Series Report Card: Disney Animated Features (2021) - Part One

58. Raya and the Last Dragon

I am, and I suppose always will be, a fan of when Disney puts its own stamp on classic fairy tales or stories. I grew up on the Disney Renaissance, so I guess it’s a nostalgic connection for me. Disney has mostly stuck to more modern stories in recent times, with "Frozen" and "Moana" merely taking inspiration from classic stories and folklore. The same is true of their most recent attempt to create a new Disney Princess. "Raya and the Last Dragon" is inspired by the culture and mythology of Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Vietnam. Whether this is progressive pop culture representation or a mega-corp cynically looking for a new market to exploit is, ya know, up for debate. Either way, I think it's sort of neat that the world's leading animation studio continues to find ways to blend new stories with older traditions. 

The setting for our story is Kumundra, a collection of countries that used to be united under the rule of benevolent dragons. Following the appearance of soul-sucking monsters called Druun, the dragons would sacrifice themselves to save the world. Their remaining power was sealed inside the Dragon Gem, which the nations have warred over for years. During an attempt to foster peace by Chief Benja, ruler of the nation of Heart, the gem would be shattered. The Druun were released and Kumundra plunged into chaos. Five years later, Benja's daughter Raya travels Kumundra to gather the pieces of the Gem and restore the world. Along the way, she resurrects Sisu, the last of the dragons. 

Like I said, "Raya and the Last Dragon" is a new story by Disney, created by its writers, directors, and animators. Yet the film feels a lot like an adaptation of a long-running series of books or manga... One of those adaptations that tries to squeeze the entire story into one movie. From the beginning, the film is overwhelming the viewer with exposition. The history of Kumundra, the Druun, and the dragons is dropped on us through an info-heavy, opening montage. The film then goes into an extensive flashback, setting up Raya's role in all this, her personal connection to the latest apocalypse, and the rivalry between the different nations. It's a lot of world-building to do right out of the gate. Maybe if the audience needs to know this much backstory before you can even tell the story we're here to see, you should've just told a different story. 

And yet, the film's front loading with a ton of exposition and lore is not it's most distracting aspect. With "Raya and the Last Dragon," Disney had a chance to create their own fantasy universe, akin to Middle-earth or Narnia. Any attempt to transport the viewer to another world is often undermined by the movie filling every characters' mouth with snarky, sub-Whedon-esque dialogue. There are references to modern pop culture, with mentions of cat ladies and popping-and-locking. People make fun of the Marvel movies, for taking the suspense out of their action scenes with constant sarcastic dialogue. But "Raya" is a movie where that actually happens, the viewer's immersion in this fantasy world being broken by someone saying "boom goes the dynamite."

The movie's comic relief is often distracting. Did the pickpocket baby character really need to weaponize its diaper at one point? No source of humor in the movie is more distracting than Sisu herself. Awkwafina's gravelly voice is a non-stop source of half-baked jokes and quibs. It takes the purpose of characters like Genie or Mushu, an energetic and lovable sidekick for the hero to bounce off of, to its outermost extreme. Raya is the straight man, Sisu is the never-ending jokester, and the movie hammers that note as hard as possible. What should've been the movie's most endearing character — who doesn't love a dragon? — instead nearly destroys it. 

Walt Disney Animation Studio taking inspiration from its sibling Marvel Studios does provide some novelty to "Raya." This is an animated fantasy for kids that also happens to be an action movie. Not just any action movie but a martial arts movie. You can tell the animators did their research to, as each nation is given a different style of melee combat. Muay Thai, pencak Silat, and eskrima are utilized throughout. When Raya has to come to blows with her rival, arrogant warrior Princess Namaari, the fights are actually pretty well done. That's not something you expect to see in a Disney movie, especially one of their big budget cartoons. So that's pretty cool. 

Still, every step forward that "Raya" takes is another step back as well. Ultimately, the film is defined by the theme of different cultures and people putting aside their differences to work together for a greater good. This is represented by Kumundra being made up of nations named for different parts of a dragon. You also see it in the visual symbolism of Raya assembling a broken gem or the way she collects a new friend from other segment of the continent. The movie really focuses on this idea during its climax, where everyone works together against a hopeless situation. "Raya and the Last Dragon" is very much a motion picture about unity in the face of global catastrophe. (Which, weirdly, makes it an ideal story to tell in our modern age.)

