Disney continues its march toward amending its past exclusivity sins, by heading deeper inland East. Moana took us through Pacific Island culture, now we’re down in Southeast Asia with Raya and the Last Dragon. Combining pieces each of the countries’ cultures in the region, Raya and the Last Dragon shows repeatedly that an adventure story, plucky heroine, and cute creatures work universally. Plus, let’s be honest, all dragons are awesome.
As a child, Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) has been told about the amazing stories by her father (Daniel Dae Kim) of dragons of old. Specifically, the great Sisu (Awkwafina) who stopped the Druun (evil spirits) from turning all of mankind into stone. As time has gone on, the great human civilization Kumandra threatens to be fracture by the 5 clans who make it up. In hopes to restore Kumandra, Raya’s dad brings all 5 factions ( Talon, Fang, Spine, Tail, and Heart, Raya’s faction) together in hopes to find that unity. Raya even bonds with Namaari (Gemma Chan), princess of Fang, Heart’s chief rival, but that doesn’t stop the Druun from returning and turning most of Kumadra’s people to stone. Only aided by her roly poly Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk), Raya goes in search of Sisu, who supposedly is still alive, in hopes to return Kumadra to glory and stop the Druun from taking over the planet.
It’s pretty amazing how universal that Disney storytelling formula is. Raya and the Last Dragon is just the latest iteration to pull it off. Let’s count the similarities: heroine (1) suffers a tragedy early on (2) and goes to seek help from a magical entity (3) with an adorable animal sidekick (4). While that might seem to be boring, the specificity makes it feel fresh and exciting. Our heroine (1) Raya, is as awesome as Belle, or Moana, or Jasmine, and only Mulan maybe could compete with her combat skills. She’s fierce, smart, and much more adult than other Disney heroines, on top of her Southeast Asian heritage which make her so easy to root for. The tragedy (2) she suffers is directly driven by actions Raya took, which helps drive the story and give it purpose and stakes compared to say, Bambi’s story. There are MANY adorable sidekicks (3) here, all different but totally fun. Awkwafina isn’t quite Robin Williams, but she’s totally winning as Sisu, channeling that motormouth Queens voice she has into manic Disney gold. Sisu’s flight across the sky is probably the highlight of the movie, and her charming (if naive) optimism makes her easy to root for. We’ve also got animal friends (4) Tuk Tuk the armadillo roly poly, big dumb and super useful, and a phrase I never thought I’d hear, a “con baby” Noi that steals large chunks of this movie. NONE of those pieces are anything close to what we’ve seen in a Disney film, which cleverly hides Disney’s plot mechanics with dazzling Southeast Asian window dressing.
The theme of Raya and the Last Dragon is also a spin on other Disney stories from the past, and it is also quite prescient and lucky with the timing of its release: trust. To build a society to live in harmony, there has to be an established trust between everyone. As characters like Raya and Namaari live in more powerful positions in society, that trust is harder to establish due to all the forces/influences penetrating your mind. One betrayal or one misunderstanding can sever an entire shaky bond permanently, which is what happens here. Those experiences can jade any person’s heart, and since Raya sees herself as the direct cause of this problem, her heart has become as stone filled as the people the Druun touch. The movie slowly teaches everyone how that trust can be built back up, and how the true hero takes that leap of faith with the first step. And while trust can be broken easily, a slowly built bond between people is much harder to break, making those first steps toward others easier to attempt. And even though time and perspective make keeping trust over the long term nearly impossible, the reward of that harmony and bond makes life much more rewarding and enjoyable for all.
So take that first step and trust Raya and the Last Dragon. Trust that it is as fun and enjoyable as any other Disney princess adventure. Trust that it’s different locale makes the story more rewarding and exciting to view. And trust that a “con baby” is a funny to watch as it is to say. If you give the movie your trust, I promise you that smiles and delight will be in your future. Just take the first step.