[Review] Raya and the Last Dragon(2021) {7/10}

Directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada with a screenplay by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, the film features a predominantly Asian American cast, including the voices of Kelly Marie Tran (Raya), Awkwafina (Sisu), Izaac Wang (Boun), Gemma Chan (Namaari), Daniel Dae Kim (Chief Benja), Benedict Wong (Tong), Sandra Oh (Virana), Thalia Tran (Little Noi), Lucille Soong (Dang Hu), and Alan Tudyk (Tuk Tuk).

The plot follows Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) narrating the history of Kumandra, a once prosperous land where powerful dragons co-existed with humans until the Druun, a plague-like enemy that manifests as relentless purple-and-black blob monsters, started turning everyone to stone. The dragons fought together to save humanity but eventually they, too, were lost except for Sisu, who concentrated all of the dragons' power into an all-powerful gem and defeated the Druun. Her action revived all of the humans, but the dragons remained suspended in stone except, legend says, for Sisu. Years later, Kumandra has fragmented into five regions -- Heart, Tail, Talon, Spine, and Fang who are hostile to and suspicious of each other. Raya, the princess of Heart (which is where Sisu's gem is kept), and her father, Chief Benja (Daniel Dae Kim), invite the leaders of the other regions to Heart for a peace summit. But it turns into an all-out war when the Fang leader (Sandra Oh) and her daughter (Gemma Chan) make a play for Sisu's gem. It breaks into five pieces (each of which is swiped by one of the leaders), unleashing the Druun, which turn Chief Benja into stone. Six years later, Raya and her beloved sidekick Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk), a giant pill bug, are on a mission to find Sisu and reunite the gem pieces. They succeed in finding Sisu (Awkwafina), who's sassy, sweet, and optimistic. Together they travel to the rest of Kumandra's regions, teaming up with locals from each as they work to stop the Druun once and for all.

The movie's bursts of peril and moments of grief are balanced by a lot of levity (little Noi is hilarious, and Sisu, like the comedian who plays her, is irresistibly charming) and heart. Humor is threaded throughout Raya and the Last Dragon, and Tuk Tuk is an adorable animal sidekick. There's no romance in the movie, which focuses instead on the "found family" that Raya and Sisu create with their new friends. Directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, along with the screenwriters Qui Nguyen and Adele Kim, manage to make the characters' orphanhood a touching statement about loss -- it surrounds every character and drives Raya forward to do everything she can to free her father from his stone cage. While this isn't a musical, James Newton Howard's evocative score is fantastic, and the animation is so detailed and stellar that families may find themselves pausing and rewinding just to take in the diversity of landscapes, costumes, and characters. Once again, Disney has managed to take the familiar and make it magical. Equal parts charming, empowering, and epic, this Southeast Asia-inspired adventure introduces the next great Disney warrior princess to join the likes of Moana, Merida, and Mulan.

Raya and the Last Dragon is now available on Disney+