Directed by: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada
Starring: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong
Rated PG, 107 minutes
There’s almost nothing inventive or surprising about “Raya and the Last Dragon,” the latest movie from Walt Disney Animation Studios. That’s not to say it’s bad—it’s perfectly enjoyable for kids and adults alike, full of goofy jokes and the best animation money can buy. Its only real novelty, though, is the titular princess herself, the first Disney princess of southeast Asian origin. Which is no small thing—in the ongoing conversation about minority representation in Hollywood, “Raya” represents another step forward—but the movie that surrounds this barrier-breaking princess is simple and formulaic, a big-budget celebration of the status quo.
Set in the fictional land of Kumandra, a collection of five kingdoms situated along a dragon-shaped river, the movie follows the efforts of Raya (Kelly Marie Tran, “Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker”), the princess of one of the five kingdoms, to unify the land. Unification has long been her father’s dream, but calamity strikes before he can see it fulfilled, the five kingdoms turning on each other in a sorry episode of violence. If that weren’t enough, a semi-sentient entity called the Druun, taking the form of purple-black clouds, then sweeps across the land, turning everyone in its path—including Raya’s father—to stone.
Raya’s plan to undo the Druun’s curse and unify Kumandra involves finding the dragon that, according to legend, defeated the Druun some 500 years prior. And while Raya finds the dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina, “The Farewell”), quickly enough, Sisu is out of practice. “I’m gonna be real with you,” Sisu tells her, “I’m not, like, the best dragon.” Still, Sisu is the best chance that Raya has, and so they set off to locate the broken pieces of the magical gem that Sisu used to save the world once before.
As is the norm for Disney movies, the main characters push forward with their quest in earnest while quirky supporting characters give the movie its personality. Along the way, Raya and Sisu recruit people from other kingdoms to aid them—a young boy running a restaurant on a boat all by himself, a lumbering soldier whose days of inspiring fear in his enemies have long since passed, and the movie’s comedic highlight, a “con baby” who, along with three monkey-like accomplices, preys on strangers’ affection for cute babies in order to steal from them. Importantly, these friends Raya makes on her journey are all coping with the loss of their families to the Druun; the unification of Kumandra begins, then, with the recognition of the grief they all share, despite their different backgrounds.
The movie also argues that any kind of unity is impossible without trust. Through heavy-handed exposition, we learn that Raya has trust issues, not only because of the events that led her father to succumb to the Druun, but also because of long-standing cultural norms that have made her instinctively suspicious of people from other kingdoms. It’s Sisu, the nonhuman, benevolent guardian figure, who finally sees this mistrust for what it really is: an excuse not to have peace. The lesson, if artlessly introduced, ultimately leads to a touching moment where Raya learns to put her trust in others at her own expense. But while the climax and the happily-ever-after conclusion that follows are instructive and well-meaning, there’s a glaring artificiality to them, beyond even what one could reasonably expect from a Disney movie. Ignoring plot holes, unanswered questions, and dubious inflection points, the movie pushes through to its happy ending with brute force, as if to suggest we needn’t have invested emotionally in anything that preceded it, or that kids just won’t know any better.
The irony is that the movie’s production is itself a far better demonstration of trust and collaboration than the movie is. Interrupted by the pandemic, the production had to be completed remotely, leading the filmmakers to add a note to the credits graciously acknowledging the crew’s “tireless hard work, good humor, and most of all patience.” If only the movie felt as genuine. “Raya and the Last Dragon” has its fun and funny moments, and it meets the standards set by previous Disney animated movies, but its flatness suggests that, like the people frozen in place by the Druun, Disney’s estimation of the intelligence and curiosity of children has ossified.
Originally published in The Harvard Press on 4/16/21.