Anthomation Assesses Raya and the Last Dragon

Howdy guys, Anthomation here. Today I shall review Disney’s latest animated hit: Raya and the Last Dragon.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a 2021 animated film from the aforementioned Disney Animation. Raya and the Last Dragon was theatrically released in the United States on March 5, 2021 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in standard 2D, 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX formats. The film’s release was also simultaneously available on Disney+ with Premier Access, which is in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s negative impact on movie theaters across the United States and other countries, with many of them remaining closed. The film has grossed $26 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes calling it “gorgeously animated and skillfully voiced”.

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than dragon magic to save the world–it’s going to take trust as well.

The story contains a premise that is well developed and leads to some great action and emotion. It shows how Kumandra used to exist with the water dragons helping the folks prosper until the evil druun arrived and destroyed everything. It portrays people as being selfish and willing to wage everlasting wars just for their own self benefit. Which is unique for a Disney film. Disney: where magical dreams come true…and where people fight each other for the possession of a blue ball. While the premise leads to a lot of creativity, there are a couple of typical Disney tropes in this movie that follow to a certain extent. In the beginning of the film, Raya is being introduced to the world she lives in and the role she must play among her people. Gee, haven’t seen that one before. Also, Chief Benja, the father of Raya, sacrifices himself in order to save his daughter. A parent dying in a Disney film, what a concept. Disney kills off their main characters’ parents at the same rate that I change my underwear. Then enters Sisu, the last dragon who looked at first to be just another Genie-wannabee. Fortunately, that didn’t happen and she ended up being a decent character. Arguably, the strongest part of the film is it’s musical score. I don’t what took the film so long, but the musical score decided to get sweeping and filled with emotion towards the second half of the film. When that happened, the animation was elevated to another level, the story gained even more importance, and the characters became more likeable and I felt more invested in what they were fighting for. When I assess a film, I always look for how good the musical score is. The better the music is, the more emotion you can grab from the audience and the better your film will be.

The animation is wonderful to look at and is the one element that stays consistently great throughout the entire film. The five worlds that were broken off after the Druun destroyed everything, Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail, are each given their unique identity and present themselves beautifully onto the screen. Heart is the center of Kumandra and home to Raya. Fang is surrounded by water, contains warm tones and has a militaristic feel. Spine is a stark contrast, having a cold climate and dark colors. Talon is a bustling marketplace built on the water. Tail is a desert planet with a rustic feel. By the way, doesn’t this remind you of the construction of Zootopia? I mean, Heart=Downtown Zootopia, Spine=Tundra Town, Tail= Sahara Square. With that said, the backgrounds for each world are visually pleasing. The characters movements and designs look great and each of the characters are able to express a multitude of facial expressions. Props all around!

The characters come from a great place of thought, but can fall just short on its execution. Take Raya, who is our protagonist that does not trust anyone since it was her trust of Namaari, the antagonist of the film, to be named that causes the Orb of power against the Druun to break and set off the plot of the film. While that is prominent with the character, there are other instances where Raya is a little more understanding than what you would expect out of her character. I mean, it is her of all people who convinces Namaari to help her put the pieces of the Orb back together when it should have Susi, the last dragon, to do that. Susi is the exact opposite in the sense that she trusts everybody blindly and it can often get her into trouble. She is not at being comedy relief, as the film is lacking of great humor, but she does supply some good emotion as she does help put Raya over the edge into not being so independent. Namaari, the warrior princess of the Fang Land and Raya’s enemy. She is like Rameses in The Prince of Egypt (1998) in the sense that they go from average kids to the antagonist of the film. It’s up to Raya, Sisu, and other side characters to make Namaari bring back Kamandra. Those side characters are Boun, a charismatic 10-year-old entrepreneur and owner of a boat restaurant in the Tail Land, Tong, a formidable warrior giant from the Spine land, Little Noi, an infant con artist from the Talon Land, and Tuk Tuk, Raya’s best friend and trusty steed that is a mix of an armadillo and a pill bug. They each bring their own spices to the bowl of soup. 

This movie delightfully surprised me. With a well thought out premise, gorgeous animation, and characters that are good but not great, it makes for a film that has a lot to offer. It’s a must-watch for Disney fans and worth watching for non-Disney moviegoers alike.

Score:

7.5/10