been beautifully visualized and populated with engaging characters, and it builds to an emotional climax that I'm still thinking about days later.

The story is a little complicated, as these stories tend to be. It takes place in Kumandra, an enchanted realm inspired by various Southeast Asian cultures and divided into five kingdoms named after a dragon's body parts: Heart, Fang, Spine, Talon and Tail.

Before they became extinct centuries ago, dragons once roamed the land and served as friendly guardians to humanity. Their magic lives on in a jewel called the Dragon Gem, which is kept in a cave in Heart, but the other four kingdoms covet its mighty powers. One day, all five factions come together and try to reach a peace agreement, but tensions erupt, a fight breaks out and the Gem shatters into five pieces that are scattered across Kumandra. This opens the doorway to an ancient enemy called the Druun, a terrible plague that turns people to stone.

Naturally, a hero must rise and save the day. Her name is Raya, and she's a young warrior princess from Heart, voiced by the excellent Kelly Marie Tran from Star Wars: The Last Jedi . Raya manages to escape the Druun, though her father, her ba , who's the leader of Heart, isn't so lucky. Now Raya must recover the pieces of the Dragon Gem, reverse the damage and banish the Druun for good.

'Mulan' Reboot Is Beautiful, But Fails To Breathe New Life Into An Old Tale

Disney's 'Moana' Needs No Prince, Just The Land And Sea

This isn't the first time we've seen a brave young character embark on a quest for magical baubles, and Raya and the Last Dragon is rooted in traditional fantasy lore, with The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones being just the most obvious influences. The movie's intense scenes of swordplay and hand-to-hand combat give it a tougher, more grown-up feel than most Disney animated fantasies — my own young daughter had to cover her eyes a few times. Like some other recent Disney princesses, including Moana and Elsa , Raya has a bold, adventurous streak and isn't all that interested in romance. Unlike them, she doesn't even have time to sing a song.

That said, the movie still has plenty of lightness and humor. The screenwriters, Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, have provided the usual Disney array of cute critters and lively supporting characters. None of them is more colorful than Sisu, a friendly water dragon who is magically resurrected during Raya's journey. She's the last of her kind, and she has a crucial role to play in the story. She's voiced delightfully by Awkwafina , doing one of her signature chatterbox comedy routines and selling every one of Sisu's anachronistic wisecracks.

Raya and Sisu's journey takes them to all five kingdoms of Kumandra, all of which are so vivid and transporting I found myself wishing they really existed — or that I could have at least seen them on a proper movie screen. There's the town of Talon, which is built at the edge of a river, and the desert wasteland of Tail, where Raya and Sisu must enter a cave of obstacles straight out of an Indiana Jones adventure.

As the two of them search for more Dragon Gem pieces, they of course pick up a few friends along the way. There's a street-smart boy who cooks a mean shrimp congee and a toddler pickpocket whom I found more creepy than cute. But the movie's most intriguing character is Namaari, a rival princess from Fang who's voiced by Gemma Chan. (As a side note, Chan and Awkwafina both appeared in Crazy Rich Asians , which, like this movie, was co-written by Lim.) Namaari and Raya used to be friends until the fight over the Dragon Gem ripped them apart. Now they're bitter enemies, and their emotional dynamic is fierce and complicated in ways that relationships are rarely allowed to be in children's animated films, especially between women.

By contrast, Sisu is all feel-good vibes; she's a dragon, after all, with little understanding of how treacherous humans can be. She doesn't get why Raya and Namaari distrust each other so, why they can't just set their differences aside and defeat the Druun together. It's Sisu's sincerity and purity of heart that makes the story's finale so unexpectedly stirring, especially now. Our fates are closely bound together, it reminds us, as it builds a case for forgiveness, reconciliation and mutual sacrifice.

The emotional power of Raya and the Last Dragon sneaks up on you. Its lessons aren't new, exactly, but it makes you feel like you're learning them for the first time.

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Raya and the Last Dragon puts a bright contemporary spin on girl power: Review

The demographics of the Disney princess club have been evolving for a while now — fewer narcoleptic beauties and glass slippers, a lot more manifest destiny and swordplay; the last decades' long march of Moanas, Mulans, Elsas, and Annas leading steadily toward a different brand of heroine, one who rarely waits in towers to be rescued or awakened by true love's kiss.

Ray a and the Last Dragon (on Disney+ March 5) feels like the logical extension of all that, and a further loosening too: a smart, snappy adventure tale that wears its matter-of-fact modern feminism on its sleeve — a sleeve that will be rolled up many times in the heat of battle or in search of a snack pouch. And this time, deliberately or not, they've done away with romance entirely; no prince will come, because he hasn't even been invited to the ball.

Instead it's up to Raya (keenly voiced by Star Wars ' Kelly Marie Tran ) to rescue herself and the broken land of Kumandra, a once-prosperous place torn into five territories after a dragon extinction event leaves its warring citizens open to the Druun — smoggy, nefarious blobs that look like sentient electric storms and turn living things to stone on contact. Her idealistic father ( Daniel Dae Kim ), ruler of the split-off part known as the Heart and guardian of the last dragon's gemstone, believes their divided people can be brought back together by hope and good faith; the people quickly, tragically prove him wrong. (All this mythology is laid out neatly in a few brisk scenes.)

So Raya, heartbroken and alone in the world aside from a trundling armadillo-bug sidekick named Tuk Tuk, sets off to find the lair of Sisu ( Awkwafina ). Sisu is the last dragon, if hardly a paragon; she's more like the last pancake, scraped together from lumpy batter and a little bit burnt at the edges. But a dragon is still a dragon — even one whose superpower is being "a really strong swimmer" — and she's willing to help Raya reunite the pieces of the shattered gem so Kumandra can rise again.

To do that they will have to find a way into each heavily guarded territory, and stay at least one step ahead of Raya's former friend turned rival Namaari ( Gemma Chan ), a fellow warrior with a mean-girl sneer and a sharp undercut. As Sisu and Raya spelunk through Spine and Tail and Talon and Fang, they tend to pick up extra passengers — a sort of human lint roller that gloms onto burbling baby pickpockets, underage gondoliers, and a brick house of a man called Tong ( Avengers ' Benedict Wong).

Screenwriters Adele Lim ( Crazy Rich Asians ) and Qui Nguyen lean into the you-know-how-these-stories-go meta-ness of it all, letting Awkwafina's raspy goofball-slacker id run free, while co-directors Don Hall ( Big Hero 6 ) and Carlos Lopez Estrada ( Blindspotting ) keep the pace moving at a heist-movie clip, with little pops of visual wit and neatly packaged lessons on friendship and kindness and self-reliance.

If Raya 's outlines and endpoint are strictly fairy-tale familiar (evil is vanquished, good triumphs, reconstituted dragons romp), the movie feels fresh not just for the mere fact of its female-forward and predominately Asian cast, but for the breeziness with which it bears the weight of Disney history: not a scolding corrective so much as a welcome swerve towards the unsung audiences it's had all along. Grade: B+

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Review: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is a dazzling adventure

Animated character Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, center, appears with Tuk Tuk, voiced by Alan Tudyk, in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, appears in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, left, appears with Sisu the dragon in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, center, appears with Sisu the dragon in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, right, appears with Tuk Tuk, voiced by Alan Tudyk, in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character Spine Chief, voiced by Ross Butler, center, appears in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character Virana, voiced by Sandra Oh, left, appears with Namaari, voiced by Gemma Chan, in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

CORRECTS CHARACTER NAME - Animated character Namaari, voiced by Gemma Chan, appears in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina, left, appears with Dang Hu, voiced by Lucille Soong, in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, right, appears with Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina, in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

Animated character young Raya, left, appears with her father Benja, voiced by Daniel Dae Kim in a scene from “Raya and the Last Dragon.” (Disney+ via AP)

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Contrary to what “Game of Thrones” might have you believe, not all dragons are agents of destruction. In the newest offering from Walt Disney Animation, “ Raya and the Last Dragon ,” they are kind, full of magic and, when needed, the saviors of humanity.

Five hundred years ago, we’re told in a prologue, dragons sacrificed themselves for humans when a mystical evil called the Druun passed through the lands of Kumandra and turned many to stone. The kingdom splintered into factions — Tail, Talon, Heart, Fang and Spine — who perpetually teeter on the edge of war. Sisu, the only remaining dragon, hasn’t been seen in five centuries.

Raya (voiced by “Star Wars’” Kelly Marie Tran) is the young Princess of Heart. Her father (voiced by Daniel Dae Kim) is the Chief who hopes to unite all the territories. It doesn’t go as planned, he’s turned to stone, and Raya is set on a dangerous quest to track down the dragon who she believes is their last hope.

The film comes from the odd but inspired pairing of co-directors Carlos López Estrada (who made the Sundance breakout “Blindspotting”) and Disney veteran Don Hall (“Big Hero 6”) and was co-written by Vietnamese playwright Qui Nguyen and “Crazy Rich Asians” co-writer Adele Lim. The result is a sweet-natured and wonderfully imaginative fantasy adventure that has shades of “Indiana Jones” and is suitable for the whole family.

“Raya” gets off to a bit of a slow start but stick with it. Once she sets out on her mission, things pick up considerably thanks in no small part to the introduction of Sisu, played by Awkwafina, who doesn’t try to disguise her wonderfully distinctive voice. Raya discovers Sisu is not quite the hero she is looking for, but that’s just part of the journey. Along the way their brood grows with others displaced and orphaned by the Druun and Raya must confront her main foe, a Princess from another land, Namaari (Gemma Chan) who is part of the reason things went awry in the first place.

The animation is both stunning and very computer generated. Sometimes extended shots of the humans talking can start to feel like the uncanny valley and it makes you miss the hand drawn elements of the form. But hand drawn animation also wouldn’t be able to create the stunning vistas and astoundingly lifelike water. It’s a compromise and “Raya” is undoubtedly a visual feast.

It’s also the best kind of feminist film in that it’s one that doesn’t clobber you with the message. Raya is allowed to be awesome without the script shouting about it all the time and it’s better for it. It does however hammer home a message about trust, which, you know, is fair enough. And it has chosen to have yet another middle-aged semi-dystopian female leader bedecked in all white with a severe gray haircut (Namaari’s mom, voiced by Sandra Oh). It’s not that it’s inherently bad, it’s just a lazy choice for a film that is otherwise so inventive.

“Raya” is also notable for the simple fact that it features predominately Asian American voice actors — a first for Disney Animation. The animated “Mulan” had a fair amount too, but a lot were white actors voicing Chinese roles. Will that make a difference to the kids watching? Probably not at the moment, but down the line the authenticity will be appreciated.

“Raya and the Last Dragon,” a Walt Disney Pictures release, in theaters and on Disney+ Friday, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for “Some violence, action and thematic elements.” Running time: 114 minutes. Three stars out of four.

MPAA Definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested.

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

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Review: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon,’ featuring Disney’s first Southeast Asian heroine, is a moving adventure

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The chief antagonist in “Raya and the Last Dragon,” an enjoyable new adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios, is something called the Druun, a shrieking, sludgy purple monster that turns people to stone. It’s an archetypal formless villain, a distant cousin of supernatural scourges like the Nothing from “The Neverending Story,” but it also carries a whiff of real-world metaphor. No, the Druun isn’t the coronavirus, even if it does leave broken societies, devastated families and tribalist impulses in its wake. One character calls it “a plague born from human discord,” which is to say it’s yet one more crushing reminder that we have met the enemy and he is us.

Or rather, she is us. Women rule, literally and figuratively, in “Raya and the Last Dragon,” starting with Raya, an intrepid warrior princess whom we first see riding through the desert like a bamboo-hatted Mad Max. The Druun has devastated her homeland, but Raya, voiced with pluck and determination by Kelly Marie Tran (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”), refuses to accept defeat. Armed with a powerful sword, an ancient scroll and a giant armadillo-like sidekick named Tuk Tuk (he’s her pet and her roly-poly mode of of transport), she travels the fantastical realm of Kumandra in search of answers, carrying nothing less than the weight of humanity on her red-caped shoulders.

