Raya and the Last Dragon follows Raya, a warrior princess who must find the fabled last dragon in order to save her divided home world from a ravenous plague. Throughout her journey, Raya traverses the various kingdoms of Kumandra, with an eccentric band of misfits by her side. All the while, they must evade the clutches of Raya’s longtime nemesis, Namaari.
Raya and the Last Dragon is an American animated film produced at Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It was released on March 5, 2021 and is the 59th animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon.
The setting of Raya and the Last Dragon takes inspiration from Southeast Asian cultures and regions. The titular dragon, Sisu, is modeled after the Nāga, a serpentine race found in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. To respectfully pay tribute to the region, the studio established a Southeast Asia Story Trust—a coalition of specialists of various fields, including visual anthropology, linguistics, botany, choreography, architecture, and martial arts Raya and the Last Dragon released to widespread critical acclaim, with praise directed towards its visuals, characters, world-building, and voice acting.
Raya and the Last Dragon was originally scheduled to be released on November 25, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was pushed back to March 12, 2021. This was later advanced one week to March 5, 2021, with a simultaneous release on the streaming service Disney+, via paid purchase through its “Premiere Access” service. The film became available to all subscribers of Disney+ regardless of a separate purchase on June 4, 2021.
The film was blacked out by Cinemark, which operates 345 theaters in the United States and is the third largest theater chain in the United States, as well as Harkins Theatres, the fifth largest chain. Neither company chose to comment on their decision. Additionally, Regal Cinemas, the second largest chain, remained entirely closed during the film’s opening weekend.
About the Story
Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well.
500 years prior, Kumandra was a prosperous land when evil spirits called the Druun began to ravage everything. They absorbed souls, turning those into stone. Eventually, the dragons of Kumandra used what was left of their magic to create an orb that warded off the Druun and restored everyone to life, except the dragons who remained turned to stone. The people all wanted the orb’s power, which ultimately divided them into tribes based on their placement of a giant river made to resemble a dragon: Fang, Heart, Tail, Spine, and Talon. Heart Tribe acquired the orb and has been guarding it ever since.
500 years later, Chief Benja of the Heart Tribe has been training his daughter Raya to guard the orb. Despite this, he still believes that all the nations will set aside their differences and become Kumandra again. He resolves to invite all the nations over for a feast. Raya ends up befriending the daughter of Chief Virana of the Fang Tribe, Namaari, due to their shared interest in dragons.
Namaari gives Raya a dragon pendant, and she, in turn, shows her the location of the orb. However, Namaari betrays Raya, and soon the Fang Tribe attempt to steal the orb. The rest of the tribes find out, and a fight breaks out, resulting in the orb smashing to pieces. The Druun suddenly reawaken as each of the tribes steal a piece. Raya tries to rescue Benja, but he tells her to flee with the piece she has as he turns to stone.
Six years later, Raya has been searching for the end of a stream to summon Sisu, the dragon who supposedly created the orb and the only surviving member of the species, to help her recover the missing orb pieces. She ends up in what is left of the desert-like Tail Tribe and manages to summon Sisu. She admits that she did not create the orb and that her older siblings did, but finds that she can use their powers when she holds onto a piece.
They find what is left of the Tail Temple and recover the second piece, with Sisu now gaining the ability to turn into a human. They encounter Namaari and her tribe, but the two manage to escape on a boat driven by a young entrepreneur named Boun, who had lost his family to the Druun. Despite Boun being friendly, Raya refuses to divulge that Sisu is a dragon, nor tell him of her quest, confusing Sisu.
They arrive at the Talon Tribe, who have built their homes over the water to protect themselves against the Druun, as Raya tries to find their leader so that she can reclaim the orb piece. While out in the town, Raya encounters a “con baby” named Little Noi and her trio of monkey-like companions, the Ongis, who adopted her after her mother was lost to the Druun. After a chase, Raya decides to hire them to help her. Sisu goes into town to look for a gift, as she thinks it is better than fighting, only to run into the real tribe leader who threatens her. Raya rescues her and reclaims the piece, allowing Sisu to spew fog and make it back to Boun with Noi and the Ongis joining them.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Directed by: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada
Starring: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Jona Xiao, Sandra Oh, Thalia Tran, Lucille Soong, Alan Tudyk, Dichen Lachman, Patti Harrison
Screenplay by: Qui Nguyen, Adele Lim
Production Design by: Helen Mingjue Chen, Paul A. Felix, Cory Loftis
Cinematography by: Rob Dressel
Film Editing by: Fabienne Rawley, Shannon Stein
Art Direction by: Simon Rieber
Visual Effects by: Brian Adams, Kori Amacker
Music by: James Newton Howard
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: March 5, 2021
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