It's always interesting to see the Disney company take a gamble with their animated features by taking them in more serious and complex directions while still providing entertaining experiences for both Children and Adults. The last time they tried to attempt such a feat was with Frozen II which I personally found not only to be boring, but it took characters I remember enjoying from the first movie and turned them into bland strongminded stereotypes. When it was announced that Disney’s Next movie was gonna be another serious warrior princess-like tale, I thought it would be doomed to meet the same unfortunate fate as Frozen II. Luckily, that was not the case for Disney’s Newer of animated flicks called Raya and the Last Dragon, a movie that was just as much about serious complexity and had enough personality and interesting subtext to make the journey worthwhile.
Once there was a time when the land of Kumundra was where humans and dragons lived together in harmony. However, when a mysterious element called the Druun starts to cause havoc in Kumundra, the Dragons make a sacrifice to save the land but it sadly it begins a downfall as the people of Kumundra have split into different chunks of land which are lived by people who have long since learned to hate the people in the chunks of Kumundra that are not theirs. 500 years later a warrior princess named Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) looks for a something to heal the land’s divide but only manages to find a dragon named Sisu (Awkwafina) instead, soon many others join the duo in an effort to stop the dreaded Drunn from turning people into stone and maybe undo the Drunn curse to see their families
The story follows in the same vein as other similar Disney films such as Mulan where the story does take more of a serious tone but also mixes greatly with Disney’s signature cuteness and fairytale-like writing that made the company a powerhouse of family entertainment. There are some very complex themes of prejudice and trust which are portrayed in shocking and interesting manners. The way the themes talked about in this movie feels almost hopeful in a sense, which is similar to how Zootopia gave hope to the difficult subjects of racism. The movie knows it has a serious tone but doesn’t forget to have some fun and comedy-like moments along the journey. However, I will admit that the comedy can also be a bit of a downside when it’s trying to balance itself with a serious and somewhat dark tone. Disney has always kinda had a little trouble with that kind of situation even in movies like Mulan, but it's hard to deny that the jokes were bad or distasteful even if they aren't memorable knee slappers. Sometimes there are some similarities about this movie’s story that can be compared to shows like Avatar The Last Airbender, but the movie’s writing is clever enough to have its world-building and characters feel like you are hearing a familiar story through a different lens. Even though there are some bumps and the ending of the movie is kinda a cop-out, this is storytelling from Disney at their best and possibly the best story they have made since Moana.
Unlike Frozen II, The majority of the characters in the movie are written as tough and hardcore but are actually given defined personality traits to make them mostly memorable. Raya is a tough warrior but also mentally flawed and capable of making some rash decisions. Even though she is hardcore she still retains flaws that make her character more than just a bland strong woman stereotype which is more than well needed. Sisu from what I could gather is a character people either really like or really hate and there are some good points related to both sides. On the one hand, she is the main provider of humor, and actress Akwafina has a style of humor that may not be able to speak to many people. Personally, for me her character is best when she has a down to earth moment to break up her usual spunky humor but even as humor goes she’s not all that bad and overtime I learned to like her bit by bit as the movie progresses. Those two will be joined by many other characters such as Raya’s ex-friend Numaari who is less of a true villain and more of a complex human with her own set of issues and a con baby who is creative in concept and really funny in a lot of scenes. These are Disney characters that may be done in a more serious light but are not rejected into doing magical and goofy moments in the vein of Disney’s most recognizable characters.
The Animation is beautiful and bursting with a lot of Southeast Asian influences to create a world that is familiar but new at the same time. The landscapes can range from having lush scenery to barren deserts and there are plenty of things like rock formations that inspire awe from the audience. The character designs follow suit to be in the style of Disney’s most well-known characters like in the Disney Renescanice period. Most of the characters look pretty much how you’d expect them to look but the Dragons on the other hand are uniquely designed. Sisu’s design in particular is unique from other Dragons in film media and retains that sort of dragon style you’d see in Asian paintings in a way. There are even fight sequences that take a page right out of Marvel’s handbook for how to create engaging battles in a visual maner while keeping the storytelling in balance. This animation is frankly more interesting here than it was in Frozen II thanks to its color aesthetic and its willingness to focus on characters first and background visuals second.
James Newton Howard does the music for this movie and it is very chilling and epic considering he’s the same person who did the tunes for Dinosaur, Atlantis the Lost Empire, and Treasure Planet which are not very well know animated Disney films. The Southeast Asian influence manages to make its way here to give us orchestrations that are anything but standard and leave a good impression even if it may not be the greatest music to accompany a Disney film when compared to movies like The Lion King.
Directors Don Hall, Carlos Lopez Estrada and more really poured their hearts out into this movie and while there are some lingering issues still hanging in the final product, Raya and the Last Dragon brings the Walt Disney Animation Studio back on track after hitting the dirt with movies like Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen II. Would I call it the best-animated movie Disney has made in a long time? not necessarily. However, I was overall impressed by how Disney went to some pretty far lengths to make a movie that has difficult subject matter and a more serious tone compared to many other well-known Disney films. Did it all work? To some people not really, but in all honesty, I would much rather have a Disney film that’s still pretty good even if not anywhere near a masterpiece in the long run.
(Final Grade: B+)