And also, at least temporarily, the weight of one of the world’s most recognizable family-entertainment brands, a burden she handles with relative ease. Arriving Friday in theaters and as a premium offering for Disney+ subscribers, “Raya and the Last Dragon” marks the studio’s latest attempt to diversify its animated features for a global audience — something readily apparent from Raya’s Southeast Asian lineage, a first for a Disney protagonist. But it’s also apparent from the apocalyptic, world-saving nature of her quest: In these dark times, onscreen as well as off, “happily ever after” isn’t as simple a proposition as it used to be. Like Moana , Elsa and other 21st century Disney heroines, Raya has more than romance or even self-actualization on her mind. And unlike them, she doesn’t even have time for a song.

Which is not to say that “Raya and the Last Dragon,” smoothly directed by the Disney veteran Don Hall ( “Big Hero 6” ) and the animation newcomer Carlos López Estrada ( “Blindspotting” ), doesn’t make room for music, lightness and whimsy. Its vigorous sword fights and chase sequences play out over a lovely, catchy score composed by James Newton Howard. The story features the usual Disney complement of cute critters and likable supporting players, some of whom spout comic banter that hews more anachronistic than mythic. One of these is an aquamarine dragon, Sisu, who, awakened from a 500-year slumber, quickly becomes Raya’s bestie and part-time therapist: “Wow, you’ve really got some trust issues,” she says, before later adding, “C’mon, I got you, girl, who’s your dragon?”

Your dragon, in this case, is voiced by Awkwafina, as delightful and irrepressible a comic force here as she was in the live-action “Crazy Rich Asians.” (Adele Lim, one of that movie’s co-writers, also scripted this one, with Qui Nguyen.) Sisu hails from a lineage of glorious, multihued dragons who roamed Kumandra centuries earlier, and who inspired the names of its five kingdoms: Heart, Fang, Spine, Talon and Tail. In keeping with Asian folklore, these dragons are not enemies but guardians of humanity, aligned less with fire than with the life-giving elements of water and air. And when the Druun first showed up and began their Medusa-like rampage, the dragons made the ultimate sacrifice, pouring their powers into a magical gem that banished the Druun and saved the world.

But the dragons themselves disappeared, and the foolish Kumandrans never learned from their mistakes. Near the beginning of “Raya and the Last Dragon,” their greed and infighting cause the precious Dragon Gem to shatter into pieces, allowing the Druun to return with a vengeance. After losing her noble chieftain father (Daniel Dae Kim) to the Druun’s unstoppable onslaught, Raya, princess of Heart, vows to recover the pieces of the gem — a mission that will find her happily resurrecting Sisu and making other friends along the way. They’re sweet if somewhat paint-by-numbers company: There’s a street-smart boy chef from Tail, a benevolent big lug from Spine and a light-fingered toddler from Talon. (I could’ve done without the latter, which caused a fresh flare-up of post-“Baby Geniuses” stress disorder.)

Far more intriguing is Raya’s sworn enemy, the treacherous Fang princess Namaari (Gemma Chan), with whom she has, as they say, unfinished business. Raya and Namaari were once friends before intra-Kumandran hostilities tore them apart, and their enmity gives “Raya and the Last Dragon” a fierce, complicated emotional dynamic of a sort that’s still rare in the Disney universe, particularly between women. Their heated expressions of rage and mutual loathing find a cool contrast in the funny, pure-hearted Sisu, who at one point transforms into an old woman to blend in with Raya’s posse — an experience that grants her a dispiriting new awareness of the human capacity for deception and betrayal.

The question at the heart of the movie is whether people at odds can ever learn to trust one another, let alone lay down their lives for one another, and submit to the realization that their fates are ultimately entwined. There are certainly worse lessons a movie could impart under present circumstances, and the filmmakers ponder it here with disarming sincerity and seriousness. They also set up an implicit clash between two moral considerations — the will of the individual vs. the good of the collective — that seems to arise organically from the East-West cinematic fusion cuisine being prepared here.

As with most of Disney’s past stabs at multiplex multiculturalism, the representational value of “Raya and the Last Dragon” will be lauded, debated and found wanting in roughly equal measure. (Some have already criticized the principal voice cast for featuring more actors of East Asian than Southeast Asian descent.) The movie is an ambitious, imperfect stew of cultural inspirations, in which sharp new flavors and textures jostle with flat, derivative ones. The specific pan-Asian details — a bowl of shrimp congee, a price paid in jade pieces — are amusing even when they brush up gently against stereotype. And the pleasing range of faces, skin tones and body types on display helps offset the anonymous quality that plagues even the most sophisticated three-dimensional character design.

The narrative skeleton is, if anything, even more generic, and also a reminder that the generic has its pleasures. The different regions of Kumandra may remind you of the various warring kingdoms of Westeros, or perhaps the houses of Hogwarts. Raya’s quest for scattered magic trinkets is, of course, a staple of fantasy literature, while some of the cavernous obstacle courses she must navigate are pure Indiana Jones. And Raya herself is an appealing amalgam of countless smart, unpretentious, down-to-earth action heroes before her — the kinds of characters that, as with this movie, you gravitate toward as much for their familiarity as for their novelty.

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

Rating: PG, for some violence, action and thematic elements Running time: 1 hour, 57 minutes Playing: Opens March 5 in theaters and streaming as PVOD on Disney+

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Raya and the Last Dragon is the best post-apocalypse epic since Mad Max: Fury Road

A blend of familiar Disney formula and Southeast Asian-inspired folklore, Raya and the Last Dragon is an instant classic that is light on its feet.

We don't have a word for Disney's formula. But as moviegoers, we know it when we see it. Take an exotic place, follow a young hero, give them magic, cute animal sidekicks, and wise-cracking mentors voiced by celebrities who talk in anachronisms, and ta-da! The animation is beautiful, the adults are crying, the soundtrack is winning awards, and there you have it: a Disney movie.

It will be unsurprising to know the newest Disney release, Raya and the Last Dragon , on Disney+, is another exemplary work that further cements the studio's dominance in this space with that formula. It's an easy winner, one worth the premium "Premier Access" price tag, as the movie is as classically Disney as it gets.

In Raya and the Last Dragon , Disney's magic heads to Southeast Asia, where Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Filipino, and more cultures come together to influence this impeccably designed and tearfully funny movie about trust and unity across borders. While it sacrifices a Broadway-ready playlist (composer James Newton Howard still comes through with a thumping synth/hip-hop score) and truly emotionally wrenching stakes, its fresh changes to Disney routine and nods to genre epics like Avatar: The Last Airbender , Mad Max: Fury Road , Ocean's Eleven , and the Tomb Raider video games make up for a middleweight script.

In Raya and the Last Dragon , Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina star in a new Disney fantasy adventure that evokes Avatar: The Last Airbender and Mad Max: Fury Road .

From directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada and writers Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen, Raya centers on the titular warrior princess, voiced by Star Wars: The Last Jedi veteran Kelly Marie Tran. When we meet her, Raya is in the beginning stages of her duty as appointed guardian of the Dragon Gem, a relic containing the magic of the last dragons. The movie's setting, Kumandra, is dystopic, a post-dragon kingdom that was once unified but is now split over the absence of dragons who protected Kumandra from monsters called Druun.

Now split into feudal territories, an outreach effort by Raya's father, Benja (Daniel Dae Kim), goes sideways when the factions break the Dragon Gem and steal the pieces, unleashing the Druun in the process. Six years later, an older, wiser Raya roams a more desolate Kumandra before awakening Sisu (Awkwafina), an ancient water dragon and the last of her kind.

Except, one problem. "I'm gonna be real with you," Sisu says, in Awkwafina's instantly recognizable voice. "I'm not like, the best dragon. Ya know?" (Sisu's continued explanation, an incredible bit involving a "group project" homework metaphor, left me wheezing.) Together, Raya and Sisu work to recollect the Dragon Gem's pieces and restore life and peace in Kumandra.

In a word, Raya is breezy. It's a lean, pleasing action-adventure with rousing martial arts (impressive, given CGI lacks the impact and gravity that makes live-action kung fu iconic) and colorful characters, some more fun than others. Its script never meanders or sags but also never punches above its weight class. At least two expository breakdowns happen in the first 25 minutes, which indicates either a lack of confidence in the writers' abilities or audience attention spans. The "Druun" are an empty force of nature that drives the plot out of obligation rather than genuine urgency.

But there are compelling foils for Raya, Sisu, and the "Fellowship of the Gem" (supporting characters made up of people from other territories). Raya 's "villains" are Namaari (Gemma Chan), another princess from a rival family in the Fang Islands, and her mother, Virana (Sandra Oh). Reminiscent of the depths seen in Marvel's Thanos, Virana and Namaari are dimensional antagonists whose end goals aren't selfish but selfless. To them, Raya's family hoarded the Dragon Gem to sit pretty for generations, and the Fang islanders believe they could do a better job for all of Kumandra.

Despite a few lines by Namaari indicating not all that glitters is gold on Fang Island, Raya sadly never commits to its unusual yet compelling thread of class politics. Still, these antagonists are a distinct change in rhythm from Disney's standard-issue villains of stepmothers and witches. (You never rooted for Jafar, but you may find yourself siding with Namaari.)

Raya and the Last Dragon is a thrilling action fantasy that is a bit light on heart and gripping stakes.

Set in a fictionalized version of a real region, Raya and the Last Dragon calls to mind past films like Aladdin and Frozen over the Chinese-inspired Mulan . But Raya does share things in common with China's folk hero. Both are fiercely independent warriors who seek to save their homes over finding true love. Raya joins the company of Merida and Moana as another princess with no hetero love interest, but her charged rivalry with Namaari is open sailing for queer shippers.

With that said, Raya stands firmly on her own feet. Bearing shades of Stars Wars ' Rey and Legend of Korra 's Korra, Raya is an immediately iconic heroine whose visual touchstones of a sun hat and indigenous Filipino weapons (if you're curious, her sticks are "kali" and her sword is a "kris") make an exciting, rarely seen blend of Southeast Asian design and Disney pulp. If we're lucky to have Halloween this year, you can bet Raya will be a new favorite costume, especially for Southeast Asian girls. (Finally, we have a Disney princess!)

You can't ask for more than Raya and the Last Dragon . The story zips by without so much dead weight, the action is top-notch, especially for CGI, the characters are lovable — Sisu is, pun not intended, a truly animated creature thanks to Awkwafina's comic timing — and its visual design, both its sheer imagination and technical fidelity, is remarkable. (I dare you to not be mesmerized by the texture of Sisu's fur or the suds and ripples from the water.) Though the story is less emotionally impactful and resonant than what Disney is capable of, it doesn't stop Raya and the Last Dragon from having a form of magic all its own.

Raya and the Last Dragon streams on Disney+ Premiere Access on March 5.

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Raya and the Last Dragon First Reviews: Disney Unleashes Another Instant Classic

Critics say the vibrantly animated film is emotionally satisfying and packed with stunning action to offer a little something for everyone..

TAGGED AS: Action , adventure , Animation , Disney , movies , Walt Disney Pictures

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes a new princess-driven fantasy adventure with a focus on Southeast Asian representation and heavy themes involving a sentient plague and trust issues among humans. And it’s action-packed and full of laughs, too. Raya and the Last Dragon is receiving rave reviews for its ambitious ideas, stunning visuals, and impressive thrills, all of which will entertain audiences of all ages, whether on the big screen or streaming at a premium price on Disney+. But is it another instant classic from Disney with immediately beloved characters and iconic storytelling?

Here’s what critics are saying about Raya and the Last Dragon :

Does Disney have another animated classic on its hands?

Disney has done it again. – Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

Another huge win for the studio. – Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

One of Disney’s most breathtakingly beautiful endeavors yet. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

[It’s] the best animated Disney film since Moana . – Brandon Katz, Observer

Raya and the Last Dragon has all the makings of a modern Disney classic. – Molly Freeman, Screen Rant

Is the story a familiar one?

The narrative skeleton is, if anything, even more generic, and also a reminder that the generic has its pleasures. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

Disney on autopilot is still pretty good. – Robert Daniels, The Playlist

[It’s] a tribute to Disney’s patented style of timeless, grand and immersive storytelling. But it’s also a pioneering picture, embracing timely, compassionate sentiments on our contemporary culture. – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

(Photo by ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Are there any comparable films it recalls?