It never quite works though. That's simply because we never really care about the different characters. Raya gathers multiple sidekicks over the course of the story, from shrimp boat cook Boun, to burly tough guy Tong, to the aforementioned con-baby. And that's in addition to the adorable animal sidekick she starts the movie off with, the pill bug like Tuk-Tuk. "Raya" is long for an animated movie, running close to two hours. Yet even all that time isn't enough to develop all of these characters in a meaningful way. Instead, they remain as vague ideas, easily understood gimmicks that never develop any real depth. This makes the idea of them coming together to work for a better tomorrow hard to take seriously. Once again, it makes the movie feel like the condensed version of a bigger, longer story. 

The movie tries. All the characters are united by having lost a loved one to the Druun. Raya is haunted by the loss of her dad, Sisu by the loss of her dragon siblings. Boun and the baby's parents are gone. It's heavily implied that Tong lost his own family. In its best moments, "The Last Dragon"  slows down and allows its characters to just hang out together. This often happens — in what is yet another metaphor for disparate ingredients working together in harmony — around the dinner table. A scene of Tong revealing the baby's name while everyone chats is one of the highlights of the movie. So is a comedic scene where Sisu distracts a whimsical solution to their current dilemma. The movie can't make its cast come to life but it's still works best when suggesting that might be possible. 

As "Raya" goes on, the stakes get higher and the scenario gets grimmer. The seeming death of a major character is when the film reaches its darkest point, the Druun becoming even more unstoppable than before. But what about the Druun? The best Disney Animated Features have colorful, unforgettable villains. This is something "Raya and the Last Dragon" completely lacks. The Druun have no personality. They are clouds of amorphous, purple mist that turn people to stone. They are warded off by water and the power of the Dragon Gem but otherwise show no attributes. I'd compare them to zombies but even zombies are more distinct than this. Namaari is the story's human antagonist and, even though she's debatably the film's most complex character, she still doesn't rise to the levels we expect from colorful Disney villains. The lack of a real antagonist leaves “Raya” feeling directionless at times.

It's not really the fault of the voice cast. Even Awkwafina, distracting as her humor is, does a decent job playing Sisu. The dragon's quieter moments aren't bad. Everyone does their best. Kelly Marie Tran is solid as Raya. Daniel Dae Kim gets some cute moments as her dad. Benedict Wong – who has quickly become one of the best character actors in the modern Disney pantheon –  probably gives my favorite performance as Tong, a blustery tough guy with a secret soft spot. Sandra Oh has some nice sinister energy as Namaari's deceptive mother, who still has a good reason for what she does. If the movie had been smarter, she would've been developed into the villain. 

Of course, the movie is gorgeous too. The misty rain forests and softly babbling streams look beautiful. Several fantasy sequences feature even more stylized action sequences, the colors and eye-popping visuals getting cranked up even more. As the story progresses, Sisu gains the various powers of her dragon siblings. This results in striking sequences, such as when she goes stepping through the air on platforms made from raindrops. You can criticized the sameness of the Disney house style, when it comes to character designs. I too prefer the quirkier prototype version of Sisu. But the massive animation team still are capable of creating beautiful motion pictures.

”Raya and the Last Dragon” was, of course, originally intended for release in 2020. The pandemic would hit while the movie was late in production, forcing the film to be finished remotely. When it was finally released, back in March, theaters were only just starting to open up again. This meant to movie itself was largely overshadowed by Disney's controversial decision to give a same-day-and-date release on their streaming service, at an additional cost. (Alongside the usual controversies that arise anytime a giant movie studio attempts to tell a story in a different cultural landscape.) Maybe if “Raya” had been a better movie, it would've been able to overcome this discussion and stand on its own. Instead, the movie did just okay at the box office and the merchandise didn't seem to fly off the shelves, in my experience. In some ways a bold experiment, “Raya and the Last Dragon” is also a disappointing attempt at trying something new. [Grade: C+]