Katherine Mueller
Staff Writer
Once again, Disney succeeds in sweeping viewers away into marvelous and thrilling lands, presently exhibited in its most recent feature film, “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Coupled with powerful female characters and a greatly memorable plot, the film is a guaranteed adventure.
The film takes viewers through the shattered lands of Kumandra that originally was home to the many magical dragons who lived there. After the 500-year extinction of the dragons and the return of the evil Druun forces, rogue warrior princess Raya sets off to find the mythical last dragon and save the world from its enemies.
“Raya and the Last Dragon,” written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, features talented actors including Kelly Marie Tran as Raya; Awkwafina as Sisu the Dragon; Gemma Chan as Namaari; and Daniel Dae Kim as Chief Bejna.
The creation of the setting by Rob Dresell in the film is some of the best seen from Disney. The world of Kumandra is based directly on Southeast Asian culture, reflecting Disney’s constructive progressivity in representing minority cultures. Kumandra is full of diverse detail and colors that serve to further immerse the audience into the grand, magnificent and natural settings of the film.
The film’s two most powerful characters are warrior princesses Raya and Namaari. Both characters are highly confident and skilled, setting a wonderful example for young girls watching the film. However, both characters deeply struggle with the fear of trusting others as well as each other, which is a relatable theme that is crucial for the audience to recognize.
Despite all of its strong-suits, the movie moves at too fast a pace for viewers to fully absorb all of its elements, resulting in a diminished plot strength. The fast pace, though it did sometimes serve to revive dull moments, allowed for some main plot points to be glossed over, making the film feel weak in some areas.
One area that was lacking was character development. Each character had a sufficient backstory, but there was little connection to each character’s past beyond a couple of topics.
There were very few characters in the film who connected Raya to her honorable past, and though this did perpetuate an independence in Raya, it also served to make her feel more like a two-dimensional and disconnected character.
Additionally, the movie’s dialogue seemed to attempt a more casual and relatable approach to the sumptuous plot. In theory, this may have been a good idea, but it did not play out well and instead felt awkward at times. With the overuse and incorporation of the same few callbacks throughout the film, most of it was unfortunately unmemorable for viewers and didn’t add much to the overall plot and presentation.
Though the film adheres to the classic and always entertaining Disney storytelling method, it felt original in its own way. There was a coziness within the film, and its characters played a large role in warming viewers’ hearts, further adding to the likability of the film. Additionally, the film is one of the first from Disney in a while to truly stimulate viewers’ imaginations, giving a lasting impression of wonder even after the film is done.
“Raya and the Last Dragon” is a beautifully made film that audiences of all age groups will enjoy watching and learning from.
Released on March 5, “Raya and the Last Dragon” is currently available on Disney+ Premier Access for $29.99.
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