RAYA & THE LAST DRAGON (2021) – A magical South East Asian flavoured ride
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Raya and the Last Dragon is the latest offering from Disney Animation Studios. This full length computer animated film has an original story that that takes place in a mythical place called Kumandra, that has an unfortunate history involving stone turning evil spirits called Druun, and magical dragons and stones. This is actually an excuse for Disney to have an Asian theme as Kumandra looks very much like the lands of South East Asia with heavy influence from Thailand and Indonesia. Taking that as a cue, much of the voices are provided by Asian Americans, including Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asian, The Farewell, Paradise Hills) as the dragon Sisu, Gemma Chan, Sandra Oh and little known Kelly Marie Tran taking on the titular role of Raya. I must say that Awkwafina gives a good lively voice to her dragon character and she made her character stand out among the rest. They even draw her alter ego human self looking a bit like Awkwafina!
Under the capable hands of Disney Animation Studios, Raya director, Don Hall (and three others) skillfully offers the viewers, young and old, a thoroughly entertaining time. The characters are likeable, and there are many cute supporting characters that are bound to draw the oohs and ahhs, and laughs from the audience with their adorable looks and antics. The story as a noble universal theme centering around trust and peace that hopefully sends a positive message to its young impressionable audience. There is really nothing to complain here except … everything seem somehow familiar. The story moves along predictably with a foregone conclusion. This is what happens when Disney keeps on playing it safe and sticking to its successful formula. This is also the key difference between Disney Animation Studios and the Pixar movies. Pixar has time and again demonstrated their unique ability to come up with fresh new stories that are often truly original and unique. They have the confidence not to stick too much to formula and take risks with their choices.
Raya and the Last Dragon will not go down in history as one of the great animation from Disney. It does possess enough spirit and charm to provide a piece of harmless entertainment that will sadly not be remembered in years to come.