Part Mulan (1998), part Brave (2012), Disney’s latest animated fantasy adventure is another fascinating take on an ancient made-up culture inspired by Asian society and legends. It takes the successful Disney animation formula and places it into a new setting, topped with strong female characters and a vividly animated environment.
Awkwafina is wonderful as Sisu. She brings so much character and soul into the dragon that she easily steals the show even when she’s not messing around and dropping funny lines.
Thalia Tran as Little Noi must be the cutest cinematic baby since Jack-Jack from The Incredibles (2004).
The plot is a simple but charming mission to save a realm from darkness and unite its different people. The warm relationship between Raya, Sisu and Tuk Tuk as well as the almost globe-trotting-like atmosphere and the varied locations make up for the lack of originality in the plot structure. The best part of the story is the redemption arc that is central to the climax as well as the choice not to depict the world and its characters as fully black-and-white.
I love the way the music mixes modern genres with more traditional Asian melodies and instrumentation, thus creating a fairly unique score that suits this film and its historical setting perfectly.
The supporting cast features several great performances from the likes of Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong and Sandra Oh.
The fight sequences are fast-paced and dynamic, yet easy to follow. They are a highlight of the movie in terms of their technical aspect.
THE BAD:
I prefer Sisu as a dragon, even if I understand the narrative reasons for having her appear as human from time to time. She loses some of her charms in human form.
The plot is as predictable as ever, which sadly turns out to be a minor problem when the main storyline remains the same one movie after the other.
THE UGLY:
Give me a Tuk Tuk and Little Noi spin-off right now!
THE VERDICT:
Gorgeously animated and with strong characters and a wonderfully adventurous tone, Raya and the Last Dragon is really just another animated Disney film, glossed over by strong production values.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2021-06-08T16:01:46Z
THE GOOD: ‘RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON’
WRITING: 5
ACTING: 8
PRODUCTION: 9
REPLAY VALUE: 6
ENJOYMENT: 8
THE GOOD:
Part Mulan (1998), part Brave (2012), Disney’s latest animated fantasy adventure is another fascinating take on an ancient made-up culture inspired by Asian society and legends. It takes the successful Disney animation formula and places it into a new setting, topped with strong female characters and a vividly animated environment.
Awkwafina is wonderful as Sisu. She brings so much character and soul into the dragon that she easily steals the show even when she’s not messing around and dropping funny lines.
Thalia Tran as Little Noi must be the cutest cinematic baby since Jack-Jack from The Incredibles (2004).
The plot is a simple but charming mission to save a realm from darkness and unite its different people. The warm relationship between Raya, Sisu and Tuk Tuk as well as the almost globe-trotting-like atmosphere and the varied locations make up for the lack of originality in the plot structure. The best part of the story is the redemption arc that is central to the climax as well as the choice not to depict the world and its characters as fully black-and-white.
I love the way the music mixes modern genres with more traditional Asian melodies and instrumentation, thus creating a fairly unique score that suits this film and its historical setting perfectly.
The supporting cast features several great performances from the likes of Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong and Sandra Oh.
The fight sequences are fast-paced and dynamic, yet easy to follow. They are a highlight of the movie in terms of their technical aspect.
THE BAD:
I prefer Sisu as a dragon, even if I understand the narrative reasons for having her appear as human from time to time. She loses some of her charms in human form.
The plot is as predictable as ever, which sadly turns out to be a minor problem when the main storyline remains the same one movie after the other.
THE UGLY:
Give me a Tuk Tuk and Little Noi spin-off right now!
THE VERDICT:
Gorgeously animated and with strong characters and a wonderfully adventurous tone, Raya and the Last Dragon is really just another animated Disney film, glossed over by strong production values.
72% = :white_check_mark: = GOOD