Raya and the Last Dragon is an American animated adventure film directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada. It features the voices of Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh, Thalia Tran, Lucille Soong, and Alan Tudyk and was released on 5th March 2021 on Disney+ Hotstar.
Kumandra, a once prosperous land, has now turned into a wasteland. 500 years ago, the people used to live harmoniously with dragons who brought water, rain, and peace. But then came the Druun, a plague, that spread like wildfire and turns everyone into stone. The dragons did their best, but seeing everything failing, the dragon concentrated their power on a gem and blasted the Druun away. Everyone came back except the dragons. All that was left of the dragons was the stone, but people became greedy and develop a hunger for power. Now all the humans are fighting to possess that dragon magic.
The land has been divided, so are the people. The chief of different parts of lands, Tail, Talon, Spine, and Fang are invited to Heart, the most prosperous land among all and is also guarding the Dragon gem. The meeting goes wrong, the Fang attacks and betrays the trust of Heart and that's where the gem falls and breaks into five pieces. Every chief picks one and flees and now that plague, Druun, returns, turns everyone into the stone. It's now up to Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), the Guardian of the dragon stone, to bring people back to life, and to live once again as one, Kumandra, jointly and peacefully. For that, she has to find the Mighty Sisu, the dragon, who could use her own power to join the broken stone and use it to wipe out Druuna.
All the seven writers should be praised for writing such a stunning story about trust and faith and unity. The world they have built is so believable, unlike other Disney's animated movies, and the characters are also beautifully written. They are very likable and cheerful and optimistic and deep in their heart, even if they tried to steal the gem, they all want to live peacefully. What was a most remarkable thing was that the story is so relevant seeing today's toxic atmosphere on this Earth. The people are lonely, they hate each other, but all they need is trust and love.
The dragon gem can be considered as our Earth, and now you can clearly picture in your mind, people exploiting it for resources or you can say power, like in the film. But then there's Raya, an effervescent and bubbly girl of Heart, who dreams just like her father, Chief Benja (Daniel Dae Kim), that all the people of the land should live happily, one as Kumandra. But she gets betrayed by her new friend Namaari (Gemma Chan) and the land and the people have to face what they feared the most. Druun turns all into stone and those who are successful to escape have to live with it.
You see, then, most of the people have lost their loved ones. Raaya, who is willing to try at least, when no one is doing anything, finally finds Sisu (Awkwafina). I thought she would be a saint, full of knowledge, but she's the opposite. Sisu is naive, innocent, and gullible as she's not used to today's world which is full of fraud and hate. Disney knows how to balance such grave topics with comic and light-hearted moments. Raya is joined by Boun (Izaac Wang), an owner of a boat hotel, Tong (Benedict Wong) a warrior from Tail, and Little Noi (Thalia Tran) a con baby, and all of them has one thing in common.
Their friendships provide some heartwarming moments to cherish. There are genuinely funny moments too which are so effective they will make you emotional simultaneously. It's just because the characters and their feelings appear so real and pure. The voice acting by everyone is also commendable, especially by Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina. They have put their soul in their voices, and hence the scenes emerge out to be so authentic. That's why it's so effective. It touches your heart. The quality of the animation is impeccable.
The film looks visually stunning, it is all because of strong animation which is of really high quality. It gets better every time. The facial expressions, the hairs of the Dragon, it's flawless. All this adds up to give you an immersive experience of emotions that are beautiful and positive. The music by James Newton Howard is heart-touching. Stream it, Raya and the Last Dragon is saddening underneath but it also gives you hope and strength to not lose it. This is a must-watch, especially for children, to learn from Raya, to trust, to believe in oneself that one day you'll see light at the end of the tunnel. Just like Sisu says, "It may feel impossible but sometimes, you have to take the first step even before you're ready."
Rating:- 4/5
Now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Hope you have liked this post. Follow and hit the bell button to Subscribe and tap on filmreviewsloop for more reviews and recommendations. Feel free to comment or to give any suggestions, I'm all ears.
0 Comments