A MATTER OF TRUST
Friendship focus of new film
Disney animated movies have always been pretty predictable when it comes to what will save us.
In the beginning (Snow White), and for quite a while after it was romantic love. Later that grew to include friendship (Lilo & Stitch), family (Frozen) and, um, robots (Big Hero 6). But the studio's newest release, Raya and the Last Dragon, gives us a slightly different emotional Macguffin: mutual trust among political enemies.
In the film's rather lengthy prologue-within-a-prologue, we learn from its eponymous protagonist that the five kingdoms in her world used to exist in harmony with one another. And with dragons!
That is, until a sinister force called the Druun laid waste to the land. (Never trust a creature with a double-u in its name.
There's a reason nature abhors a vacuum.)
The dragons fought them off but were themselves defeated, leaving only a crystal orb to remember them by. Then the various kingdoms fought over that, and, in the parlance of the movie, “broke the world.” The Druun returned.
Thus do lead directors and co-writers Don Hall (Moana), and Carlos López Estrada set up the conditions for your basic quest movie. Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) has to travel to what remains of the five kingdoms, gathering the scattered pieces of the crystal in the hopes that its magic can still work. Early in her quest she encounters Sisu, the last dragon, voiced by comedian Awkwafina. She also meets budding entrepreneur Boun (13-year-old Izaac Wang) and, this being a computer-animated movie, a streetwise baby and a trio of monkeys.
There's no romantic subplot here, which is still enough of a rarity to remark upon. There are some pretty fantastic battle sequences, however, with the (virtual) camera roving around in a way I can't remember seeing in an animated movie. Also, minimal use of that lazy old standby, slow motion. And a shout-out must go to Benedict Wong, whose warrior character speaks of “butt-kickery” and inspires another to coin the term “bad-axery.” Though I was disappointed he referred to the stabbing of backs and not “back-stabbery.” Truly a missed opportunity.
But all this combattery and beat-downery comes with a caveat, which is that the only way Raya and her allies are going to save the world is by co-operating with their former enemies.
The whole mess started when Raya's father invited all the suspicious leaders of the rival realms to a banquet — the film holds back on whether to blame him for being overly trusting, or everyone else for being so duplicitous, but the end result remains the same: Druun attack.
Raya now has her own trust issues, in contrast to Sisu, who doesn't seem to realize that a housewarming present doesn't always result in détente. Raya can't help but recall that Namaari (Gemma Chan) from the kingdom of Fang once reached out in friendship, only to betray her.
It's a nicely nuanced lesson for what is ostensibly a children's movie.
Raya and the Last Dragon arrives with its own moral/fiscal dilemma. Like the recent Disney+ release Mulan, you'll need a subscription and another $35 to watch it. (Truly putting the plus in Disney+.) That's unless you can find a cinema showing it — an easier proposition in the United States.
The two-tier price lasts until May 4, at which point the movie disappears from the streaming service for a month, then reappears free to subscribers. Consider this predicament a kind of ethical warm-up exercise to the main event that is the feature.
How much do you trust that it's going to be worth the extra money today? Truly some head-scratchery.