A Disney Animation Marvel (Raya and The Last Dragon)

-

 


Theatres are finally open in Malaysia especially in Penang, which makes me so happy. But unfortunately I didn't get to watch what might be Disney's all new visual marvel in the cinema is an acceptable fact but I am still somewhat sad about it. Even if I did get to watch it at home, Disney still managed to convince me that Raya and The Last Dragon is one of Disney's best. 

The film takes place in Southeast Asia (That's right, my fellow Malaysians) where a kingdom called Kamundra is split into three 5 factions that are against each other due to a traumatic event of betrayal and it is up to Raya, a princess from the faction called Heart is looking for the Last Dragon to save the future of Kamundra. The film stars Kelly Marie Tran as Raya and Akwafina as Sisu the Dragon. 

I was upset with how everyone bullied Marie Tran back when she was in Star Wars and due to the attacks, she was given a smaller in the overly controversial Rise of Skywalker. Luckily, Disney has finally seen her potential outside the clutches of a sequel series to a franchise that has been known to either disappoint or overwhelm fandoms is great when it came to how they made Marie Tran the first Southeast Asian woman to portray Disney's first Southeast Asian princess (And no... animated Mulan was not played by a Southeast Asian but instead an Asian American, Ming Na Wen who is, apart from that, amazing in her own ways). 

Akwafina is the ultimate comic relief of this film, bringing back the bar to it's rightful high for funny-talking-creatures in fan favorite animated movies but comparing her to the likes of Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams is a bit much. Yes, they are both iconic on their own ways but Akwafina is iconic as well. With Sisu standing alongside these iconic creatures is a honor and the character will be definitely become the most sold plush toy this year after the rage for Olaf and Baby Yoda... sorry, Grogu toys finally dial down. 

Everybody else in this movie is great but the stars are Raya and Sisu. The visuals however, for this film is phenomenal especially the food. For all of us Malaysians who watch this are gonna freak out when you see bowls of Laksa and Satays being eaten by the characters of movie which really shows that Disney is finally recognizing us. Well... sort of. The fact Adele Kim, fellow Malaysian, is apart of this film makes me so hopeful in becoming a storyteller in the future. 

There were some scenes in the film that felt a bit rushed especially in the beginning but I'm not sure what got me to forget them. Was it because the it eventually stopped doing that or I just got used to it as they continued doing so. I guess it is a good thing since the movie absolutely is touching in different ways. To conclude, Raya and The Last Dragon is a great movie and to all who is planning to watch it in theatres in the next few days, GO ahead. No way am I stopping you here because it is that good. The better part about how well it was made is knowing that the film is mostly done during quarantine, in the homes of the animators. 

Hopefully it garners award buzz in the second wave later this year and earns the right amount of hype to make it the next possible Frozen but without any musical numbers, of course. Raya is inspirational and a blast to watch on any platform, deeming it as, once again I say, one of Disney Animation's best work. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Confessions of A Bored Vampire (Abigail review)

-
Image
  I know it has been a long time since I have written a review. So many movies I watched a little later because of school and work. But I am back with a review because I was much inspired to write again about this probable cult classic in the horror genre. Abigail is the new horror popcorn flick worth catching before the summer movies roll in.  The film revolves around a group of troubled misfits who are hired to kidnap a rich man's daughter to get a handsome amount of money, they are stuck in a house with a child vampire that hunts them down on by one in hopes of getting out without their blood being drained.  I will not reveal too much for it is a movie worth catching at your own time to just have a blast at the cinema. Abigail can be seen as just another cash grab for a B-grade-looking horror movie featuring an expensive cast, its quippy script and interestingly written characters, this vampire film isn't like others. Or at least it makes its own bitemark to an overdon...
Read more

A Cautionary Tale That Should Have Stayed in 2004 (Mean Girls 2024 review)

-
Image
After 20 years, the Plastics return in an all-new reiteration of Mean Girls, a cult classic teen drama that should have stayed in the early 2000s. No, it is not a sequel or a re-quel. It is very much a remake that is supposed to appeal to a whole new set of fans, possibly. It is also a live-action take on the Broadway musical that was inspired by the original film which, you guessed it, makes this a musical. Many people were skeptical about this idea, let alone knew it was going to be a musical while fans of the musical were wondering if it would live up to it.  As someone who hasn't seen the Broadway musical, it is hard to compare because I had never seen that cast, nor have I heard of the musical numbers before this so, I am unaware of that aspect of the film but I have seen the original film that starred Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. As someone who does, to this day, enjoy the original film, the remake does not live up to its standards but mostly for reasons that are not ent...
Read more

Percy Jackson and The Olympians (Full Season Review)

-
Image
  With the acquisition of the FOX properties, Disney had the chance to adapt to the world of Percy Jackson once again. However, unlike the last time, Disney makes an adaptation that lives up to the source material as well as embraces author Rick Riordan with production, casting, and various other factors that went into this show.  With this first season following suit of the first novel, The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson and The Olympians of course, follows the titular character learning of his mythological parentage and what that means when he is thrust into this world as he grows older and more powerful as a demigod. When he is chosen to go on quest based on a prophecy, he enlists help from Annabeth Chase and his best friend/satyr, Grover to find Zeus's missing lightning bolt.  Anyone who has seen the film that was released 12 years ago would have a good idea as to what this first season will cover but people who haven't read the original book will know the many change...
Read more