Fang. Heart. Spine. Talon. Tail. Long ago, the five nations of Kumandra lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Druun attacked. Only the dragons, masters of life and magic, could stop it, and when the world needed them most, they sacrificed their lives and vanished. Five hundred years passed and I eventually discovered the last dragon, a water dragon named Sisu, and although her water skills are great, she has a lot to learn before she’s ready to save anyone. But I believe Sisu can save the world.
Forgive me for the obligatory reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender, but that really was the thought that ran through my head throughout my viewing experience of Raya and the Last Dragon. It is essentially a story of a fantasy world divided, with a history of a malignant force threatening to destroy everything, and our flawed protagonist and a small group of lovable misfits coming together to save the world. It is as entertaining, imaginative, and familiar as you would expect from a Disney movie. Time and time again, the studio has demonstrated an immaculate talent in world-building and a sense of wonder, all while filling in the screenplay with lovable characters and a simple storyline that’s easy to follow for the whole family.
Raya and the Last Dragon is exactly that movie. Where it falters in exposition and narrative, it makes up in world-building, themes, animation, and music. It dazzles on screen with its visuals, but story-wise, it doesn’t take too many surprising turns.
Fantastic Characters and Ideas, Despite Narrative Drawbacks
One particular strength in Raya comes from how it writes its characters. Since the story takes place in a world divided into factions, the script is given a lot of opportunities to play around with what a character from a certain faction would be like and why they think the way they do. With Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) and her enemy Namaari (Gemma Chan) raised with different ideologies, the conflict between them truly shines.
Almost every decision a character here makes, from Raya to Sisu (Awkwafina), stems from their philosophy, which is then shaped by how they’ve lived their lives and what has happened to them in the past. And so, when characters disagree and drift apart because of a lack of trust, it is a shame to see the film rush through these moments so quickly so we can get to the next set-piece.
Despite a heartfelt and relevant theme – a broken world with broken trust – the film dedicates so much of its energy towards moving along the plot. More than once, the script rushes through a quiet moment of dialogue because the characters need to get from Point A to Point B and all moments of drama must be set aside because the characters have arrived at their destination. It also doesn’t help when certain lines of dialogue are simply there for exposition, and some scenes don’t do a good job of hiding them.
The vocal performances, however, are fantastic. Kelly Marie Tran provides a perfect balance of courage, confidence, and vulnerability in her voice. Raya is written as a warrior already skilled in battle, and her true test is to put her faith once again in people around her. Tran’s sensibilities are well contrasted with Awkwafina’s hyper and delightfully happy personality in Sisu. The two characters share great chemistry throughout this part Mulan part Indiana Jones adventure with dragons involved.
Stunning Animation and Music
Easily the most mind-blowing thing about Raya and the Last Dragon is its animation and music. I can’t stress this enough: This movie looks and sounds stunning.
Pay extra attention to a moment where Tuk Tuk, Raya’s armadillo sidekick, rolls up a sandy hill in the desert. Also lookout for a moment where flowers are dropped onto a river. The line between animation and live-action is truly gone. You’d think you’re already used to seeing impressive visuals, and yet Raya and the Last Dragon comes along and push the boundaries of animation even further.
Directors Don Hall (Big Hero 6) and Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting) flex their visual intuitions here by making every faction look and feel truly unique and tangible. From the heat and sand in Tail to the windy and chilly snow in Spine, the divided world of Kumandra is beyond dazzling to look at and to be immersed in.
The biggest surprise, however, comes from the musical score. If there’s one thing this film proves, it’s that Disney needs to hire James Newton Howard more frequently to score their films. The last time Howard composed for Disney was in 2002, for Treasure Planet, an underrated gem that deserves a live-action remake. Here in Raya, Howard goes above and beyond with his instrumentation, using actual Malaysian and Indonesian instruments throughout. It brings back lovely memories of listening to Ludwig Gӧransson’s score for Black Panther for the very first time. Several melodies and percussion sensibilities remind me of the action sequences in Dinosaur and Kung Fu Panda – it’s a beautiful balance of wonder and peril, which is exactly what an adventure film needs.
Raya and the Last Dragon: Lacks a Bite, but Beautiful and Full of Heart
Raya and the Last Dragon might be conventional in its storytelling, but the stunning animation, lovely characters, beautiful music, and heartfelt messages won me over in the end.
For a fun, colorful adventure movie, this story involves some truly dark and heavy themes for the audience to contemplate. A lot of emotional themes like loss, grief, trust, and guilt run deep in the characters, and I wished the script spent just a bit more time in these dramatic moments. This is a solid 107-minute movie that could be further elevated by another fifteen minutes. Or hell, Raya and the Last Dragon could be a phenomenal series.
Going back to my obligatory reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender, that series essentially dedicates an entire season for each nation. Can you imagine if Raya and the Last Dragon did something similar to that? The pilot season will cover Heart and Tail. Season 2 covers Talon and Spine. And then the final season is all in Fang. I can already see its potential.
Did you see Raya and the Last Dragon? What did you think of the film? Share below!
Raya and the Last Dragon was released worldwide on Disney+ on March 5th, 2021.
Watch Raya and the Last Dragon
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