Film Review: Raya and the Last Dragon
A stunning and epic fantasy adventure through muddled representation
Gorgeously realized with Disney’s signature heart and warmth, Raya and the Last Dragon is another feather in the animation studio’s cap, even if its muddled representation and thin plotting occasionally get in the way of its emotional beats. An epic action-adventure with an all-Asian voice cast, Raya balances its huge stakes with human moments and particularly charismatic performances from Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, and Gemma Chan. Minor spoilers ahead…
In 2016’s Moana, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s island god Maui hangs a lampshade on the trend of Disney protagonists: “If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess.” With the animation giant’s latest film, Raya and the Last Dragon, we can add another member to the royal family of Disney heroines. Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) trades in a dress for a Vietnamese nón lá and a warrior’s britches, but her character fits the Disney formula to a tee: headstrong, compassionate, and accompanied by multiple animal sidekicks, she embarks upon a quest of mythic proportions, only to discover a hidden truth about the fantasy world surrounding her. It’s a formula we’ve all seen before - especially from Disney - but it’s one that’s tried and true, and this time, it’s bolstered by an all-Asian cast and South East Asian representation that, frankly, doesn't always land.
Taking place in the fictional continent of Kumandra, Raya and the Last Dragon tells the story of its five kingdoms. Once unified and living in harmony with a race of all-powerful dragons, Kumandra was shattered by the appearance of the Druun, an army of monsters that turned all living things in its wake into stone. Using the last of their magic and power, the dragons sacrificed themselves to banish the Druun, but the kingdoms fell into disarray, fighting over the remnants of the dragons’ power. Centuries later, the Druun have returned, and its up to the lone warrior princess - Raya - to find the last dragon and unify the five kingdoms to defeat the otherworldly threat once again.
“As an animation studio, Disney has always pushed the envelope when it comes to its technical prowess, and Raya is no different; to put it simply, the film is just plain gorgeous.”
As an animation studio, Disney has always pushed the envelope when it comes to its technical prowess, and Raya is no different; to put it simply, the film is just plain gorgeous. From the character animations, to the detailed textures, to the layered environments, Raya’s lush and vivid Kumandra stands head and shoulders even above anything seen in Frozen 2, which was released only a year-and-a-half ago. The behind-the-curtains wizardry has enabled the film to become a bona fide martial arts epic, imbuing its fantastic action set pieces with heft and adrenaline-pumping excitement, and Kumandra with lived-in vibrancy.
Raya and the Last Dragon establishes a new high watermark when it comes to its artistry, but what would an animated Disney film be without standout voice work? Although the film, regrettably, has only a small handful of Southeast Asians in its roster (most of the actors are of East Asian descent), the cast is generally excellent, elevated by the film’s Southeast Asian screenwriters: Qui Nguyen (Dispatches from Elswhere) and Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians). Kelly Marie Tran, flexing some muscle never afforded to her in a suffocating Star Wars role, is note perfect as Raya, conveying a bullheadedness and vulnerability completely befitting of a Disney action heroine. Awkwafina, as the titular last dragon Sisu, once again provides the comic relief, but also carries the film’s moving notes of tenderness. However, Raya’s MVP is undoubtedly Gemma Chan, who plays Raya’s treacherous foil Namaari with a layered complexity; it’s the film’s best role, and Chan relishes the antagonist performance without falling into a generic Disney villain characterization.
“Raya embodies a potent marriage between its world-building and performances, but its use of Southeast Asian culture to craft its universe isn’t flawless.”
Raya embodies a potent marriage between its world-building and performances, but its use of Southeast Asian culture to craft its universe isn’t flawless. On one hand it’s incredible to see the likes of Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines represented onscreen, but on the other, to cherry-pick aspects from widely different cultures only to put them under the same umbrella of the fictional Kumandra is reductive. Of course, this is borne of convenience rather than ignorance, but to those that this matters most to, it can be jarring to see Raya wield both Filipino eskrima sticks and an Indonesian kris, or see a Thai spirit mask commingled with a variety of other Southeast Asian garb, not to mention the several other ways the film remixes these cultures. There are 11 sovereign nations within the Southeast Asia region - each with their own distinct traditions, cuisine, and aesthetic - but Raya and the Last Dragon wantonly picks and chooses without actually giving the countries it borrows from true representation.
In the end, Raya and the Last Dragon is lifted by its stunning visuals, thrilling action, and sharp performances, but in the face of Disney’s recent animated features, the film feels relatively thin. Its throughline of trust, forgiveness, and unity are threadbare at best, and the narrative never really rises above the rinse-and-repeat exploration of its themes. And with its sifted representation, it never comes close to the winsome specificity of Pixar’s Coco, or even the studio’s own Moana. Raya revels in its seen-it-before narrative and stumbles with its “depiction” of Southeast Asian cultures, but even its glaring flaws can’t hold back its simple and visceral pleasures - it’s worth visiting just to take in Kumandra’s sights.
