Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
The COVID-19 pandemic saw massive restructuring of the cinematic landscape with features being pushed both in release date and release platform. For Walt Disney Animation Studios, the biggest adjustment was given to Raya and the Last Dragon which was not only pushed in release date and moved to a Disney+ under their Premier Access system, but also was completed online during the pandemic. Transporting audiences to the fantastical land of Kumandra where a young woman named Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) is forced to team up with a water dragon named Sisu (Awkwafina) to save the world, Raya and the Last Dragon seems to have everything needed to be a modern Disney classic. Coming from established filmmakers Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, Raya and the Last Dragon has the exciting world and thematic weight needed to become something special, but ultimately drops the ball and becomes a forgettable dud of a feature.
The most shocking misstep for the film is its technical qualities. Whether it was due to the production difficulties of being made during the pandemic or simply the studio trying a new style, Raya and the Last Dragon is easily one of the ugliest features to come from Disney. While the occasional set piece will stand tall, the overall animation is cheap and uneven with the character designs being unrecognizable compared to the work of Disney up to this point. There are dozens of independent animated features from the last few years that easily top the visual work within Raya and the Last Dragon which is shocking when one looks at the budget and talent behind the project. The one bright spot visually for the film is the iconography given to the Druun which turn people into stone and consistently looks for new victims. Their presence is unique and the process of them turning humans into stone statues is done with a genuine sense of awe that is seen nowhere else in the film.
Sadly, the missteps continue into the film's casting and characters. While Kelly Marie Tran is rather excellent as Raya, giving both a performance of strength and vulnerability that blends together to create a strong lead protagonist, the side cast is filled with lackluster performances with none being bigger than Awkwafina as Sisu. Trying way too hard to create a quirky sidekick that ends up becoming grating within the first few lines of delivery, Sisu is an annoying and forced comedic presence that consistently takes away from the film around her. The rest of Raya's crew equally follows with a tragic blend of unfunny comedic gimmicks and annoying performances that never find the charming or joyful presence they hope for. The villains of the film also leaves quite a bit to be desired. In their moments of venom, those like Sandra Oh and Gemma Chan phone it in and deliver uninspiring work that fails to leave an impact.
The story itself is also simply a mess. Dropping the audience into this world with a convoluted understanding regarding the turbulent history behind the land which includes dragons, warring tribes, and evil Druun; it is hard for the audience to find their footing and the film doesn't help this with time jumps and constantly changing locations. Why individuals act the way they do feel more contrived for the plot than decided by logic and just as the film begins to find direction, the plot becomes a rather boring repetitive motion of Raya and Sisu sneaking into various kingdoms to find pieces of the dragon gem which is believed to be the key to saving the world. For taking place in such a creative world with such unique creatures and locations, the film is incredibly dull and fails to make the most of this rich setting. It doesn't help that the film's rather basic plot is stretched thin over a 107-minute runtime that can be a genuine struggle to get through.
The thematic weight behind the project is also about as bland as it gets. Throughout the film, Raya and Sisu have warring ideals surrounding how they should respond to their enemies and conflict. While Raya is more jaded, Sisu believes in kindness and thinks everyone will deep down do their best to save the collective humanity. While this is a fine message for a film to have, the plot itself consistently undercuts Sisu's perspective and the voice within the feature becomes jumbled. As the final conclusion is reached, nearly any sense of poignancy or purpose feels missing with this being yet another wasted opportunity for the film.
While Raya and the Last Dragon might be, on paper, a wonderful step for Disney's journey at more respectful cultural representation and diversity, the film is severely lacking. A mess both in ideals and execution, the film fails to have the charm and poignance it presents and has to be seen as a rare failure for modern Disney animated features.
The most shocking misstep for the film is its technical qualities. Whether it was due to the production difficulties of being made during the pandemic or simply the studio trying a new style, Raya and the Last Dragon is easily one of the ugliest features to come from Disney. While the occasional set piece will stand tall, the overall animation is cheap and uneven with the character designs being unrecognizable compared to the work of Disney up to this point. There are dozens of independent animated features from the last few years that easily top the visual work within Raya and the Last Dragon which is shocking when one looks at the budget and talent behind the project. The one bright spot visually for the film is the iconography given to the Druun which turn people into stone and consistently looks for new victims. Their presence is unique and the process of them turning humans into stone statues is done with a genuine sense of awe that is seen nowhere else in the film.
Sadly, the missteps continue into the film's casting and characters. While Kelly Marie Tran is rather excellent as Raya, giving both a performance of strength and vulnerability that blends together to create a strong lead protagonist, the side cast is filled with lackluster performances with none being bigger than Awkwafina as Sisu. Trying way too hard to create a quirky sidekick that ends up becoming grating within the first few lines of delivery, Sisu is an annoying and forced comedic presence that consistently takes away from the film around her. The rest of Raya's crew equally follows with a tragic blend of unfunny comedic gimmicks and annoying performances that never find the charming or joyful presence they hope for. The villains of the film also leaves quite a bit to be desired. In their moments of venom, those like Sandra Oh and Gemma Chan phone it in and deliver uninspiring work that fails to leave an impact.
The story itself is also simply a mess. Dropping the audience into this world with a convoluted understanding regarding the turbulent history behind the land which includes dragons, warring tribes, and evil Druun; it is hard for the audience to find their footing and the film doesn't help this with time jumps and constantly changing locations. Why individuals act the way they do feel more contrived for the plot than decided by logic and just as the film begins to find direction, the plot becomes a rather boring repetitive motion of Raya and Sisu sneaking into various kingdoms to find pieces of the dragon gem which is believed to be the key to saving the world. For taking place in such a creative world with such unique creatures and locations, the film is incredibly dull and fails to make the most of this rich setting. It doesn't help that the film's rather basic plot is stretched thin over a 107-minute runtime that can be a genuine struggle to get through.
The thematic weight behind the project is also about as bland as it gets. Throughout the film, Raya and Sisu have warring ideals surrounding how they should respond to their enemies and conflict. While Raya is more jaded, Sisu believes in kindness and thinks everyone will deep down do their best to save the collective humanity. While this is a fine message for a film to have, the plot itself consistently undercuts Sisu's perspective and the voice within the feature becomes jumbled. As the final conclusion is reached, nearly any sense of poignancy or purpose feels missing with this being yet another wasted opportunity for the film.
While Raya and the Last Dragon might be, on paper, a wonderful step for Disney's journey at more respectful cultural representation and diversity, the film is severely lacking. A mess both in ideals and execution, the film fails to have the charm and poignance it presents and has to be seen as a rare failure for modern Disney animated features.