Raya and the Last Dragon came out on Disney Plus and theaters back in March. But it's only now available for free on the former. Time to see what others have seen.
Once upon a time, there was Kumandra, where dragons and people lived. Evil mist monsters called Druun petrified people and dragons until Sisu, the Last Dragon, stopped them with a magic gem. Kumandra broke apart into five tribes based on where they live along their Dragon River: Tail, Spine, Talon, Fang, and Heart, the last being the actual holders of the gem.
Our heroine is Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), Princess of Heart and the newest gem guardian. One day, her dad Benja (Daniel Dae Kim) invited the other tribes for a meal. But Raya got tricked into revealing the gem's hiding spot. The tribes fight over it, break it and accidentally bring back the Druun. Benja gets Raya to safety before the Druun stone him.
We now get to Sisu (Awkwafina) herself. Raya finally summons her after a six-year quest to save the world. But they need the other gem fragments to do it. Namaari (Gemma Chan), Princess of Fang and Raya's deceiver, is on their tail. They pick up a few allies across Kumandra; Boun (Izaac Wong), the littlest shrimp boat captain, Noi (Thalia Tran), a toddler con-artist raised by monkey-like Ongis and the warrior Tong (Benedict Wong). They'll have to hurry before either Namaari or Druun get to them.
Directors Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada are among the eight names with writing credits. Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen wrote the actual screenplay. The story has quite a few surprises in its 107 minutes. The funniest one is Noi being a con-artist. Namaari betraying Raya is the most serious. The story never lulls thanks to its great characters and action scenes. It all leads to a strong ending with one last "surprise." Some might question the "surprise" but I didn't.
Now about the characters. Raya is a compelling lead all the way through. Her being betrayed is a legitimate surprise and not really a facepalm moment. She does her best to remedy her mistake by saving the world. Namaari tests the audience's sympathy with her callous betrayal and antagonism. But she pulls through in the end. The best character is Sisu, who is delightfully hilarious and warm & serious. Boun, Noi, and Tong are funny as well. Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk), Raya's giant pill bug/armadillo is a memorable animal sidekick.
The technicals make it great to listen and watch. James Newton Howard's score sets the majestic tone pretty well on its own. Combine it with the dragons at flight, for example, and it's superb. The dragons are wonderfully designed creature characters and their magical powers are splendorous. The tribal lands are visually superb; a highlight is the Talon marketplace. The Druun are perfectly fearsome evil things. The action scenes are excellent, especially when Raya's whip sword is used.
Raya and the Last Dragon is still playing in some theaters (like mine). But I want to make the most of my Disney Plus subscription. So I went there instead. However you watch it is a good option. It's that great of a film. The theatrical release has a short called Us Again, about a couple dancing in the rain like Gene Kelly. It's also available on Disney Plus; I gotta check it out.
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