If Moana , Tangled , Mulan , Abominable and Big Hero 6 had a child…you’d get Raya and the Last Dragon . – Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

Like 2016’s Moana and 2009’s The Princess and the Frog , the film stands apart, through fresh voices and cultures, while still embracing universal truths and ideals. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

In its expansive world-building and aesthetic variety, Raya and the Last Dragon most viscerally conjures up the experience of watching a Star Wars film. – Dan Rubins, Slant Magazine

The film the feel of a condensed Tolkien epic — a Lord of the Rings -light quest that takes Raya throughout Kumandra to accomplish her mission. – Peter Debruge, Variety

How is the animation ?

Raya and the Last Dragon is a technical triumph in every possible facet, simply just eye candy from start to finish. – Sean Mulvihill, FanboyNation

Some of the best visual work of Disney’s 3D era. Environments are jaw-droppingly impressive, reflecting a lived-in world that’s mythology and culture inform its architecture. – Jacob Oller, Paste Magazine

You’ve never seen [water] animated so exquisitely…from water droplets to nautical travel to the epic beauty of a character leaping from one raindrop to the next, it is extraordinary. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

What about the performances ?

It’s Tran’s movie and she excels in the lead role as Raya. – Molly Freeman, Screen Rant

Tran imbues Raya with both a tenderness and a steely determination, making the character one of the more fascinating Disney princesses in a long time. – Sean Mulvihill, FanboyNation

Tran’s pitch-perfect performance makes organic even the heavier character beat. – Inkoo Kang, Hollywood Reporter

[Raya is] a well-rounded, complex character, much of that hinges of the emotion Tran delivers through her performance. – Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Awkwafina as Sisu is a bit over-the-top, and that’s what makes me laugh. – Tania Lamb, Lola Lambchops

Awkwafina is a gifted comic actor, but she’s no Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy. – Peter Debruge, Variety

Does the movie have great side characters?

An enormous pill bug named Tuk Tuk… seems destined for ‘season’s hottest toy’ status. – Angie Han, Mashable

Sisu just isn’t special enough to gain entry to the Disney character hall of fame… [she] looks weird, like someone stuck a plastic My Little Pony head on a floppy feather-boa body. – Peter Debruge, Variety

I could’ve done without the [light-fingered toddler from Talon], which caused a fresh flare-up of post- Baby Geniuses stress disorder. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

How respectful is the Southeast Asian representation ?

Detail in the faces of the two rivals and Sisu in her human form… suggest something of the diversity in facial features among a group of people often stereotyped as all looking the same. – Inkoo Kang, Hollywood Reporter

From the tone and texture to the shine and glow – Raya and the main characters did not have that fake yellow skin, but a better representation of olive skin tone. – Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

The specific pan-Asian details — a bowl of shrimp congee, a price paid in jade pieces — are amusing even when they brush up gently against stereotype. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

Raya ‘s vision of diversity doesn’t feel as satisfying as a more culturally specific story like Pixar’s Coco , which found universality within its specificity. – Hoai-Tran Bui, Slashfilm

Will action fans be satisfied ?

When it comes to the action sequences, Raya and the Last Dragon breaks new ground… taking cultural fighting styles and bringing them to life via animation. – Sheraz Farooqi, ComicBook Debate

I seriously can’t speak highly enough about tense combative frames, as each swashbuckling sequence holds precision akin to live-action features. – Matt Conway, Battle Royale With Cheese

The face-off between Raya and Namaari delivers a thrilling set-piece that any action film would love to claim as its own. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

Full of chases and elaborate style action sequences that would make Indiana Jones blush… the fight scenes are simply jaw-dropping, full of energy and oomph. – Hoai-Tran Bui, Slashfilm

(Photo by )

Is it funny ?

Don’t worry. There’s lots of levity, between the sequence that features color bomb farting fireflies and Sisu’s comedic, Genie-esque antics. – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

Hall and Estrada’s jaunty direction pairs nicely with Nguyen and Lim’s wonderfully smart script to add plenty of humor to an otherwise dark story. – Kate Erbland, IndieWire

There’s a strain of wacky comedy that feels more in line with an early 2000s DreamWorks movie. – Hoai-Tran Bui, Slashfilm

When your gag is done better by the dopey penguins in the Madagascar movies, you know it’s run its course. – Jacob Oller, Paste Magazine

Will it move you ?

Raya and the Last Dragon is so rooted in emotion, that this motley crew is capable of kicking up big laughs and more than a few tears. – Kate Erbland, IndieWire

There were many moments that I sat crying, and others where I cheered on Raya and her unlikely crew. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

The swelling emotional finale may elicit tears or eyerolls depending on your point of view (definitely the former for me). – Brandon Katz, Observer

Does it teach any valuable lessons ?

This animation speaks to themes of unity we are in dire need of learning right now, and it does it in the most powerful way, by wrapping the truth up in action and sweetness. – Sherin Nicole, idobi.com

Trust is a key theme in Raya and the Last Dragon , as evident in how often it’s mentioned, and it’s a lesson we could all stand to hear, see, and practice more often. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

There are certainly worse lessons a movie could impart under present circumstances, and the filmmakers ponder it here with disarming sincerity and seriousness. – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

If any movie can restore faith in humanity again, this is it. – Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

Does it have any problems ?

If there is anything to fault in this movie it would be the lack of songs. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

This film desperately lacks the kind of soaring, iconically open-hearted sequences that made revered classics like The Lion King and Mulan stand the test of time. – Matt Conway, Battle Royale With Cheese

The film doesn’t flow so much as lurch from one big set-piece to the next, raising significant logic questions along the way. – Peter Debruge, Variety

Raya and Sisu’s friendship never fully develops. Akin to The Fifth Element , Raya treats Sisu more as a weapon. One that needs to be hidden rather than as a living creature. – Robert Daniels, The Playlist

Is it OK for younger viewers?

There are some scary moments that may frighten little ones, especially with the Druun, which is a dark mist-like monster. – Tania Lamb, Lola Lambchops

The Druun is scary — it moves quickly and is quite ominous…some sensitive ones might really be taken aback by it. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

I would compare the violence easily to that of Moana , Tangled , or the animated Mulan . Very easily digestible for little kids. – Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

Will it leave you wanting more?

It feels almost a pity when the movie ends and we have to say goodbye to the whole gang before we got to see them do still more fun stuff. – Angie Han, Mashable

[It’s] a property with plenty of future storytelling potential. – Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Raya and the Last Dragon is in theaters and available as a premium rental on Disney+ on March 5, 2021.

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The first reviews are quick to praise Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina’s dynamic, as well as Disney’s first Southeast Asian heroine for having "more than romance or even self-actualization on her mind."

By Lexy Perez

Associate Editor

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Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) in 'Raya and the Last Dragon' (2021).

Reviews are in for Disney’s new animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon , and the critics are generally positive.

Directed by Don Hall ( Big Hero 6 , Winnie the Pooh ) and Carlos López Estrada ( Blindspotting ), the new animated film introduces audiences to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons live together in harmony. When the land is threatened by sinister monster Druun, the lone warrior Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran ) goes on a quest to find the last surviving Dragon in order to stop the monster.

Marie Tran and Awkwafina lead a predominantly Asian-American voice cast that also includes Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, Izaac Wang, Thalia Tran and Alan Tudyk.

For The Hollywood Reporter , Inkoo Kang asserts that the animated film should be added to “the list of 2020 and 2021 movies you’ll desperately wish you could see on the big screen.” Elaborating, the critic notes that the film “occasionally crawls,” but still has “urgency and momentum to spare.” Kang further describes the film as “a kiddie version of The Leftovers ” and is an action-packed adventure “streaked with teal and violet whimsies, punctuated by Indiana Jones-style obstacles.” Though there’s a lot to the plot, Kang argues the directors do a good job at conveying the backstory “much more gracefully, through a gorgeous jewel-toned batik- and shadow puppet-inspired sequence that’s a visual highlight of the film.” The critic goes on to say, “Just as impressively, it builds to a deeply moving climax whose resolution is unexpected yet consummate. This is a film that knows how to soar.”

Matt Goldberg of Collider shares the same sentiments as Kang in that the film can make audiences miss the movie theater. “Disney Animation’s new movie clearly belongs in a theater simply because it’s a big quest story built around its set pieces,” the critic writes. Further the critic describes Raya as “a fun romp” that “takes a little while to get going, but once it settles into its groove it’s a propulsive journey with some thrilling action scenes.” Goldberg applauds the comical dynamic between characters Raya and Sisu (voiced by Awkwafina) and credits Awkwafina for delivering a “terrific vocal performance.” Speaking on the film’s theme of trust, Goldberg writes that the story proves to be rather timely as “we live in a world that is riven by divisions and we bemoan the fact that “no one trusts each other.’ He adds that the theme of trusting others hangs “an emotional core of the film” while also making for “pretty enjoyable action movie.”

Brian Tallerico of Roger Ebert describes Raya as “wonderful” and an “ambitious family film that will work for all ages” while “blending imagery and mythology from several Southeast Asian cultures into its own vision.” “It also contains some of the most striking imagery Disney has ever produced, dropping its characters in a world that feels both classic and new at the same time,” the critic writes. The critic compliments Disney for delivering “an old-fashioned adventure movie that recalls everything from Indiana Jones to “Princess Mononoke,” with the directors having the ability to “imbue every design element” with “top-notch craftsmanship.” The critic also praises the film’s ability to balance the adventure with emotional stakes never getting lost, sure to spark conversations with young viewers about “trust, forgiveness and courage.” “One of the many things I love about it is how much it challenges the traditional superficiality of blockbuster animation, knowing that kids can handle more complex plots and themes than Hollywood usually gives them,” the critic writes.

Of the film, Ben Travis of Empire Magazine applauds Disney for delivering a vibrant action-fantasy with a revolutionary heroine. Citing the distinctive action sequences as those “that hit harder than typical Disney fare,” the critic also notes the fight sequences invoke “the cinematic language of Asian action cinema.” Further, the critic notes “some beats feel derivative” and it could seem Awkwafina “should get more zingers,” but overall the screenplay delivers a “pacy and propulsive” story, “punctuating the necessary narrative groundwork with bursts of action and excitement.” Of the film’s underlying messages, the critic refers to Raya as being ” perfectly timed for the Biden-Harris era.” “If there’s a hero we need right now, it’s one who kicks ass with kindness.”

Justin Chang of The Los Angeles Times describes the film as “an ambitious, imperfect stew of cultural inspirations, in which sharp new flavors and textures jostle with flat, derivative ones.” With Raya serving as Disney’s first Southeast Asian heroine, Chang notes that the lead character “has more than romance or even self-actualization on her mind” when compared to other Disney heroines Moana and Elsa. “And unlike them, she doesn’t even have time for a song,” the critic writes. Though he argues “the story features the usual Disney complement of cute critters and likable supporting players,” the critic credits Disney’s attempt at making “an ambitious, imperfect stew of cultural inspirations” and for the Raya character being an “appealing amalgam of countless smart, unpretentious, down-to-earth action heroes before her — the kinds of characters that, as with this movie, you gravitate toward as much for their familiarity as for their novelty.”

Brian Truitt of USA Today describes Raya as “an epic and sassy fantasy adventure for youngsters not yet ready for Game of Thrones .” Quick to note that the film “wrestles with tonal inconsistencies,” the critic also praises Raya ’s “fantastic action scenes” that follow a ” touching underlying narrative about the power of trust.” Truitt likens the film’s “best aspects” to Moana , in particular the “comedy and its central empowering journey.” The critic also notes that the film can share “plenty of familiar fantasy themes and the occasional Raiders of the Lost Ark or Star Wars nod” but “because it’s not based on anything, the film sometimes feels remarkably original” with ” amazing fight sequences,” a “goofiness” that “entertains more than it distracts” and calls Awkwafina’s casting an “absolute perfection.” “Watching her [Awkwafina] skip through the sky using her magic is as enjoyable as seeing Raya mosey into one of her thrilling, two-fisted, sword-swinging altercations. Together, they make ‘Last Dragon’ a neat new entry to the fantasy-movie canon.”

