Raya and the Last Dragon (2021 Film) Review

Disney Animation is back with an original, non-musical tale in "Raya and the Last Dragon," which has been released both in theaters and on Disney+'s Premier Access feature.

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. However, when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, Kumandra has been divided into five nations, and it's up to Raya to track down the last dragon and stop the Druun for good.

Kelly Marie Tran voices Raya, who teams up with the last dragon, Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina. Together, Raya and Sisu meet and partner with a ten-year-old Shrimp restaurant owner and entrepreneur (Izaac Wang), an infant con artist (Thalia Tran), and the leader of a ravaged nation (Benedict Wong). Gemma Chan voices Namaari, the princess of Fang and Raya's childhood rival.

Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada co-directed "Raya and the Last Dragon." Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho served as co-producers while Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim co-wrote the screenplay. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed "Raya and the Last Dragon" through Walt Disney Animation Studios. (The film was released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with the $30 Premiere Access fee.)

Overall Thoughts

If ever there was a case for a major animation studio like Disney to make a trilogy of animated films, "Raya and the Last Dragon," their latest animation feature, would have been the perfect candidate. And I mean that in the sense that this film has a story that might've been better told if it had been over the course of three films or one very long film. With that said, given the constraints that they and all other film studios are under at the moment, this film functions well enough as is.

Disney's latest original animated feature takes audiences to the fictitious, Southeast Asian-inspired land of Kumandra where they meet young Raya, the daughter of the Heart tribe Chief Benja, who witnesses the fallout of the land due to the contentions between the different factions, which include Fang, Heart, Tail, Talon, and Spine. The fighting results in the return of an ancient plague which, in turn, leads to a great personal tragedy for Raya - take a wild guess what that is. In all fairness, Chief Benja, like all others who are overrun by this plague, do not die. Instead they are "fridged," put into stasis as stone figures. Thus, Raya must locate the last dragon, Sisu, reunite the five pieces of a savior device, and restore Kumandra and its stoned inhabitants.

By far the most interesting thing about this film is the story structure. Narrated by Raya herself, she takes us into her past and shows us the destruction of the land. Following the prologue, we jump six years into the future and straight into her successfully finding the last dragon, Sisu. Typical three-act structures have the lost figure being found around the midpoint of the film. In "Aladdin," the Genie came in around the end of the first act as did Maui in "Moana." Here, the supporting character who must aid the hero in their quest comes in almost immediately after the intro. We have little-to-no time with Raya on her own after the prologue, so what we're led to think is that she has been jaded solely from a childhood betrayal by the hands of someone she just met that day. Hang on! You mean to tell me that your entire worldview has been shaped by a childhood betrayal from someone you just met that day?

It's become more and more apparent in recent years that Disney will make fun of themselves and their tropes when it suits them, but won't necessarily do anything to keep from falling into the tropes they mock. It's the "Shrek" effect still playing out strong twenty years later where a fantasy film, particularly an animated one, will make fun of the cliches of its genre, but has absolutely no problem indulging in them themselves. "Raya and the Last Dragon" doesn't suffer too greatly from this, but it's telling when even Disney's "original" projects follow the same overused tropes. The self-aware comedy and modern talk in an otherwise ancient land conflicts with the often somber, self-serious tone the film aims for. One moment, Awkwafina's Sisu tries a shrimp dish with too much hot sauce and reacts in a suitably comedic fashion. The next, she's perched on the side of a boat, lamenting the fallen state of the world and cursing the ancient force responsible. It's quite a heavy scene and executed incredibly well, but that scene and others like it are hurt by the often slapstick nature of the comedy.

As far as the cast goes, the film is a solid ensemble piece, but there are two clear standouts. Kelly Marie Tran suits her hardened warrior hero. She's quick-witted, to-the-point, but does not shy away from partaking in the film's goofier moments. All in all, she's fairly well-rounded as a character, even if Raya's worldview is formed too early on in the her life to be constantly brought up as a legitimate reason why she trusts no one. Still, her character was engaging and the actress certainly earns her place among the long line of Disney heroines. In a similar fashion, Awkwafina definitely fits in with Disney's long line of comedic secondary characters like the Genie, Mushu, and Maui. The actress has an enthusiasm in the part that is infectious.

The animation in the film continues to push the edge of what's possible when it comes to making characters and environments look as photo-real as possible. In particular, anything involving Sisu and her fellow dragons is stunning to witness. The film also tells its exposition through stylized visuals that fit the culture of the film's setting, similar to what was done in "Moana" and "Coco." My one qualm with the animation is that while the characters look great whenever they are in focus, the backgrounds and secondary characters have this hazy, blurry quality to them. It was like watching a film in 3-D, but without the glasses to make the picture complete. In the film's defense, I suspect this was a result of the film's animators having to animate this film from their homes, and thus they wisely focused more on making the subject of the shots look clear and not on the secondary focuses.

I give major credit to "Raya and the Last Dragon" for being an original, Disney princess film that's not a musical and aims for a darker tone. Honestly, I could have used some more of that from the film, though. If it took itself more seriously and didn't feel the need to be so self-aware and full of modern references, perhaps it would stand more distinguished among Disney Animation's filmography. Although, perhaps the self-awareness and the comedic sidekicks were an attempt to make a much more harrowing adventure more palatable to mainstream audiences and if that's the case, I understand it. I was sufficiently pleased with the film coming out of the theater, but as I left and noticed so many young children excited to be seeing the latest Disney picture, it made me smile more.

(In theaters, "Raya and the Last Dragon" is preceded by the short film, "Us Again," which tells the story of an old couple recapturing their youth and love for each other during one magical night of dancing in the rainy streets of New York City. It is a wonderful display of short, character-driven storytelling that's full of heart and sadness, all timed impeccably to catchy music.)

Rating: ★★★

Conclusion

This has been my review of "Raya and the Last Dragon." Have you seen the film? If you have, share your thoughts in the comments below. I'm Dallin, your resident film fanatic, and I'll return soon with another review. Thank you for reading.