Disney’s Raya of sunshine
Raya and the Last Dragon
(PG, 114 mins)
Directed by Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada Reviewed by James Croot ★★★★
Almost exactly 12 months after Onward’s ‘‘preview weekend’’, a new Disney animated movie is finally back in Kiwi cinemas.
A highly anticipated family outing for generations, watching the latest from the Mouse House debut on your own tele (or laptop) just doesn’t engender quite the same excitement, transportative experience or sense of wonder that seeing it on the ‘‘big screen’’ does.
Pixar’s Onward and Soul were fabulous creations, clearly lovingly crafted, but I missed the whole sensorial and emotional experience of seeing them in the setting they were truly intended for (and let’s not even start on the whole New Zealand-shot, live-action Mulan debacle, especially when movie theatres were open here).
So, while those in Tamaki Makaurau might have to wait an extra few days to join in, it is with delight that I can tell you that Disney’s 59th animated adventure is well worth the effort of a trip to the flicks.
A tale inspired by Southeast Asian cultures, including those of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, Raya and the Dragon is a rollicking adventure filled with colourful characters, exciting action sequences, a fabulous heroine and a timely message for us all.
Our setting is the land formerly known as Kumandra. Legend says it has been 500 years since its harmony was shattered by a group of sinister monsters known as the Druun.
They turned everyone and everything they touched to stone.
In a desperate attempt to thwart this mindless plague, the world’s dragon population sacrificed themselves, concentrating all their magical powers into a single gem.
While it reversed the Druuns’ immobilisation of the humans, the dragons were not so lucky.
Worse still, possession of the gem became the preoccupation of the populace, forcing it to be hidden and driving a wedge between tribes as Kumandra subsequently chaotically divided into five areas – Tail, Talon, Spine, Fang and Heart.
Saddened by the ongoing conflicts, Heart’s current leader Chief Benja (Daniel Dae Kim) is determined to reunite the factions, a resolve his young daughter Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) fully supports. But when all are invited to Heart to share ameal, instead, only betrayal is on the menu, as Fang attempt to steal the gem.
An ensuing skirmish leads to heartbreak and disaster, as the gem is smashed into five pieces and the Druun reappear to wreck havoc once more.
Running for their lives, each group snaffles a section of the jewel in the hope it might at least offer a last line of defence.
But, even as she’s unable to save her father, a bereft Raya knows the only real way to stop the devastation from being permanent is to try to track down the source of the magic that created the gem.
Rumours have persisted that Kumandra’s last dragon, Sisu, lives somewhere on the river, but no-one has seen her for centuries.
With two directors, two codirectors and eight writers, whose credits range from Moana and Big Hero 6 to Crazy Rich Asians and Amazon’s surreal series
Dispatches From Everywhere, as well as the wide-ranging mix of culture it purports to represent, there was a very real danger of
Raya ending up as a convoluted, confused muddle.
Fortunately, aided by some slick, if a little formulaic, storytelling and a clear vision, that’s far from the truth.
The visuals, as we’ve now come to expect from modern day Disney, are top-notch, fully immersing us in the story and bringing it to vivid and sometimes breathtaking life.
The vocal cast? Excellent – and well thought out, from Tran’s feisty ‘‘princess’’ (one wonders if this is Disney’s attempt to make up for the actor’s Star Wars experience) to
Sandra Oh and Gemma Chan’s ‘‘villains’’ and Awkwafina’s whirlwind tour-de-force that is Sisu.
Yes, if you missed Mushu’s presence in last year’s live-action Mulan, here’s your compensation – and replacement as your new favourite animated Disney dragon.
There are clever use of split screens and film speeds, a scenestealing ‘‘super sketchy con baby’’, some magnificent subverting of expectations, Indiana Jones-style adventure, Black Panther- esque showdowns and bugs with explosive farts. What’s not to love?
Raya and the Last Dragon is now screening in New Zealand cinemas. It will also be available to Disney+ subscribers (for an additional fee) from today.