Hoai-Tran Bui of SlashFilm quickly notes that the Raya’s “big selling point” is the animated film’s representation given “for decades Mulan was the only Asian face in Disney’s overwhelmingly white line-up of fairy-tale mascots.” The critic notes that it’s apparent “the creative team went above and beyond to accurately represent the region in the food, the architecture, the character design, down to every little tiny detail” and “as a rarefied piece of Southeast Asian representation onscreen, it does its job.” However the critic notes, “ Raya ‘s vision of diversity doesn’t feel as satisfying as a more culturally specific story like Pixar’s Coco , for example, which found universality within its specificity.” Further, Bui argues the film “struggles with differing tones” and contains “wacky comedy.” The critic concludes, “The Southeast Asian-flavored epic may not be quite the apex of representation that it wishes to be, but it gives us Disney magic of a new variety: one that is thrilling, and textured, and gives us a heroine with honeyed skin and a fascinating flaws who will be the favorite Disney Princess for a whole generation of Southeast Asian kids.”

Angie Han of Mashable admits Raya ’s “not-so-subtle theme of trying to find trust in a cynical world can’t help but wring a few extra tears in difficult times.” “There are wild chases and epic swordfights. There are moments of unexpected levity and quiet grief. (Again: very 2021.) And there are stops at all five nations, each with a distinctive enough feel to hint at a fuller world, even if all we get is a glimpse,” Han writes. The critic also notes that “in between its playful shenanigans and zippy action sequences,” the film “extends to the despairing a gentle reminder to hope, to heal, to reach out to others and try to become whole again.” Han also compares Raya to other Disney princesses “who’ve veered away from classic fairy tale tropes in search of more expansive adventures on the horizon.” “Raya’s Rose Tico-ish mix of grounded warmth and steely determination make her a hero who’s easy to root for, a solid core that anchors the film even as scenes regularly get stolen by the more colorful supporting characters around her.”

Dirk Libbey of Cinemablend praises the Disney animated feature for succeeding at “being several types of features at once” including “an animated family adventure,” “a moving and emotional drama” and “an absolutely kick-ass martial arts flick.” Though the critic notes that “on the surface Raya and the Last Dragon may seem like a story we’ve all seen before,” it’s “the execution of this story that makes it special.” “We’ve never seen this done quite this way, and there’s a lot here that we haven’t seen from Disney, even after more than eight decades of animated filmmaking,” the critic writes. The critic praises Tran for being “the perfect voice” for Raya, the “stunning” visuals and for being a film that takes action to another level.

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Raya And The Last Dragon Review

Raya And The Last Dragon

Ever since Disney overhauled its princess archetype in 2010’s Tangled with an agency-seizing Rapunzel, the evolution of its revolutionary heroines has continued — from Frozen ’s convention-bucking royal sisters Elsa and Anna, to seafaring voyager Moana. Its latest progression is Raya — an all-out warrior, traversing a post-apocalyptic fantasy kingdom in an action-packed adventure replete with tomb-raiding set-pieces and bruising brawls.

She’s also the studio’s first Southeast Asian protagonist in a tale inspired by the cultures and mythology of Southeast Asian countries, transposed to the fictional realm of Kumandra — once-prosperous and populated by humans and dragons, before swirling purple evil entity the Druun turned the mythical beasts to stone. Kumandra divided into warring factions, and centuries later a power-grab gone wrong brings the Druun back, plunging the kingdom into further ruin. Enter Raya ( Kelly Marie Tran ) — a lone wolf with a swooshing cape and a sling-bladed whip sword, on a quest to reunite the broken shards of the Dragon Gem (a stone holding the last vestiges of dragon magic), defeat the Druun, and restore Kumandra’s people, her father Benja ( Daniel Dae Kim ) included.

A rare family film with genuine action-blockbuster chops.

It’s a lot of lore, and the opening act of Raya has plenty to unfurl – there’s a prologue to a prelude, exposition to dispense about dragon magic and the five factions of Kumandra (Tail, Talon, Spine, Fang, and Raya’s homeland of Heart), and a MacGuffin-driven mission to establish, along with the introduction of Awkwafina ’s anxious water dragon Sisu. But the screenplay — from Crazy Rich Asians co-screenwriter Adele Lim and Vietnamese-American writer Qui Nguyen — is pacy and propulsive, punctuating the necessary narrative groundwork with bursts of action and excitement. The complex mythology does make Kumandra feel properly epic, and every stop on Raya’s journey — the desert wasteland of Tail, the lantern-lit market-town of Talon, the dense, foggy forest of Spine — has a distinct, gorgeously realised identity.

Most distinctive, though, is the action. Veteran Disney director Don Hall ( Big Hero 6 ) and Blindspotting ’s Carlos López Estrada deliver impressively impactful fight sequences that hit harder than typical Disney fare — using crash-zooms and speed-ramping to accentuate the fighting techniques of Raya and her nemesis Namaari ( Gemma Chan ) while invoking the cinematic language of Asian action cinema. Throw in a fluid foot-chase through Talon and a booby-trapped gauntlet-run in Tail (complete with explosive-farting beetles), and Raya is a rare family film with genuine action-blockbuster chops.

It’s not all refreshing. Some beats feel derivative (a moment of water-magic in a shipwreck is a near-direct Frozen II re-tread, while Moana ’s DNA looms large overall), and there’s a sense that Awkwafina — comedic dynamite in Crazy Rich Asians and Jumanji: The Next Level — should get more zingers.

But it’s frequently breathtaking, from the photoreal water effects to Sisu’s shimmering, purple-pink mane. And with its cleanly delivered thread about creating unity and learning to trust one another again, Raya is perfectly timed for the Biden-Harris era. If there’s a hero we need right now, it’s one who kicks ass with kindness.

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Raya and the last dragon.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 48 Reviews
Kids Say 93 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Charming, epic adventure mixes monsters, humor, heart.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 8+?

Electric-purple blob monsters -- the manifestation of a plague known as the Druu

Raya insults the Fang people. A couple of characters say "badaxery," which sound

Nothing on-screen, but off-screen merchandise tie-ins to Disney movies, includin

Any Positive Content?

Strong theme of importance of trust. Lasting messages about impact of grief and

Raya is brave, selfless, generous, and kind -- also suspicious and wary of accep

Raya is the first Disney film to focus fully on the cultures of Southeast Asia.

Audiences will be exposed to a non-specific blend of Southeast Asian cultures an

Violence & Scariness

Electric-purple blob monsters -- the manifestation of a plague known as the Druun -- attack relentlessly at every opportunity, turning people and dragons to stone. Central characters are impacted; some sacrifice themselves (i.e., willingly turn to stone) to save others. Many have lost loved ones (including children who are without parents/family members). A main character is struck by an arrow, presumed dead. People fight with bow and arrow, swords, knives, other blades. Close-contact combat/violence. Characters must run to escape capture. Dangerous pursuits on ground, at sea. Glimpse of a skeleton. The Fang warriors ride scary big cats. Spine warrior hurls a huge axe.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Raya insults the Fang people. A couple of characters say "badaxery," which sounds very much like "badass-ery."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Nothing on-screen, but off-screen merchandise tie-ins to Disney movies, including apparel, toys, games, books, and more.

Positive Messages

Strong theme of importance of trust. Lasting messages about impact of grief and acknowledging how those you love are a part of you. Lessons about courage, teamwork, perseverance. Shows the need to overcome prejudice and assumptions to find commonalities with others.

Positive Role Models

Raya is brave, selfless, generous, and kind -- also suspicious and wary of accepting help, but she learns the importance of teamwork. Sisu is powerful and courageous but also sweet, forgiving, trusting, and empathetic. Namaari is loyal and persistent but also deceptive.

Diverse Representations

Raya is the first Disney film to focus fully on the cultures of Southeast Asia. The characters are all voiced by Southeast Asian and Asian actors, and the script was written by Qui Nguyen (Vietnamese American) and Adele Lim (Malaysian American). However, there's little in the movie that specifies different cultures and peoples from this diverse region of the world, which could lead young Western viewers into thinking that cultures as different as Thai and Vietnamese are pretty much indistinguishable.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Educational Value

Audiences will be exposed to a non-specific blend of Southeast Asian cultures and will learn about courage, teamwork, communication, and perseverance.

Parents need to know that Raya and the Last Dragon is an animated Disney adventure about a warrior princess on a mission. Set in the fictional land of Kumandra, which is based on real Southeast Asian cultures (including Thai, Malay, and Vietnamese), the movie follows Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran ), who for years has tried to find a way to reverse a scary, curse-like plague known as the Druun, which takes the form of relentless purple-and-black blob monsters and turns anyone it touches into stone. Awkwafina co-stars as the voice of Sisu, the last surviving dragon, whom Raya recruits to help in her quest. Grief is a major theme of the movie, and several characters talk about the loved ones taken by the Druun, including children who've lost parents and entire families. Scary sequences involve characters fleeing for their lives from various dangerous situations, including both human enemies and the Druun. There are intense close-up fights with swords/blades, and a skeleton is visible in one sequence. In another scene ( spoiler alert ), a main character is struck by an arrow and presumed dead. In one very emotional scene, characters willingly sacrifice themselves to the Druun; young viewers may believe they're dead. The movie emphasizes the importance of trusting others and overcoming prejudice to find common ground. And Raya is a standout role model who exhibits courage, teamwork, and perseverance. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (48)
Kids say (93)

Based on 48 parent reviews

Well made, generally enjoyable, but poison is mixed in. "Remind me to never have children" ?

Beautiful, wondrous, complicated...packs a punch, what's the story.

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON begins with Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran ) narrating the history of Kumandra, a once prosperous land where powerful dragons co-existed with humans until the Druun, a plague-like enemy that manifests as relentless purple-and-black blob monsters, started turning everyone to stone. The dragons fought together to save humanity but eventually they, too, were lost -- except for Sisu, who concentrated all of the dragons' power into an all-powerful gem and defeated the Druun. Her action revived all of the humans, but the dragons remained suspended in stone ... except, legend says, for Sisu. Years later, Kumandra has fragmented into five regions -- Heart, Tail, Talon, Spine, and Fang -- who are hostile to and suspicious of each other. Raya, the princess of Heart (which is where Sisu's gem is kept), and her father, Chief Benja ( Daniel Dae Kim ), invite the leaders of the other regions to Heart for a peace summit. But it turns into an all-out war when the Fang leader ( Sandra Oh ) and her daughter ( Gemma Chan ) make a play for Sisu's gem. It breaks into five pieces (each of which is swiped by one of the leaders), unleashing the Druun, which turn Chief Benja into stone. Six years later, Raya and her beloved sidekick Tuk Tuk ( Alan Tudyk ), a giant pill bug, are on a mission to find Sisu and reunite the gem pieces. They succeed in finding Sisu ( Awkwafina ), who's sassy, sweet, and optimistic. Together they travel to the rest of Kumandra's regions, teaming up with locals from each as they work to stop the Druun once and for all.

Is It Any Good?

Equal parts charming, empowering, and epic, this Southeast Asia-inspired adventure introduces the next great Disney warrior princess to join the likes of Moana, Merida, and Mulan. The thorough prologue establishes the world of Kumandra and the battle between the dragons, the humans, and the Druun. Raya and Sisu get a lot of help on their mission from the various locals they incorporate into their circle: young Boun (Izaac Wang), the chef/boat captain from Tail; baby Noi (Thalia Tran), a Talonese pickpocket toddler whose monkey squad will delight younger viewers; and Tong ( Benedict Wong ), an intimidating but kind warrior from Spine. They band together to protect Sisu (who can shape-shift into a woman who looks more than a little like Awkwafina) and find a way to defeat the Druun.

