Unity in Disney’s ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’
Daytona Beach man who worked on film: ‘It’s about people from different parts kind of coming together’
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ latest movie “Raya and the Last Dragon” heads to theaters and Disney+ on March 5. The movie follows a warrior named Raya on her quest to find the last dragon and unite the fantasy world of Kumandra.
“Raya and the Last Dragon” is about trust and togetherness, according to Eric Provan, the film’s environment modeling supervisor who hails from Daytona Beach.
“I think that’s a theme that kind of flows through the whole film. It’s about people from different parts kind of coming together,” he said. “I think unity is something that ... a lot of us are really wanting or hoping for. I think unity comes with trust, and I think that’s what this film is all about.”
That theme of unity carried over to the movie’s production, as Provan’s team of 12 modelers were forced to unite virtually after their office shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic. Within half a day of leaving the office, the studio had set each team member up with systems at home.
“We worked almost exclusively from home,” he said. “I think that almost like the film, there’s a lot of trust and a lot of unity that had to happen, and it happened immediately. And I will always be unbelievably proud of the film and connections that we made because of this unique experience of working from home.”
With help from the studio, Provan said they didn’t “miss a beat” while creating the 3D world of Kumandra, which is comprised of five different lands (Fang, Heart, Spine, Tail and Talon) inspired by Southeast Asia.
“We didn’t take any specific culture there, kind of gathered, you know, a lot of information from all the different cultures there,” he said, noting that some of the architecture was inspired by temples in Cambodia.
While all of the lands are intricate, Provan points to Talon as a favorite.
“It’s a riverside, like
market, city. It’s unbelievably lush,” he said. “There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of little huts, and it’s just a massive environment to put together the puzzle pieces. … Bringing this little town together and seeing it in the end, I’m just beyond proud of it.”
Provan credits Central Florida experiences with assisting in his career at Disney. He graduated
from Atlantic High School in Port Orange and later Full Sail University in Winter Park, where he studied computer science with a focus on computer-generated animation. In addition to his education, Provan said playing sports prepared him to be a supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, while growing up near Walt Disney World sparked an interest.
“A lot of my leadership skills came from playing high school football and baseball,” he said. “I never grew up and said I want to be a Disney animator … but Disney World being just an hour away from me was unbelievable. … I think that those two things kind of led me to where I am now.”
“Raya and the Last Dragon” will be available on Disney+ with Premier Access (which costs $29.99,
in addition to the subscription) on March 5. All Disney+ subscribers can access the movie on June 4. For more information, go to movies.disney.com/rayaand-the-last-dragon.