Raya and the Last Dragon has a story and characters that struggle with unity, it has beautiful visuals, and is pure entertainment! I saw the presentation of the movie at D23 Expo in 2019, this was after Soul, and the preview was stunning! This is an action film with fantasy elements which has passing simliarities to Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is co-directed by Don Hall who also co-directed Big Hero 6 (2014), the action story is similar, but this is a more early time period with magic instead of super-technology. Carlos López Estrada, co-directed and co-wrote the story of the film, he directed the drama Blindspotting (2018). The screenplay is co-written by Adele Lim, who also co-wrote the screenplay adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians (2018, and Qui Nguyen, writer of the PBS Kids animated series peg + cat. We hear the sounds of a jungle, insects buzzing, and birds chirping at the opening logo and this goes to a close-up of a stone fountain.
There is the sudden passing of a thumping wheel, this actually the rolled up form of Tuk Tuk, pill bug body with a gerbil head and tiny antennae. Raya later calls him a “fur bug.” Riding him is Raya with her Chinese bamboo hat, pointed top with a cone-like rim, and red mask. They ride through a desolate world with statues of people holding out their hands cupped together. It has an apocalyptic look of Mad Max. Raya is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran who also voiced Dawn Betterman in The Croods: A New Age, but might also be known for playing Rose Tico in the Star Wars films. Tran is noted as the first South East Asian princess and she does honor to the part. The best aspect is the mostly Asian voice cast and crew like Crazy Rich Asians. Similar, but more stronger than Mulan (1998). She narrates the beginning and gives us a look at her world of Kumandra, 500 years in the past, which had a large river system in the shape of a dragon. This moves to an artistic sequence of what looks like Asian tapestry and cutouts of the dragons that protected the land. These are the Asian dragons, long, snake-like creatures, not winged and breathing fire, they are wise and peaceful beings.
There is chanting throughout the opening. The paradise is shattered by the Druun, black smoke creatures that transform the living including dragons into statues. Raya continues explaining that Sisudatu was the last dragon and formed her magic into a gem. She used that gem to destroy the Druun and turn the statues except the dragons back to people. The gem was the last trace of Sisu and people start to fight over possession of it. The land was divided by the people. Next, we have the formal intro of Raya, she is younger, 12, but still voiced by Tran. She prepares her fighting sticks. Young Raya races along rain splattered rooftops and we get a look at her home, Heart Palace, which is like a curved stone ring formation like the gravity defying limestone rocks of Thailand. She makes her way through a rounded tunnel, and sets off a net trap, so she taps open her hand-sized Tuk Tuk. He rolls across the tunnel floor setting off net traps. The mewling sounds of Tuk Tuk are by Alan Tudyk!, he seems to be the utility actor for Disney, voicing Alistair Krei in Big Hero 6.
Raya uses her fighting sticks to turn a round stone door, then she walks up steps with a stream running down it. She sees the Dragon Gem in its chamber. The imposing figure of Chief Benja stands in front of it. He is voiced by Daniel Dae Kim who is in the New Amsterdam hospital drama. Benja is masked and uses his sword still in its scabbard to duel with Raya and her Escrima sticks. He says that she won’t step in the inner circle. After Benja knocks away her fighting sticks, he holds the scabbarded sword blade to Raya, she points out that even fallen, she has reached the inner circle. We find that Benja is Raya’s father and was testing her. We don't find out what happened to Raya's mother and if she helped raise her. The Dragon Gem is glowing and surrounded by water. They kneel and make the circle gesture with their hands that runs throughout the film. Benja explains that their family has protected the Dragon Gem for generations. He makes her Guardian of the Dragon Gem, pouring water on her head, the droplets float around the gem.
Benja also notes that she is a princess, Raya is less diplomatic and more warrior in the Xena mode. Later, in the palace, Benja tells his daughter that he invited the other lands. She tells him what she knows of them; Tail, a desert of mercenaries, Talon, a floating market, Spine, a frozen land of warriors, and then Fang which Raya says has assassins. We see Fang’s leader, Virana, a tall woman with short hair parted to the side. Fang is noted for their Cerlots, large cats with pointed ears, that are used to ride and attack. Benja combines ingredients from all of the lands into a soup. This is a visual metaphor for the theme of the movie. He explains that the other lands are enemies because they assume the Dragon Gem has made Heartland thriving. Benja says that the lands were once whole, but now divided into parts of a dragon. He says to restore Kumandra, “someone has to take the first step.” The people of the different lands are assembled, they are angry, Raya walks forward. Young Naamari (Jona Xiao) greets her and Raya sees her Sisu necklace, they are both “dragon fans.”