The movie's bursts of peril and moments of grief are balanced by a lot of levity (little Noi is hilarious, and Sisu, like the comedian who plays her, is irresistibly charming) and heart. Humor is threaded throughout Raya and the Last Dragon , and Tuk Tuk is an adorable animal sidekick. There's no romance in the movie, which focuses instead on the "found family" that Raya and Sisu create with their new friends. Directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, along with the screenwriters Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, manage to make the characters' orphanhood a touching statement about loss -- it surrounds every character and drives Raya forward to do everything she can to free her father from his stone cage. While this isn't a musical, James Newton Howard's evocative score is fantastic, and the animation is so detailed and stellar that families may find themselves pausing and rewinding just to take in the diversity of landscapes, costumes, and characters. Once again, Disney has managed to take the familiar and make it magical.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about which parts of Raya and the Last Dragon were scary . Does animated violence impact kids differently than live-action violence?

What makes Raya a strong, independent character? How does she demonstrate courage , perseverance , and teamwork ? Why are those important character strengths ?

Most of the movie's main characters are female, and all of them are based on Southeast Asian traditions. Why is it important to see a wide range of representation in the media? Use interest in Raya as a stepping stone to learning more about individual cultures and peoples from Southeast Asia, like the Thai, Khmer, Malay, Lao, and Vietnamese cultures.

The filmmakers have said that the movie was inspired by many real Southeast Asian cultures and traditions. Did you notice any in particular (for example, Thailand or Cambodia)? Why do you think filmmakers would choose to set it in a fictional country over a real one?

How do the different characters handle their grief at losing loved ones? Have you ever lost someone close to you? How did you react?

Movie Details

In theaters : March 5, 2021
On DVD or streaming : April 2, 2021
Cast : Awkwafina , Kelly Marie Tran , Gemma Chan
Directors : Don Hall , Carlos Estrada
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Asian actors
Studio : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Genre : Family and Kids
Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models
Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
Run time : 114 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : some violence, action and thematic elements
Award : Common Sense Selection
Last updated : August 14, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

'Raya And The Last Dragon' Review: Disney's First Southeast Asian Animated Movie Is A Hard-Hitting Visual Feast

"Your favorite Disney Princess is Mulan, right?" is a question I've heard, and somewhat resented, many times over the years. Of course she would have to be my favorite; for decades Mulan was the only Asian face in Disney's overwhelmingly white line-up of fairy-tale mascots, and Asian-Americans were starved for onscreen representation as it is (for the record, my favorite is Belle). I would admit to dressing up as the Chinese warrior for Halloween, and I will admit to being more than a little excited when I heard Disney was making a Southeast Asian-inspired Disney movie, featuring the company's first-ever Southeast Asian Disney Princess. How long we've waited for this moment, to finally be shown in our brown-skinned glory, instead of faceless victims of the dozens of grimy jungle wars.

I start off this review by mentioning Raya and the Last Dragon 's bid for diversity because that's the big selling point for this fantasy epic. It's the movie that features Disney's first Southeast Asian princess, played by effervescent Vietnamese-American actress Kelly Marie Tran , whose creative team went above and beyond to accurately represent the region in the food, the architecture, the character design, down to every little tiny detail. The devil may be in the details, but is the Disney magic? Well, yes and no.

Raya and the Last Dragon a real barn-burner of an adventure epic, full of chases and elaborate action sequences that would make Indiana Jones blush. As an animated fantasy epic, it's a thrilling romp with a strong emotional core that even wanders into pure action cinema at times, thanks to breathtaking and hard-hitting fight sequences that are easily some of the best things Disney Animation has ever done. As a rarefied piece of Southeast Asian representation onscreen, it does its job.

Set in the fictional country of Kumandra, which is made up of five distinct lands — Fang, Spine, Talon, Tail, and Heart — Raya and the Last Dragon follows the titular lone warrior as she embarks on a quest to find the last dragon and save the world from the sinister Druuns, malevolent forces that turn every human they touch to stone; among them, Raya's father Benja ( Daniel Dae Kim ), the chief of Heart. It's a loss that weighs heavily on Raya, having unwittingly set the Druuns upon the world several years earlier, when she and Benja had welcomed the four other tribes to their home in a bid for harmony, and Raya — recently named Guardian of the Dragon Gem — shows another chief's daughter, Namaari, the vault where the Gem is kept. Namaari quickly betrays Raya to allow her tribe of Fang to steal the Gem for themselves, believing that the Gem was the reason for Heart's prosperity while all the other lands suffered. Hearing the commotion, the rest of the tribes and Benja rush to the vault, where a fight ensues — leading to the Gem breaking and unleashing the Druuns back onto the world.

But Raya believes that the last dragon – who had created the Gem that stopped the Druuns 500 years ago – is still alive, and embarks on a years-long quest to find her. Finally, after years of searching, at the end of a dried up river, Raya revives the long-slumbering Sisu (a buoyant Awkwafina ), an enthusiastic, slightly dim-witted water dragon who has even less of a clue than Raya on how to save the world. The two of them set off on a quest to find all the pieces of the Dragon Gem, assembling an unlikely group of allies who help break down the barriers between tribes and break down the emotional walls that Raya had put up since being betrayed by Namaari ( Gemma Chan , at her most growly) all those years ago.

At this point in Disney Animation history, there are certain expectations that come with every Disney movie: will there be cute sidekicks? Will it have a strong-willed protagonist who learns some important lesson? Will the adventure end in a grand, emotional climax that gives us a taste of that old, ineffable Disney magic once again? But Disney, as of late, is doing its best to redefine who gets to deliver that Disney magic by making efforts to diversify its characters and films in ways that feel strategic, yes, but still feel earnest and earned in the way that only a little Hawaiian girl's joy at seeing herself in Moana can achieve.

So Disney has gotten some of the Moana team (including producer Osnat Shurer and co-director Don Hall , who helms Raya with Blindspotting director Carlos López Estrada ) back together to work their same magic on the Southeast Asian region (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, among half a dozen other countries). Like Moana before it, Raya and the Last Dragon , features a melting pot of influences that provide a rich texture to the film that elevates it from being a simple pastiche of action epics that came before it. On a superficial level, the obvious parallels to Avatar: The Last Airbender are there (right down to a breezy narrated introduction and the character designs), but the film also recalls the likes of Raiders of the Last Ark and Studio Ghibli's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind , albeit with some Southeast Asian flair, like a lovely opening sequence that uses the traditional art of shadow puppetry. The brisk and efficient script, written by Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen , also sprinkles in various nods and words that Malaysian or Vietnamese audiences will recognize.

However — and this is going to sound like criticism that I'm levying specifically at Raya and the Last Dragon , even though it's not — Raya 's vision of diversity doesn't feel as satisfying as a more culturally specific story like Pixar's Coco , for example, which found universality within its specificity. Seeing a familiar dish and hearing a familiar word doesn't have quite the effect as recognizing a family dynamic onscreen. But one film shouldn't have to handle the weight of representing an entire geographic region, and I don't expect Raya and the Last Dragon to do so , though it appears to desperately want to.

But taken purely as an action epic, Raya and the Last Dragon is a real treat. Disney animation has never looked better, the sweeping tundras and twinkly night markets carrying a real-world weight to them, aided by the frequent use of shallow depth of field that adds a hazy beauty to the movie. The fight scenes are simply jaw-dropping, full of energy and oomph, and a terrifying realness that would have you believe the film's directors flirted with an R-rating . Tran, who is absolutely perfect as Raya, imbuing a casual coolness to the prickly character, unleashes a frightening rage during the battle scenes that feel raw and unhinged in a way that Disney has rarely felt.

But Raya and the Last Dragon struggles with differing tones that threaten to undercut its big emotional moments. There's a strain of wacky comedy that feels more in line with an early 2000s DreamWorks movie, like the absurd inclusion of a martial arts-fighting "con baby" who joins Raya's team after an attempted theft. Raya's entire unlikely team — which includes a scene-stealing Benedict Wong as a giant warrior Tong and newcomer Izaac Wang as a smirking 10-year-old shrimp boat chef named Boun — sits at that strange tonal intersection of the Disney comedy The Emperor's New Groove and its original, serious version Kingdom of the Sun . But at the same time, they — along with Sisu and Namaari, who with Raya make up the unusually all-female lead trio — provide the beautiful beating heart of the film, which builds into a wrenching, lump-in-the-throat emotional climax that nearly makes up for the uneven tone.

So, does Raya and the Last Dragon give us a dose of that good old Disney magic? The Southeast Asian-flavored epic may not be quite the apex of representation that it wishes to be, but it gives us Disney magic of a new variety: one that is thrilling, and textured, and gives us a heroine with honeyed skin and a fascinating flaws who will be the favorite Disney Princess for a whole generation of Southeast Asian kids.

/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

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Raya and the Last Dragon Is a Slick, Sometimes Transcendent Addition to the Disney Canon

As Disney enters its ninth decade of animated features, the company’s been making gestures toward sociopolitical relevance in addition to repositioning its princesses as independent heroines and opening its animated universes up to be more inclusive. Zootopia was an unmistakable if imperfect allegory about racism; the Frozen sequel pitted its royal sisters against their own kingdom’s colonialist legacy. But however intentional the timing, Raya and the Last Dragon is on a level all its own — a dystopian saga that feels disorientingly primed for a release at the tail end of the pandemic, under a president who ran under messages of healing and unity. It’s a movie that takes place in a landscape ravaged by a plague, and one in which, we’re told, the only chance at a future appears to depend on its characters figuring out how to overcome the tribalism that’s splintered their nation. Who could ever relate? Thank God there’s a cute baby to focus on.

Raya and the Last Dragon , which was directed by Don Hall (of Big Hero 6 and Moana ) and Carlos López Estrada ( Blindspotting ), and written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, is a slick production, as much an action movie as a fantasy adventure. Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) isn’t just the future leader of her land, she’s also a fierce martial artist who’s been training to inherit the role of protector of the gem containing the last of the era’s magic. All parallels to pleas for bipartisanship aside, there’s a genuine emotional heft to the conflict at its center. Raya has to travel to different lands collecting magical objects and evading dangers that range from grandmotherly mob bosses to bugs with exploding farts — but her real battle involves learning to let go of her rage after having been betrayed. Trust, the movie suggests, is an act of grace, something that involves relinquishing the memories of past harm, and something that must be given if it is expected from others.

The angel on her shoulder urging her toward forgiveness is Sisu (Awkwafina), the last dragon, and the one who, the story goes, saved the world from being destroyed by the Druun by creating the gem that Raya and her family have been guarding. The Druun are part virus, part monster, formless forces that transform everyone they come into contact with to stone. When the Druun were first defeated, 500 years ago, their victims transformed back — except for the dragons, the source of all of Kumandra’s enchantments, who remained frozen. When Raya and the Last Dragon begins, Raya’s father, Chief Benja (Daniel Dae Kim), is hoping to heal the rifts between the five warring lands that Kumandra has split into by inviting the leadership for a sit-down. Instead, Namaari (Gemma Chan), the daughter of a rival chief, befriends Raya in order to steal the gem, a double cross that leads to it being shattered and the Druun being set free once again. Six years later, Raya’s desperately chasing a legend that holds that Sisu is still around — and, it turns out, she is, though she’s more goofball than powerhouse.

There’s a cute kid, too — an entrepreneurial junior restaurateur named Boun (Izaac Wang) who specializes in shrimp congee. Benedict Wong voices Tong, another character picked up along the journey, a burly warrior with a squishy center. There’s also the adorable requisite animal sidekick, Tuk Tuk, who’s kind of a roly-poly bug by way of an armadillo, and who can handily serve as an all-terrain mount for the film’s resolute title character when curled up into a ball. Raya and the Last Dragon is a reminder of the things that Disney has always been capable of doing so well at its heights, a marvel of character design, world-building, and canny choices. It unfurls a richly realized Southeast Asia–inspired fantasy realm called Kumandra, made up of craggy deserts, snowy bamboo forests, floating markets, and canal-shielded cities.

There’s a lot of backstory to hurry through, enough to make it easy to see Raya and the Last Dragon as a strategically calculated, spinoff-ready bit of corporate IP that will come back to these details in some other form. But the film has bursts of real transcendence despite that. Sisu, who embodies what at first seems like naïveté, and later a radical optimism, is responsible for many of them. Awkwafina’s gently comedic vocal performance does a lot to establish the character as a holy innocent, joyfully using the powers she accrues to bounce through the sky and always insisting that the right gift can mend all divisions. Namaari is key to the others. Her borderline romantically charged conflict with Raya becomes the central relationship of the movie, with the pair torn between feeling like they can only look out for their own people and a desire to act on behalf of the greater good.

