#THE LAST DRAGON HOW TO#
#THE LAST DRAGON MOVIE#

Most notable among them are the duels between Raya and Namaari ( Gemma Chan), RayaвЂ™s duplicitous rival from the land Fang. The filmmakers pay homage to the various forms of martial arts and fighting styles of Southeast Asia, and that lends itself to some truly epic fight scenes.

Similarly, the film has a surprising and welcome amount of grit. It is the combination of those seemingly small details with the large brush strokes that make the world of вЂњRayaвЂќ feel real, and not like a caricature of a diverse and nuanced part of the world. But it is in the small things that the filmmakersвЂ™ thoroughness really shows through, like the deliberate shots of the characters removing their shoes before entering a temple or sacred space. There are obvious things like the land of Talon, which is a recreation of the many floating markets in countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, and gives off the same bustling energy. What sticks out from the very start of the film is the care and attention to detail that directors Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada took to make Kumandra come alive with all the vibrancy of Southeast Asia. Or at the very least, cutest animal sidekick with a repeating two-syllable name (sorry Heihei). As an aside, little Tuk Tuk, who we meet in the first fifteen minutes of the film alongside young Raya, easily takes the cake for cutest animal sidekick. She has Tuk Tuk ( Alan Tudyk), who in this case is not a motorized three-wheel taxi, but an adorable Pug/Armadillo/Pill-Bug hybrid who curls into a ball that Raya rolls around on to cover ground fast. Like all good heroes, Raya has an animal sidekick. Cut to six years later and Raya is on a quest to find Sisu and recover the pieces, travelling across one of the most visually stunning worlds Disney has ever produced in a story that is just as much вЂњ Tomb RaiderвЂќ as it is вЂњ Spirited Away.вЂќ RayaвЂ™s people are the guardians of that gem when the film begins, but clashing tensions between the clans leave the gem shattered, with each faction holding a piece as the Druun returns. The last dragon, Sisu ( Awkwafina), used the gem to stop the chaos but in the process left Kumandra divided into five hostile clans. However, when the Druun, a dark plague-like energy, began sweeping across the land, turning everyone who touched it to stone, the dragons sacrificed themselves and combined their powers into a single gem. In Kumandra, a land of rivers, islands and peninsulas that resembles just enough of each corner of Southeast Asia, we meet our newest warrior-princess: Raya.ДЄs a young girl, Raya ( Kelly Marie Tran) always heard from her father, or Ba, Chief Benja ( Daniel Dae Kim) of a Kumandra of 500 years ago, when humans lived alongside divine and powerful dragons who protected them and kept peace.

#THE LAST DRAGON MOVIE#

With an entertaining narrative, the movie forces Raya to deal with grief and cynicism.DisneyвЂ™s вЂњRaya and The Last Dragon вЂќ is a vivid and thrilling romp through a world thatвЂ™s both ancient and thoroughly fresh. Although Raya is shown as a strong lady, what makes her relatable are her vulnerabilities. Raya is already a confident lead and the narrative explores how every hero needs a team.

#THE LAST DRAGON HOW TO#

In origin stories like these, the protagonists spend most of the movie understanding their powers and learning how to trust themselves. What sets Raya and the Last Dragon apart from movies like Moana and Frozen that feature powerful women, is that Raya is already aware of her powers. On top of this, the fantastic voice acting by Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Chief Benja, and others makes Raya and the Last Dragon an entertaining movie that you will keep coming back to. Every character looks and feels unique, with adorable and whimsical mannerisms that add a new level of depth. The breath-taking visuals not only make the movie look beautiful, but it also delivers exposition in an engaging manner. Raya and the Last Dragon presents a beautiful and almost realistic world that is filled with diverse and adorable characters. By setting up high stakes and a deadly crisis, the movie creates a charming adventure that brings all characters together. What Raya and the Last Dragon does differently is that RayaвЂ™s story arc has major focus on bringing people together regardless of their identity. The most popular example would be the climax scene of Black Panther, where TвЂ™Challa learns about the consequences that turned Killmonger into a villain.

What Raya and The Last Dragon does here isnвЂ™t entirely new.