The fast friends share their favorites and then Naamari shows her a map of the lands and gives her the necklace! Raya takes her away to the Dragon Gem chamber. Then, Naamari knocks her down for her land, Fang, and they start fighting. She kicks back tiny Tuk Tuk and sets off a flare signal. Fang warriors appear and Chief Benja leaps down using his Kris sword, a wavy bladed weapon, and extends the blade into a whip! The other peoples arrive and argue over taking the Dragon Gem. Benja tells them that he still believes in Kumandra. A sneak attack sets the people struggling over the Dragon Gem, but it shatters! This brings the appearance of the Droon that subdivide itself and begin to transform people into statues! Benja takes a piece of the Dragon Gem and uses it to hold off the Droon. The other pieces are taken by the rest of the tribes and they run away. Benja sees the Droon stopped by the water at the edge of the inner circle. On a bridge, covered by the sickly purple of the Droon, Benja gives Raya the piece of the Dragon Gem and his sword. He throws her off the bridge and is turned into a statue!, this may be fantasy, but may be a bit dramatic for young ones. The purple mist shifts to the dusty clouds of the present.
We get the setting, Tail, 6 years later, so Raya is now 18. Tuk Tuk rolls through the rocky landscape, this reminds me of Podracing in The Phantom Menace (1999). Raya sees statues and draws her sword. She knocks on Tuk Tuk’s shell and sees the canyon below. Raya checks Naamari’s map and we see that she has checked all of the rivers of Tail except this last one. Raya uses the Dragon Gem shard to dissolve a Droon. They get to a canyon and there is wrecked ship with a stream running into a cavern. Raya reaches the end of it, lays down the map, the Sisu medallion on a cup, and makes a heartfelt plea to Sisu. She admits that she made a mistake, trusting someone, this is the deep conflict of the film. Raya sings a prayer and pours water into the cup. The stream reverses and sends up glass-like drops of water. Tuk Tuk from the ship wreckage tries to get Raya’s attention. Then, she notices the droplets collecting into twisting lines, a beautiful image. This shifts into the shadowy form of Sisu!, a long, snake-like body with a multiple finned tail, four tiny legs, a mane of purplish-white hair, a short snout with two horns. In a way, Sisu reminds me of Falkor in The Neverending Story (1984).
She is of course voiced by Awkwafina who also voiced Courtney in The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) and was brilliant in the drama, The Farewell (2019). Sisu is of course a funny part of Awkwafina, but she also brings a relentless optimism like Benja, a father figure in a way, and a faith in humanity. Sisu meets Raya and hungry goes into her pack to taste her awful jack fruit jerky. Food is an important part of characters and the story. Raya gives her the update which sends Sisu into worry over her lost brothers and sisters. Sisu admits that she saved the world because she was the last one in her dragon group. She touches the Dragon Gem shard and starts to glow, very funny nod to the martial arts comedy, The Last Dragon (1985). Sisu’s power is her swimming! They both realize that if they can assemble the shards that the Dragon Gem can be reformed and eliminate the Droon! Outside, the Fang cats take their riders across the desert, the now grown Naamari (Gemma Chan) finds the ring dropped by Raya. Chan is in the upcoming Eternals and of course was in Crazy Rich Asians. She is the hardened rival to Raya, but also key to the story. We also don't get what happened to Naamari's father.
They have to face the traps of the Tail including some unusual bugs. The power of Sisu’s sister, Prani, is shapeshifting so she can take the form of a long-haired, wild lady. Naamari faces them with her soldiers. They are able to reach the boat of young Boun (Isaac Wang), he has lost his family, but makes his way with his boat and shrimp cooking. Wang was in the comedy, Think Like a Dog (2020). Raya has to learn to trust others. Naamari goes to the palace of her mother, Virana, voiced by Sandra Oh. Raya and Sisu must travel the lands and find the missing parts of the Dragon Gem. Next, at the market of Talon, Raya encounters the “con baby”, Little Noi (Thalia Tran), she competes with Baby Yoda, but is a sneaky thief with her trio of Ongi, Uka, Pan, and Dyan, white monkey-like creatures with grey faces, kinda like White-cheeked gibbons. Tran was in the comedy Little (2019). The unexpected warrior is the bulky Tong voiced by Benedict Wong. Wong is known for his part in Doctor Strange and also The Martian (2015). They must all come together to restore Kumandra. The theme is very important even today, can you trust someone, work together, after they have betrayed you? Raya and the Last Dragon offers an important story about trust, friendship, and family with stunning visuals.
Five Shards of the Dragon Gem out of Five!
#RayaandtheLastDragon, #DonHall, #KellyMarieTran, #Awkwafina, #GemmaChan, #IsaacWang, #ThaliaTran, #BenedictWong
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