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I will never grow tired of admitting this for as long as I live; I love Dragons! Just about every culture around the world has its own interpretations of these awesome fantastical creatures. I find myself most drawn to the Eastern view of Dragons, where they are revered as benevolent and wise guides who could become your friend. According to some mythologies, they are the creators of the Universe and are responsible for maintaining balance in all existence. While my favorite Dragon friendship film will always be the Dreamworks masterpiece, How to Train your Dragon, Disney's Raya and The Last Dragon earns a high place in my mental list of lovable & memorable Dragon stories. Despite how much influence it takes from other Eastern-influenced media such as Avatar: The Last Airbender and Dragonball Z, along with a bit of Guardians of the Galaxy for good measure. Then again, originality isn't as cut & dry as we might like to think. Everything is a remix in some way, so what's important is how well it plays.
The film takes place in the fictional magical world formally known as Kumandra, where humans once lived in harmony with Dragons. Until an ancient and deadly force known as The Drune came upon the land and started turning all people and Dragons into stone. The one surviving Dragon, Sisu, concentrated all of her magic into a single gemstone and used it to banish the Drune, thereby saving humanity. However, rather than accept this chance at a new life of harmony, the people fought over control of the Dragon Stone. Finally, after 500 years of conflict and petty distrust, the stone was broken into five pieces and scattered throughout the land, releasing The Drune in the process.
Our hero is a young woman named Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) who, after years of searching, finds the last legendary Dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) and asks her for help in restoring peace to the land once again. They will need to acquire the fragments of the Dragon Stone and use Sisu's magic to banish The Drune. Along the way, they will learn a bit more about what it means to earn one's trust and have faith in others when it's needed most.
As you might expect from Disney, the animation and visuals are breathtaking! The Eastern influences shine through and look spectacular. I found myself especially drawn to Sisu's Dragon design, especially since she's also a Water-Dragon, my favorite kind of Dragon. It's like this film is pushing all of my bonus points buttons.
It's also incredibly nice to see Kelly Marie Tran in a lead role, especially in a Disney film. After receiving an unjustified backlash from the toxic Star Wars fanbase for her role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (a mostly underrated masterpiece), it was nice of Disney to continue offering her the opportunity to showcase her talents. Granted, part of it might also have to do with Disney wanting better publicity since they caved into the toxic fanbase with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (a worthless act of cowardice). Still, at least the leading role they gave her is worthy of her genuine talent. I look forward to seeing Kelly Marie Tran in future movies, Disney or otherwise.
Honestly, the only real nitpick I have with the film is with its pacing. The story is loaded with lots of wonderful and fascinating mythology, lore, and character relations that all deserve to be fleshed out better and should have been presented more organically. Sadly, because this is a Disney family film, it has to retain a rigorously short runtime. As a result, the world-building and character relations are rushed via quick montage with voice-over exposition, and character turns that feel inconsistent. Had the film been permitted at least another twenty minutes of runtime to properly present these elements, I might have been inclined to declare this a perfect five-star film. As it is, there's just enough good stuff here for me to appreciate and to overlook the pacing issues to a degree.
Raya and The Last Dragon is a gorgeous, mindful, and delightful film that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults, especially fans of Eastern-style mythology. If you're the least bit curious, check it out. One way or another, it'll likely put a smile on your face.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
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