The two young women may be enemies, but they share a capacity for wonder, especially when it comes to dragons. The film’s highlight isn’t a fight sequence, but a moment in which Namaari has an encounter that reminds her that the world is not all a struggle for survival — that it still has the capacity to surprise and to offer hope. It’s moving not because it’s topical, but because the unguarded expression on her face feels so true.

movie review
raya and the last dragon
carlos lópez estrada
kelly marie tran
daniel dae kim
benedict wong

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‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Review: Disney Woos Teens With Asian-Themed Toon

'Blindspotting' director Carlos López Estrada joins 'Big Hero 6' helmer Don Hall in this action-driven shot at updating the Disney formula.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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The first major animated feature for a post-Trump era, “ Raya and the Last Dragon ” is as leftie a toon as Disney has ever made, though its core message of unity and come-togetherness should hardly seem political at all. Notably, it’s a movie with no villain, no love interest, no musical numbers and no talking animals — unless you count Awkwafina ’s loquacious (and potentially world-saving) water dragon Sisu. Progressive as this formula-bending family movie may be, “Raya” still feels every bit a Disney offering — one whose proactive princess (technically, she’s the brave daughter of an incapacitated chieftain) ought to entertain and inspire kids to do more than passively await true love’s kiss.

Set in the make-believe realm of Kumandra — inspired by that region of Southeast Asia represented by Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (all toured by the production team on research trips) — “Raya” opens with an elaborate prologue, the gist of which suggests that humans are their own worst enemy. That’s a pretty dark blanket statement coming from Disney, even more cynical than such apocalyptic eco-adventures as “Avatar” (where a few good apples redeem a craven species), but consistent with the humans-are-horrible messaging of recent Marvel movies.

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Half a millennium later, headstrong Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran of the latest “Star Wars” trilogy) was born into Heart and tasked with protecting the powerful Dragon Gem. Turns out, the precious orb is protecting humans from themselves, which they learn the hard way when Namaari (Gemma Chan), a girl from Fang, tries to steal it, causing the stone to shatter.

Instantly, the Druun reemerge, and Raya’s dad is fossilized, petrified in place like one of China’s ancient terra-cotta warriors. For a moment, it seemed as if Raya had found a friend in Namaari, but instead, her betrayal underlines the untrustworthiness of humans. Now, with the gem smashed and its pieces divided — one to each kingdom — the world devolves into a desolate and dangerous place.

That’s a lot of backstory for kids to get through in the opening act, although “Raya” is pitched at young teens, who should be able to handle the film’s flashy style and densely compacted plot. That demo will likely also thrill to the many martial-arts action scenes, some of which rival even the spectacle overload of Disney’s live-action “Mulan.” Co-directors Don Hall (“Big Hero 6”) and Carlos López Estrada (“Blindspotting”) bring a certain irreverent energy to the computer-animated project, seeking clever visual solutions to the script’s many clichés, and yet the film doesn’t flow so much as lurch from one big set-piece to the next, raising significant logic questions along the way.

For example, six years on from the long prologue, we catch up with Raya and her armadillo-like sidekick, Tuk Tuk, on the brink of a major turning point: She has somehow located the resting place of Sisu, and by performing a ritual, conjures the dragon. If this were “Aladdin” (which the creative team clearly had in mind), everyone would know that rubbing a lamp is all it takes to free the genie. But here, it seems entirely too easy to resurrect such a rare and elusive creature. The movie breezes through this important detail, skipping straight to the payoff.

Awkwafina is a gifted comic actor (and, as “The Farewell” revealed, a pretty talented dramatic one as well), but she’s no Robin Williams, or Eddie Murphy. When Sisu cracks jokes, her antics bemuse more than amaze. Awkwafina’s wry, gravelly voice is distinctive, and her shape-shifted human form delivers an effective caricature. But in the end, Sisu just isn’t special enough to gain entry to the Disney character hall of fame, left on the stoop alongside Arlo (aka the Good Dinosaur), Chicken Little and Koda (does anyone even remember Brother Bear?). “Raya and the Last Dragon” needed a truly memorable magical creature — like Toothless in DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon” — to set it apart, whereas Sisu looks weird, like someone stuck a plastic “My Little Pony” head on a floppy feather-boa body.

Raya, on the other hand, represents a new wave of Disney heroine: strong, independent and more intrepid than the young men who often fill such roles in live-action movies. And Namaari, who could be seen as an antagonist if the movie hadn’t gone out of its way to humanize her motives, is a nearly genderless warrior. It’s significant that neither character is male, since that choice frees “Raya” from the temptation to set the princess up with a romantic suitor. Here, it’s a friendship that’s at stake, and cooperation that can potentially restore Kumandra to its former glory.

In several recent Disney toons (“Wreck-It Ralph” and “Zootopia” come to mind), the directors take the time to describe the various zones of an extended universe, only to focus in on just a couple corners of the allegedly expansive world. But in “Raya,” Hall and López Estrada make it a point to visit all five lands, imbuing each with a distinctive look and mythology. The result gives the film the feel of a condensed Tolkien epic — a “Lord of the Rings”-light quest that takes Raya throughout Kumandra to accomplish her mission.

At each stop, Raya enlists the help of a new friend: 10-year-old wheeler-dealer Boun (Izaac Wang), “con baby” Noi (Thalia Tran) and ax-wielding giant Tong (Benedict Wong). Obviously, Raya’s going to need all of their help to salvage the Dragon Gem, although screenwriters Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim succeed in surprising us with how this arrangement plays out. A lot of the storytelling is clumsy, rushed or inelegant, but the movie’s timely message of unity and trust still resonates because the filmmakers figured out such a satisfying ending — albeit one that ties things up a little too neatly: so much world-building in service of a one-off. Is this overloaded origin story really the last we’ll see of “The Last Dragon”?

Originally scheduled to open over Thanksgiving, but delayed by the pandemic until March 5, the film was supposed to be accompanied in theaters by Zach Parrish’s “Us Again.” The 7-minute animated short further diversifies the Disney universe with an elderly Black couple whose boogie-woogie relationship (barely visible in a blurry pan across a wall full of photos) has presumably cooled since the now-complacent husband settled into his easy chair. Music drifts in the window, and the old codger reluctantly shakes a leg, and in so doing, rekindles this youthful romance (on what looks like the Santa Monica pier) through dance. It’s exciting to see a cartoon embracing the body language of choreography, even if its message isn’t entirely clear.

Reviewed online, Los Angeles, Feb. 23, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 108 MIN.

Production: (Animated) A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Disney presentation of a Walt Disney Animation Studios production. Producers: Osnat Shurer, Peter Del Vecho. Executive producers: Jennifer Lee, Jared Bush. Co-executive producers: Kean Cronin, Robert Kapp, James Skotchdopole. Co-producers: Jonathan Vanger, Karl Richards.
Crew: Directors: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada. Co-directors: Paul Briggs, John Ripa. Screenplay: Qui Nguyen, Adele Lim; story: Paul Briggs, Don Hall, Adele Lim, Carlos López Estrada, Kiel Murray, Qui Nguyen, John Ripa, Dean Wellins. Head of story: Fawn Veerasunthorn. Editors: Fabienne Rawley, Shannon Stein. Music: James Newton Howard.
With: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chang, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Jona Xiao, Sandra Oh, Thalia Tran, Lucille Soong, Alan Tudyk.

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Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is a sumptuous fantasy — but it makes a mess of Southeast Asian culture

The animated fantasy is a gorgeous, if generic, vehicle for a great Disney princess.

by Aja Romano

Raya seeks the help of the legendary dragon, Sisu, in Raya and the Last Dragon, out on March 5.

Disney’s latest princess film, Raya and the Last Dragon, delivers a lush, beautifully animated, endearing, and engaging story. It’s funny and well written, with dark, layered themes, memorable characters, a pair of deliciously kickass teen girl rivals, and perhaps the most overtly political messaging Disney has pushed in decades. Plus, it’s a fantasy adventure that promises to bring Disney fans a long-awaited treasure: Raya, the first Southeast Asian Disney princess.

But it has drawn its share of skeptics, and for good reason: The film, premiering on Disney+ and in select theaters March 5 (with an accompanying short film, Us Again) , is a conundrum.

The film’s writers, Qui Nguyen ( The Society ) and Adele Lim ( Crazy Rich Asians ) are, respectively, Vietnamese American and Malaysian American, and copious research has gone into Raya to make the film feel true to Southeast Asian viewers. The dragons in Raya are mainly based on Southeast Asian folklore, and the visuals and settings are mainly drawn from the region’s real geography.

But the film’s production team has drawn criticism from Southeast Asian viewers for casting East Asian actors in many of its most important roles, rather than Southeast Asian actors. Though the title role went to Kelly Marie Tran , a Disney fan favorite of Vietnamese descent (known for Star Wars ), the main cast also includes Awkwafina in the role of the “last dragon,” Daniel Dae Kim as Raya’s father, and Gemma Chan as Raya’s nemesis Namaari. They are respectively Chinese and Korean American, Korean American, and British Chinese.

Voice actors have been fighting to win roles that reflect their ethnicity, a fact that led to early criticism around Raya and its casting. But there is another worry about the use of East Asian actors: The blending of the distinct and varied cultures of Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and half a dozen other nations has left Raya and the Last Dragon feeling indistinct and insensitive.

Fans of the Airbender / Korra franchise might be reminded of those series and note that they did much of what Raya is trying to do now, better, 15 years ago. Movie buffs may feel like Raya has taken 80 percent of its beats from other animated stories, from The Lion King to The Dark Crystal . But the most disappointing thing about Raya is that Southeast Asian Disney fans may struggle to find any identifiable part of their specific cultures in the film’s gorgeous but messy world-building.

Raya is the story of a society struggling to reunify and a girl struggling to trust in the wake of betrayal

A young Raya with her father, before things get dire.

Raya (pronounced “RYE-ah”) is set in a fantasy land called Kumandra, a blend of Southeast Asian nations and cultures. The real-world region consists of about a dozen countries, including parts of India and the South Pacific, which between them encompass hundreds of miles, languages, cultures, and islands. In Raya, this diverse part of the planet has been condensed to a group of five loosely defined tribes who aren’t clearly mapped to any specific culture but instead to parts of a dragon: There’s Fang, Talon, Spine, Tail, and Raya’s home, Heart.

Centuries ago, Kumandra was a happy land freely cohabited by the five human tribes and dragons, until the land was invaded by a strange monster species called the Druun, who turn everything they touch to stone. It’s not clear what the Druun live on, or how they arose, or how to fully defeat them. They’re essentially a purple-cloud plot device for everything that comes afterward — several centuries of geopolitical strife. The Druun wipe out the dragons, but one, Sisu (Awkwafina) sacrifices herself and uses all her magic to vanquish the Druun threat. With no dragon magic to protect them, the tribes of Kumandra fall into conflict.

When we meet Raya, her father, the leader of Heart, is trying diligently to reunite the tribes once and for all by convincing them to trust one another. Raya is still just a young girl, so she’s easy prey for Namaari, the daughter of the visiting Fang leader. They bond over their shared love of dragons and a wish to find Sisu, who, according to legend, was never killed in the Druun war, but instead went into hiding. When Raya entrusts Namaari with a secret, however, Namaari betrays her, setting off a chain of events that leads to the sudden return of the Druun.

The resurrected Druun turn masses of people into stone, including Raya’s father. The planet falls out of ecological balance, and the divisions between the remaining tribes grow even fiercer. With no alternative, Raya devotes herself to trying to find the river where Sisu may be hiding, in the hope of getting her help to heal the world.

The dragons of this universe draw inspiration from the benevolent magical dragons of Vietnamese folklore, with a design based on the naga folklore of Thailand and other countries. They’re delightful, non-threatening, and non-fire-breathing — colorful serpents who fly, swim, and generally behave like wriggly pets. As voiced by Awkwafina, Sisu is a fun addition to the Disney canon of magical sidekicks; she’s wisecracking but earnest, rambunctious but wise, and her loving nature is a good foil for Raya, who’s vulnerable but much tougher, thanks to Namaari. Meanwhile, Namaari has grown up to lead her home tribe, Fang, but has begun questioning the aggressive direction of her clan.

