Raya and the Last Dragon
Directed by: Don Hall & Carlos López Estrada; Co-directed by Paul Briggs & John Ripa
Written by: Qui Nguyen & Adele Lim
Voices by: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Jona Xiao, Sandra Oh, Thalia Tran, Alan Tudyk
Animation/Action/Adventure - 114 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 1 Mar 2021
Written by: Qui Nguyen & Adele Lim
Voices by: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Jona Xiao, Sandra Oh, Thalia Tran, Alan Tudyk
Animation/Action/Adventure - 114 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 1 Mar 2021
Political science and international relations majors of the world rejoice! Disney made a movie for you! They even included one of those cuddly animal sidekicks Disney protagonists always get. Come revel in the confirmation that the self-interest of nation-states and nationalist fervor are once again the cause for tearing the world apart. We’re not quite at Thomas Hobbes’s ‘state of nature’ just yet, but Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s social contract is in tatters. Sure, many will think Raya and the Last Dragon is really about a plucky girl, some magic stones, and a dragon with a sassy attitude, but you and I know it’s about the anarchy of the global system, rational actors, and resource competition.
Raya’s father (Daniel Dae Kim, The Divergent Series: Insurgent), the leader of Heart and sworn protector of the dragon stone, is an idealistic, liberal hippie. He believes if he invites the militaristic and expansionist states of Fang, Spine, Talon, and Tail, and encourages a United Nations level of discourse, differences can be overcome and the world will Kumbaya like it used to. What the other leaders see is a weak state lacking effective deterrence. There is a scuffle and the magic dragon orb thingy breaks into five pieces. The evil Druun re-emerge from their dormant state and play a fierce game of freeze tag. If they catch you, you turn to stone.
Raya’s father (Daniel Dae Kim, The Divergent Series: Insurgent), the leader of Heart and sworn protector of the dragon stone, is an idealistic, liberal hippie. He believes if he invites the militaristic and expansionist states of Fang, Spine, Talon, and Tail, and encourages a United Nations level of discourse, differences can be overcome and the world will Kumbaya like it used to. What the other leaders see is a weak state lacking effective deterrence. There is a scuffle and the magic dragon orb thingy breaks into five pieces. The evil Druun re-emerge from their dormant state and play a fierce game of freeze tag. If they catch you, you turn to stone.
The Druun are sort of akin to climate change. They’re a global problem requiring cooperation and logical policies to confront, but the nation-states have all gone North Korean-style hermit and shut their borders. Raya (Kelly Marie Tran, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi), however, wants to restore the world’s balance of power. Her quest to unite the gem pieces spurs an ad hoc coalition of the willing when she resurrects Sisu (Awkwafina, Ocean's 8), the eponymous last dragon. Raya also enlists a nautical-minded boy, a ninja infant with her equally parkour adept monkey pack, and a one-eyed Paul Bunyan figure who we all know is probably a big softie deep down.
What the script can’t quite figure out is the villain, Fang, the new world hegemon. Fang either wants to keep the world fragmented and squabbling, think modern day Russia, or perhaps harness the power of the gem pieces and dragon for themselves to ensure Fang remains at the pinnacle of a unipolar world, think any modern state with superpower aspirations (U.S.A., China, and/or Russia). The Druun are not the real bad guys, they’re useful plot devices who pop up when the script needs the characters to go there from here.
Raya and the Last Dragon is lesser Disney as it fails to arrive with any catchy tunes, few merchandising opportunities, and a somewhat lazy computer-generated animation. I realize Pixar films are all computers as well, but this is cheaper. This is the Commodore 64 compared to your neighbor’s new IBM Compatible. Sisu the dragon opts for kid-friendly and low-grade Aladdin genie level one-liners rather than majesty and an air of mystery. I’m all for replacing brinkmanship with trust-building diplomatic negotiations, but Raya is more checklist animated filmmaking instead of innovative creativity and opening doors to new possibilities.
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