海角大神

Female warrior story 鈥淩aya and the Last Dragon鈥� features incredible combat scenes and stunning weapon design, but saving the world ultimately comes down to a leap of faith and an olive branch.

The new movie, available for a $30 fee on Disney+, offers a timely message about the power of trust, while inspiring hope for the future of the Disney princess franchise. Played endearingly by Vietnamese American actress Kelly Marie Tran (鈥淭he Last Jedi鈥�), Raya is considered Disney鈥檚 first Southeast Asian princess, and it鈥檚 clear from the start that vivid world-building is one of the film鈥檚 strengths.

The story is set in Kumandra, a make-believe land inspired by various Southeast Asian nations, where humans and dragons lived in harmony until the latter sacrificed themselves to protect the world from malicious spirits known as the Drunn. The kingdom then fractured into five warring societies 鈥� Raya鈥檚 homeland 鈥淗eart,鈥� along with 鈥淔ang,鈥� 鈥淪pine,鈥� 鈥淭alon,鈥� and 鈥淭ail.鈥� The magical gem the dragons used to quell the Drunn resides in Heart, a point of mounting political tension.聽

Fast-forward 500 years, and we meet Raya, defender-in-training of the dragon stone, and her father, the open-hearted chief who dreams of reuniting Kumandra through diplomacy. The film really kicks off when Raya鈥檚 counterpart from Fang, Namaari (Gemma Chan), exploits her trust and imperils the dragon stone. The tragic events that follow cement Raya鈥檚 newfound hatred of Fang and all the other tribes.聽

At this point, 鈥淩aya鈥� seems more cynical than your average Disney movie 鈥� humans are dying, and they have no one but themselves to blame. That foundation makes the hero鈥檚 epic journey to restore not just the dragon stone, but also her faith in other people, all the more rewarding.聽

鈥淩aya鈥� is often predictable, but always entertaining. Awkwafina is perfect as the ultra-expressive Sisu, the last living dragon, reawakened to help Raya on her quest. Their charming band of war-torn misfits (including a crime boss baby and her cartel of thieving con-monkeys), the lush animation, and nods to different Southeast Asian cultures are all reasons to watch this movie. Of course, there鈥檚 also an argument that the hodgepodge universe promotes a homogenous view of Southeast Asia, rather than honoring the region鈥檚 unique cultures 鈥� and the movie caught flak for casting East Asian actors in several main roles. Nevertheless, as I watched Raya, Namaari, and Sisu grapple with anger, fear, and self-doubt, I realized 鈥淩aya鈥� had done something few films even try 鈥� it allowed three well-developed female characters to drive the story.

Still, many have noted the similarities between Raya and other Disney princesses. Like Mulan, who broke ground as the first Asian princess, Raya is a warrior driven by love for her father. Like Elsa in 鈥淔rozen,鈥� she carries a significant part of the blame for creating the movie鈥檚 main crisis. The movie 鈥淢oana鈥� also follows a chieftain鈥檚 daughter on a mythology-based quest, and like both Moana and Elsa, Raya has no romantic interest. Although the film鈥檚 main takeaway 鈥� that the bravest thing you can do is trust others 鈥撀爄s prescient and uniquely 鈥淩aya,鈥� these thematic similarities have fueled one of the film鈥檚 most prominent criticisms: 鈥淩aya鈥� is formulaic, unoriginal.聽聽

But rather than rip-offs, I see a series of positive trends changing the Disney princess pipeline: more flawed heroes, more female friendships, more complicated villains, more diversity, and more courage. What we see now is the culmination of movies like 鈥淢ulan,鈥� 鈥淔rozen,鈥� and 鈥淢oana.鈥� Raya isn鈥檛 groundbreaking; she鈥檚 even better. Raya is the new norm.聽