Determined to reunite the tribes as Raya’s father always intended, Raya and Sisu journey to each of the other four lands to try and steal the remaining dragon crystals they each control, in hopes that uniting all the crystals can return the dragons to Kumandra, vanquish the Druun, and bring peace. Predictably, this road trip brings them lots of new friends and enemies. The biggest enemy of all, of course, is Raya’s archnemesis — but if you’re vibing the Airbender -ness of it all, you’ve probably guessed that Namaari may turn out to be the reluctant ally Raya has needed all along.

Raya is a gorgeous, accessible film, with engaging characters, a winning heroine, and sumptuous animation from start to finish. It’s a film you’ll want to look at again and again, and its story will hold up fairly well on repeat viewing. As a bonus, Us Again , the short film that accompanies Raya on streaming platforms and in theaters, delivers stunning animation and big-hearted emotions throughout its noisy but wordless seven minutes. Its story of an elderly couple rekindling their relationship through their love of dance pays homage to the grand tradition of movie musicals, from Singin’ in the Rain to La La Land , but also feels like an accidental anthem for a vibrant city whose nightlife scenes have dimmed fully during quarantine. You will cry, so be prepared, but Us Again ’s dazzling seven minutes alone are worth Raya ’s hefty add-on streaming price of nearly $30.

For most Disney fans, the main feature will also be worth the price. Yet the blended version of Southeast Asia on display in Raya may leave viewers conflicted about the way the movie flattens all of Southeast Asia into the land of Kumandra.

Raya treats Southeast Asian cultures like a buffet

Each of the five tribes in Raya’s fractured homeland has its own distinctive geography and what seems to be an approximation of a distinctive culture. But they aren’t recognizably linked to cultures in our own world — not in the way that (to use what still seems to be the best example of this exercise in US animation) the four tribes of Airbender map identifiably to Inuit, Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese cultures.

Throughout my viewing of Raya, I was confused about what signifiers I was meant to recognize as a viewer; initially, I thought Raya’s tribe, Heart, was meant to be based on Thailand. Then I settled on Indonesia, then on Vietnam; eventually, as the film’s cultural guideposts kept shifting — Thai decor seemed to merge with Cambodian temples, Filipino weaponry, Vietnamese mountains — I gave up.

Hollywood’s push for diversity has also brought with it a renewed understanding of the importance of cultural sensitivity, and Disney’s outsized influence means its films draw close scrutiny . Moana ran into controversy in 2016 because of its buffoonish depiction of the Polynesian god Maui, which some found offensive, as well as the inclusion of elements of Indigenous cultures that some viewers regarded as racist stereotypes. “The filmmakers cut off manageable chunks of exotica,” argued Maori writer Morgan Godfery, “while refusing to keep faith with actual Polynesian histories and mythologies.”

Perhaps because of that backlash, Raya’s creative team doesn’t appear to have engaged an existing mythos at all, apart from the dragon concept. Unlike most films in the Disney princess pantheon, Raya ’s story isn’t taken from any extant cultural source, but comes from the brain of veteran Disney director Bradley Raymond , known mainly for directing sequels like Lion King 3 and Pocahontas 2 . Here, he’s credited with generating the story ideas upon which Raya is based.

That’s not to say that white men or white creatives — or indeed any of us — aren’t capable of generating meaningful stories about cultures not their own. At a bare minimum, doing so requires respect and research, and Raya ’s production did plenty of the latter . In preparation for the film, members of Disney’s production and animation teams reportedly traveled throughout Southeast Asia, making stops in seven countries. In aiming for respectful cultural representation, they created the Raya Southeast Asia Story Trust, an assemblage of various experts including, according to Looper , “a textile expert, linguists (who approved every name in the film), and a visual anthropologist.”

But much of this careful attention to detail seems to have been executed mainly as background aesthetic, rather than as key parts of the storyline or the worldbuilding. While the production team includes numerous East Asian and Southeast Asian creators, including writers, animators, technical effects crew, and producers, most of the project decisions ultimately rested with directors Don Hall ( Big Hero 6 ) and Carlos López Estrada ( Blindspotting ) and their co-directors, Paul Briggs ( Big Hero 6 ) and John Ripa ( Moana ).

The biggest problem, however, is that all of that well-intentioned research seems to have been done for the explicit purpose of flattening Southeast Asia’s diversity, condensing a striking array of distinct cultures into five tribes. Aspects of cultures from other regions are blended in, too. There were numerous times the film’s aesthetics will remind viewers more of Korea and China, and even farther-flung places like Samoa and Central America, than Southeast Asia. Viewers analyzing the trailer have further commented that the film’s temples and architecture are uncharacteristically decor-free, and that the clothing lacks distinctively detailed patterns common in the nations.

After the fiasco of 2020’s terrible Mulan remake , in which the film’s East Asian cultural signifiers were put on display but badly mishandled, you might think that a generalized approach is a safer way to go. And initially, I was fully on board with that idea, because I was wooed by Raya’s many other strengths.

Raya herself is a wonderful protagonist, easily one of my favorite Disney princesses by a mile, though she’s justifiably drawn many comparisons to the Airbender franchise’s hot-blooded hero, Korra (they even bear a striking visual resemblance). She’s strong, bold, clever, and raids tombs with all the wiles of Indiana Jones. She and Namaari have a satisfying rivalry complete with thrilling fight scenes. The side characters are a mostly forgettable hodgepodge of typical Disney side characters — there’s a scheming team of monkeys and a conniving orphan baby who are all so outlandishly bizarre they cycled around from “horrifying” to “macabre treat” — but Awkwafina is a gem.

By the time I was near the end, however, the film’s innumerable borrowed tropes really began to get to me. I started to question the construction of the entire project: How many of the story elements really came from Nguyen and Lim, or from the head of story, Thai American animator Fawn Veerasunthorn ? How many from Bradford, or from the six other people who all share story credits with Nguyen and Lim, most of whom are white?

Even the score by James Newton Howard, which I initially found lush and ebullient, increasingly sounded like one of his phoned-in action scores, but with added vague chanting in non-specific languages. As the credits rolled, I found myself studying the long list of English names associated with the score’s production, wondering how it would sound to a Southeast Asian audience member. The outro song, usually one of the highlights of any Disney film, is here a forgettable number called “Lead the Way.” It’s written and performed by Jhené Aiko, an artist of partial Japanese heritage who at one point gives up on lyrics and just starts singing “Kumandra, Kumandra” over and over, as if simply naming the film’s setting could clarify anything for us.

This all may sound like futile nitpicking, but it really isn’t. Raya ’s generic attributes lend the film a vague quality overall. Compared to the memorable localization of Disney films like Frozen , which referenced actual rococo art, or Coco , which fully immersed the audience in Mexican culture, Raya feels thin. Its lack of specificity works against it.

Perhaps the biggest tell that Raya isn’t the representation Southeast Asian Disney fans deserve is that many of them won’t actually be able to watch it with the rest of us — because Disney+ is currently only available in three Southeast Asian countries. If there are stronger objections to be made to this film, the people best in a position to make them may not get to see it.

And so the film mainly leaves me questioning who Raya ’s intended audience is — and whether it was meant to appeal to Southeast Asian viewers. It seems clear that fans deserved a better movie that more fully and overtly embraced their cultures, instead of simply borrowing their beautiful settings for an average fantasy story.

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The Real Hero From 32 Disney Animated Movies

So many heroes...

Lilo & Stitch surfing scene with Lilo, Stitch, Nani and David

For over a century now, Walt Disney Animation Studios has given audiences some of the most beloved, groundbreaking, and majestic cinematic experiences. During that time, those timeless films have introduced us to unforgettable movie villains , sidekicks, and heroes that have withstood the test of time and found a permanent place in the hearts of billions of fans. But sometimes, those iconic princesses and knights in shining armor aren’t the real heroes of their respective stories.

That being said, here are the REAL heroes and unsung champions, from some of the best Disney animated movies …

Anna (Frozen)

There are countless reasons why Princess Anna is the true hero of Frozen , and a lot of those have to do with the younger sister of Queen Elsa actually being a great inspiration for younger viewers. She opens up about her feelings, accepts the call to adventure, and is willing to do anything and everything to help out those she cares about, even if it means sacrificing herself.

Abu (Aladdin)

In addition to being one of the best Disney sidekicks of all time, Abu is actually a pretty righteous hero in Aladdin , one who always stays true to himself and his friends. Sure, his greed nearly kills him and Aladdin , but he comes through moments later when he tricks Jafar and steals the magic lamp, which leads to Genie coming out of his lamp.

Baloo (The Jungle Book)

Baloo is not only one of the best Disney characters of all time, but he’s also a great hero throughout The Jungle Book . The iconic sloth bear goes above and beyond to help Mowgli on his journey to find the “Man-Village,” teaches him some great lessons and a legendary song along the way, and comes through for everyone time and time again.

Widow Tweed (The Fox And The Hound)

There’s a lot to love about the classic Disney animated film, The Fox and the Hound , but the character who continues to rise to the occasion is Widow Tweed. From finding and caring for a young Tod to saving multiple characters from certain death to being the voice of reason in some tense situations, this lovable elderly character is simply the best.

Nani Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch)

Go back and watch Lilo & Stitch as an adult and see if your opinions on Nani, Lilo’s older sister and guardian, have changed. Throughout this 2002 animated film, Nani does everything she can to make life better for her younger sister, even if that means pushing herself to the limit (and then some) or trying to pull off the impossible. She’s a hero, that’s for sure.

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Rafiki (The Lion King)

Who never gives up hope for Simba in The Lion King ? Rafiki, that’s who. The shaman and advisor for the late Mufasa is one of Simba’s biggest supporters and was there for him as a young cub and as an adult when he returned from his self-imposed exile away from the Pride Lands. And he puts a whooping on some hyenas, which never gets old.

Scuttle Ariel and Flounder in The Little Mermaid

Scuttle (The Little Mermaid)

Sure Scuttle doesn’t know what he’s talking about half the time in The Little Mermaid , but the seagull and friend of Ariel helps the young princess learn more about the human world before helping in a big way when he discovers that Vanessa is actually Ursula in disguise.

Pacha (The Emperor's New Groove)

Pacha in The Emperor’s New Groove is an underappreciated hero if we’ve ever seen one, so it’s about time he receives some praise. Putting up with Kuzco is enough to earn Pacha a place in the halls of great Disney heroes, but he does so much more than that throughout the movie. Constantly putting himself before others, taking care of himself in a fight, and being a supportive friend are also admirable qualities.

Thumper (Bambi)

Besides the titular deer in Bambi , no character is more impactful or important than Thumper. More than 80 years after the film’s release, fans still celebrate the iconic rabbit for his go-getter personality, leadership skills, and seemingly limitless energy. If it weren’t for him, who knows what would have happened to Bambi.

Charlotte 'Lottie' La Bouff (The Princess And The Frog)

When it comes to best friends in Disney movies, few come close to Charlotte “Lottie” La Bouff in The Princess and the Frog . Instead of using her family’s wealth, power, and influence in menacing or vindictive ways, this southern belle uses her blessings to offer support and love for Tiana and her dreams. We could all use a friend like that.

The Mice (Cinderella)

When it comes to mico-heroes, no names carry as much weight as Jaq and Gus from Disney’s Cinderella . Throughout this 1950 animated classic, these two trusty mice help lead the show when it comes to fixing up Cinderella’s dress, supporting her, and helping make her dreams of attending the ball come true. And who helps save Cinderella from her stepmother’s captivity? Yep, these fearless mice.

Colonel, Sergeant Tibbs, And Other Animals (One Hundred And One Dalmatians)

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes in One Hundred and One Dalmatians , and some of the best examples of this can be found in Colonel, Sergeant Tibbs, and the other animals who help save the pups and defeat Curella Cruella de Vil by thwarting her masterplan. The way these four-legged (and sometimes winged) characters get everyone involved is nothing short of magical.

