But one dragon called Sisu ( Awkwafina) created a powerful gem to save the world.Īt the start of “Raya,” the enemy peoples feud over the stone and smash it into five pieces, releasing the Droon once more and dooming the Kumandrans. Then, a pack of vicious smoke monsters called the Droon swooped in and turned many of the citizens, and dragons, into stone. The territories are called Heart, where Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) is from, Talon, Fang, Tail and Spine. The map is the spitting image of the Revolutionary War “Join, or Die” flag, which every eight-year-old history buff will surely recognize.įive hundred years earlier, all five peoples coexisted peacefully alongside colorful talking dragons whose magic brought them prosperity and such helpful items as water. Those warring states were once part of the land of Kumandra, a collective surrounding a dragon-shaped lake.
At times, I wondered, “Are we supposed to think this one is the EU?”Īll that considered, Disney’s CGI work, independent from Pixar, has finally found consistency, and “Raya” joins “ Frozen,” “ Zootopia” and “ Moana” on their roster of high-quality, enjoyable films. The title princess, Disney’s first Southeast Asian one, doesn’t bring on the tears during her moments of triumph, and the story gets lost in a geo-political struggle of feuding nations that tries too hard to be relevant. “Raya,” which has a lot going for it, is not as emotionally involving as any of those other films or TV shows. There’s something so whimsical about a pet that can destroy all your enemies without lifting a claw. There’s “Game of Thrones,” “Dragonheart,” “Pete’s Dragon,” the much better 2016 remake of “ Pete’s Dragon” and the gold standard of fire-breathers, “ How To Train Your Dragon,” one of the best CGI family films ever made. The latest in dragontertainment is Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.” In theaters and on Disney+ (for an extra charge) Friday. Rated PG for some violence, action and thematic elements.
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