Nana (Peter Pan)

One of the movie dogs we want to adopt , Nana in Peter Pan is a character that’s always down to offer some support. Though she doesn’t journey off to Never Land with Pan and the Darling children, she holds the fort down in their absence. Speaking of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling, who is it that takes care of the children every night and gives them much-needed medicine? Yep, it’s Nana, the trusty nursemaid St. Bernard.

The Dwarfs (Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs)

Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey are some of the earliest examples of Disney heroes, and nearly 90 years later, they’re still some of the best. Sure, the Prince gets a lot of credit in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , but it’s these classic characters who take care of the young princess the rest of the time.

Pascal (Tangled)

Rapunzel is empowering and Flynn Rider is dashing, but let’s not forget the real hero of Tangled … Pascal. Despite his small size and stature (he is a chameleon, for crying out loud), this feisty and fearless lizard will do anything and everything to serve and protect the princess. Whether it means putting on a pink dress or tripping Gothel and sending her falling out of Rapunzel’s tower, he’s going to get it done.

Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather in Sleepy Beauty

The Fairies (Sleeping Beauty)

The Three Good Fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) are crucial to Princess Aurora’s survival in Sleeping Beauty , and they don’t always receive enough credit. From altering Maleficent’s curse upon Aurora at her birth to planning her birthday dress later on, these three fairies get a lot done… once they stop fighting one another.

Archdeacon (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame)

If it wasn’t for Archdeacon in The Hunchback of Notre Dame , who knows what that loathsome and depraved Claude Frollo would have planned for everyone around him. The voice of reason with a heart and soul of pure gold, this clergyman saves multiple lives and thwarts diabolical plans like it’s nothing.

Archimedes (The Sword In The Stone)

When it comes to heroes in The Sword in the Stone , the first names to come up are probably Arthur or Merlin. And while both of those characters are great, let’s not forget Archimedes, the talking and trustworthy owl who helps both legendary figures along the way. Seriously, this wise owl is constantly coming through for his king.

Fix-It Felix in Ralph Breaks the Internet

Fix-It Felix (Ralph Breaks The Internet)

Though he’s not in the movie all that much , Fix-It Felix is still heroic as can be in Ralph Breaks the Internet . But when he and Calhoun are on screen, they’re stealing the show and offering both hilarious and tender moments. Come on, who else would adopt all those orphaned Sugar Rush racers when they have no place to go?

Little Noi (Raya And The Last Dragon)

You could argue that every character in Raya and the Last Dragon is a hero in their own right, but Lille Noi, the toddler con artist who joins Raya on her journey, has to be at the top of the list. Though other characters do go through changes along the way, the adorable Noi has one of the most transformative and emotional arcs of them all.

The Enchantress (Beauty And The Beast)

The Enchantress could be seen as a villain in Beauty and the Beast , but the young and vain prince wouldn’t have learned his lesson if not for her lesson about true beauty in the opening chapter of the movie. A lot of people got turned into clocks, cups, and candelabras in the process, but sometimes tough love is all that’s needed.

Shang singing "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" in Mulan.

Li Shang (Mulan)

Nothing against the titular heroine of Mulan , but let’s not act like Li Shang is some chump put in charge of a regiment of outcasts and misfits. He never gives up, he kicks a lot of butts, and gave us one of the best Disney songs of the late 20th century with “I’ll Make a Man out of You.”

Kala (Tarzan)

If we could give this honor to Phil Collins for his Tarzan soundtrack , he’d be at the top of this list. But since he’s not in the movie, we can’t go without celebrating Kala, Tarzan’s adoptive gorilla mom. When everyone sees the young human as a freak or threat, this grieving mother rises to the occasion and takes him in as one of her own.

Olaf (Frozen 2)

There’s a case to be made for Olaf being the biggest hero of both Frozen movies as he’s constantly accepting the call of adventure, protecting his friends, and putting himself on the line to make sure the job is done. Sure, he’s mostly around for comedic relief during tense moments, but this snowman is the man!

Toby (The Great Mouse Detective)

The Great Mouse Detective is a Disney movie that doesn’t come up all that often these days, which is a shame because it features one of the best pooches of all time: Toby, Sherlock Holmes’ Basset Hound. This incredibly smart and crafty dog is key to Basil, Dawson and Olivia’s quest and provides for some impactful discoveries. But would you expect any less from the world’s greatest detective’s best friend?

Piglet (The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh)

Piglet is pretty much the underdog of the Hundred Acre Wood in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and is often caught in the middle of some issue or misadventure. However, this doesn’t mean he’s any less heroic. In fact, there’s an argument to be made for him being an unsung hero of the group as he is often an inspiration for them all, as well as for us watching at home.

Princess Kida in Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Princess Kida (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire isn’t one of the top Disney movies, but it is one that features a rather underappreciated hero, or heroine, as is the case with Kida. The princess of the lost city deep under the ocean, Kida proves time and time again she’s not a damsel in distress, but instead a fearless warrior with a heart of gold and nerves of steel.

Philoctetes (Hercules)

We’d all love to see Danny DeVito return for a live-action Hercules movie because we just can’t get enough of his satyr character, Philoctetes. Though he doesn’t have the strength or height of the movie’s titular hero, “Phil,” as he likes to be called, is a great teacher and trainer who helps the demigod prepare for his hero’s journey. And what good is a hero who doesn’t know how to make the most of his abilities?

Baymax (Big Hero 6)

One of the most fun and exciting Disney animated movies in recent memory, Big Hero 6 is a treat from top to bottom. A lot of that is because of Baymax, the childlike inflatable healthcare robot who helps Hiro Hamada find his place in the world and then go and save it. He doesn’t have great communication skills but this robot has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

Flit (Pocahontas)

Flit, Pocahontas’ pet hummingbird, isn’t the biggest, strongest, or most intimidating hero in the Disney universe, but he’s definitely one of the most protective and courageous. Throughout Pocahontas , the colorful bird doesn’t let his size, or lack thereof, stop him from serving his best friend. Is he a little too overprotective? Yeah, but he’s got heart.

Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio)

What would have happened to Pinocchio if Jiminy Cricket wasn’t around to keep him in line? Well, you could say that the classic character from Disney’s Pinocchio doesn’t always get the job done, but he tries, and that’s what really counts. And, he’s not big on lying.

Aurora and Philip dancing in Sleeping Beauty

Prince Philip (Sleeping Beauty)

From following his heart to saving Princess Aurora from an eternal rest to fighting Maleficent and her goons in Sleeping Beauty , there’s a lot to love about Prince Phillip. This courageous character helped set the standard for Disney heroes back in the 1950s.

These characters are heroes in their own way. While some are more courageous, stronger, or more eager than others, they all have a lot of heart and the best of intentions.

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.

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Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Film Review: 'Raya and the Last Dragon' Brings Representation and Style
Raya and the Last Dragon Review: The Best Disney Princess Movie Since
Raya And The Last Dragon Review: A Delightful And Inspired, Bold
Raya and the Last Dragon Review: A Thoughtful, Action-Packed Animated
Raya and the Last Dragon Movie Review and Ratings by Kids

COMMENTS

Raya and the Last Dragon movie review (2021)
Raya ( Kelly Marie Tran) has long heard the stories of the last dragon from her father Benja ( Daniel Dae Kim ). As a villainous force was working its way across the land, turning people into stone, magical dragons united their forces together into a stone and one named Sisu used it to stop the pending apocalypse. She sacrificed herself in the process, although rumors persist that she survived ...
Raya and the Last Dragon
Join Raya on her quest to find the last dragon and restore harmony in a world threatened by the Druun. See the critics' ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Raya and the Last Dragon Review
Raya and the Last Dragon is a beautifully animated, action-packed hero's journey, and a great next evolution of Disney's modern-day princess films.
Raya and the Last Dragon
Raya and the Last Dragon is a visually striking spectacle with equally effective emotional resonance and a lively lead - in short, another win for Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Raya and the Last Dragon: Directed by Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Paul Briggs, John Ripa. With Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan. In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.
'Raya and the Last Dragon' Review: Fool Me Once
March 4, 2021. Raya and the Last Dragon. Directed by Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Paul Briggs, John Ripa. Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy. PG. 1h 54m. Find Tickets. When ...
'Raya And The Last Dragon' Review: An Adventure Film That's
Raya and the Last Dragon is a lovely, moving surprise. Its big selling point is that it's the first Disney animated film to feature Southeast Asian characters, but like so many movies that break ...
'Raya and the Last Dragon': Film Review
Add Disney's new animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon to the list of 2020 and 2021 movies you'll desperately wish you could see on the big screen. Set in a magical land called Kumandra ...
Raya and the Last Dragon movie review
Raya and the Last Dragon. puts a bright contemporary spin on girl power: Review. The demographics of the Disney princess club have been evolving for a while now — fewer narcoleptic beauties and ...
Review: 'Raya and the Last Dragon' is a dazzling adventure
In the newest offering from Walt Disney Animation, " Raya and the Last Dragon ," they are kind, full of magic and, when needed, the saviors of humanity. Five hundred years ago, we're told in a prologue, dragons sacrificed themselves for humans when a mystical evil called the Druun passed through the lands of Kumandra and turned many to stone.
Raya and the Last Dragon critic reviews
Mar 1, 2021. Raya and the Last Dragon occasionally crawls, but most of the time it's got urgency and momentum to spare. Just as impressively, it builds to a deeply moving climax whose resolution is unexpected yet consummate. This is a film that knows how to soar.
Review: 'Raya and the Last Dragon,' featuring ...
Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina and Gemma Chan lead the voice cast for 'Raya and the Last Dragon,' which breaks new ground in the Disney princess canon.
'Raya and the Last Dragon' review: Best post-apocalypse epic since 'Mad
Raya and the Last Dragon is the best post-apocalypse epic since Mad Max: Fury Road A blend of familiar Disney formula and Southeast Asian-inspired folklore, Raya and the Last Dragon is an instant ...
Raya and the Last Dragon
Raya and the Last Dragon - Metacritic. Summary Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the ...
Raya and the Last Dragon First Reviews: Disney Unleashes Another
In its expansive world-building and aesthetic variety, Raya and the Last Dragon most viscerally conjures up the experience of watching a Star Wars film. - Dan Rubins, Slant Magazine. The film the feel of a condensed Tolkien epic — a Lord of the Rings -light quest that takes Raya throughout Kumandra to accomplish her mission.
'Raya and the Last Dragon': What the Critics Are Saying
Disney/Everett Collection Reviews are in for Disney's new animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon, and the critics are generally positive.
Raya and the Last Dragon Review: The Best Disney Princess Movie Since
Raya and the Last Dragon forgoes romance and personal glory to tell a Disney Princess story about the redemptive joy of healing a broken world.
Raya And The Last Dragon Review
Raya And The Last Dragon Review. Warring factions in the land of Kumandra shatter the magic-filled Dragon Gem, accidentally resurrecting evil force the Druun, which turns everyone it touches to ...
Raya and the Last Dragon Movie Review
Charming, epic adventure mixes monsters, humor, heart. Read Common Sense Media's Raya and the Last Dragon review, age rating, and parents guide.
'Raya And The Last Dragon' Review: Disney's First Southeast Asian
A breathtaking fantasy epic that features the best fight sequences ever in Disney Animation. Read our Raya and the Last Dragon review.
Movie Review: Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon
Raya and the Last Dragon, the latest animated movie from Disney, is a dystopian adventure set in a Southeast Asia-inspired fantasy world, and features the voices of Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina ...
'Raya and the Last Dragon' Review: Disney Woos Teens With ...
The first major animated feature for a post-Trump era, " Raya and the Last Dragon " is as leftie a toon as Disney has ever made, though its core message of unity and come-togetherness should ...
Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon review: A sumptuous, messy Southeast
Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon is a sumptuous fantasy — but it makes a mess of Southeast Asian culture The animated fantasy is a gorgeous, if generic, vehicle for a great Disney princess.
The Real Hero From 32 Disney Animated Movies
You could argue that every character in Raya and the Last Dragon is a hero in their own right, but Lille Noi, the toddler con artist who joins Raya on her journey, has to be at the top of the list ...

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