Raya and the Last Dragon - Disneycember

Magic, swords, and dragons! It's an epic tale that's...almost one of Disney's best films. Doug takes a look at Raya and the Last Dragon.
Raya and the Last Dragon is a 2021 American computer-animated fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The 59th film produced by the studio, it is directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, and is based on traditional Southeast Asian cultures. It was written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, and it stars Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, and Sandra Oh. The film depicts a warrior princess who sought for the fabled last dragon, with hopes of restoring the dragon gem that would bring back her father and banish the evil spirits known as the Druun from the land of Kumandra.
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[@ChannelAwesome]

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[@chasehedges6775]

A very mediocre Disney film.

[@watchforever1724]

Honestly okay but I wouldn’t say it’s bad movie

[@air03man]

"DISNEYCEMBER 2021 blog" day 18 goes into fantasy with "Raya & the last dragon" I manage to watch the film On "DISNEY +" & it wasn't that bad it was really good the Armadillo was kinda cute for a big & the voice of Awkwafina (I must apologize if I say the name wrong) was very talented also Sizu the water dragon look kinda cool if you wanna fly with in the sky if you imagine if you manage to see this film on "Disney +" actually give it a watch I would strongly recommend it you won't be disappointed so hop on your Imagine dragon & Simply take flight into adventure."

[@trinaq]

I liked it fine enough, the animation and voice acting performances were solid, but I wanted more from it.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@trinaq 👍👍💯💯

[@xxTC-96xx]

I think my problem with the movie is the message, it wasn’t really the best execution. Trusting your siblings is different than trusting a person who betrayed you twice and almost betrayed you a third time

[@MforMovesets]

I agree, the message was weird. For example, the whole movie was about trusting others, but the village where rumors said it was full of untrustworthy thieves was literally full of untrustworthy thieves. And trusting others leads to disaster several times in the movie. Zootopia did it WAY better. Also, it's kinda bad that the main character and villain each are the most boring characters and the big green noodle and sidekicks steal the show. I don't remember anything Raya did or anything about her, but I remember the cook boy and the barbarian. Enjoyable movie, but not much interest to watch it again.

[@a.b.cooper4807]

Agreed.

[@j0ellyfish]

It's telling you people can change. No matter how they were brought up to be. We can all be friends and even family.

[@pwnorbepwned]

I like how two of the comments here list the characters they remember and the ones they don’t, and both lists are exact opposites of each other.

[@ivanelgharbi5861]

literally this, and in the end when its all okay and the assholes that were the culprint of all that debacle didnt got even punished. Its all forgiven even if they they started all, and where actively triying to stop the heroes to save the world.

[@coolnerdlll6053]

Can we all agree that the best line in the movie was "What if you lost a puppy and I said 'It's okay because we still have a big chunk of it'?"

[@chasehedges6775]

Terrible line

[@ThemeParkAvenue]

I’ve seen the movie but don’t remember that line. I’ll agree anyway as that sounds pretty funny.

[@trinaq]

I agree, it's pretty hilarious! 😅🤣

[@AxelWedstar411]

Yes we can.

[@officialflikz]

@@ThemeParkAvenue that's when she tells shizu she broke the gem

[@lenastorm6280]

I think a problem of this movie is that it portrays Sisu‘s worldview as 100% right. Raya has ZERO reason to trust Namaari after she betrayed her for NO reason. No trust is harmful, but so is blind trust. Raya‘s & Sisu‘s worldviews are both toxic (wich is understandable given what they went through) and the movie rightfully potrays Raya‘s view as toxic, but portrays Sisu‘s as 100% good.

[@craigjacobs5858]

The old adage says that politics makes strange bedfellows. Raya and her entire world were in a desperate situation.

[@ollllj]

this movie completely fails at game theory, as explained by [the evolution of trust, ncase me/trust]

[@avivastudios2311]

I think she may have had reasons to trust her but the movie didn't develop them enough so it just feels like "oh you need to trust Namari because Sisu said so." If the creators spent more time thinking about how they should get to the point of trusting her it would have been a lot better. Instead it just feels like she trusted her because she had nothing to lose.

[@JiReyAnimation]

@@avivastudios2311 the biggest problem is that she did take Sizu's advice. She did try trusting Namaari again, and how does Namaari repay Raya? By betraying her again. And the movie keeps hammering down our throats that Raya is the one who's 100% wrong, while Namaari takes zero responsibility for her actions.

[@Dim4323]

True is the central theme

[@ZackaryBiagi]

The way they handled the moral was easily the worst thing in the movie. Yes, trust this person who has been shown to constantly betray you and is singlehandedly the cause for all this happening.

[@jameskarg3240]

So long as revenge exsists There will ALWAYS be those opposed, and laws keeping it an outright criminal act. On BOTH sides.

[@garrettviewegh677]

There could have been a better lesson: blind trust is dangerous, being distrustful of others is too isolating. There could have been a middle ground where the duo comes to a realization that: trust can be gained, but can be more easily lost. If someone looses your trust in them, it’s best to abandon that relationship, there is only a half chance after that first betrayal that they can regain that trust. Whomever wishes to take that half chance risk? Depends on who you ask.

[@BugsyFoga]

This film definitely kind of reminded me of stuff Disney would make in the 2000s, like Treasure planet and Atlantis, which is something i totally dig.

[@chasehedges6775]

Same. I liked that element, too.

[@motor4X4kombat]

im pretty sure it will become a cult classic and will found his audience in the future since it didn't do that well at the box office.

[@myriadmediamusings]

I rather like how the 2000s era is now being slightly vindicated and being appreciated for how experimental it was, to the point that some no longer refer to it as the dark age but instead the Experimental Era. Except for Home on the Range and Chicken Little. There's no saving those.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@myriadmediamusings 👍👍👍👍💯💯💯💯💯

[@chasehedges6775]

@@myriadmediamusings HOTR and Chicken Little are abominations

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

Personally, I think the message about trust specifically with Namari and Raya could've been executed better.

[@trinaq]

Me too, it was an interesting message, but ultimately it felt very held back to what it could have been!

[@MiraTheWarlock]

Yeah, trust is healthy Blind faith is not

[@Tadicuslegion78]

It needed the BoJack Horseman okay I DON’T forgive you moment instead of Raya being punished for not blindly trusting Namari

[@jlev1028]

Yeah, the movie unfortunately spreads the very toxic message that even people who stabbed you in the back should be trusted.

[@coolnerdlll6053]

It would have worked if Namaari wasn't actually trying to steal the gem and Raya misjudged her. They screwed up by giving her too good a reason not to trust people.

[@ThemeParkAvenue]

On the eighteenth Disneycember, my critic gave to me: Eighteen magic dragons Seventeen thumbs up memes Sixteen keyblade masters Fifteen Peter Parkers Fourteen stylish dresses Thirteen bad commercials Twelve Vespas racing Eleven Jedi fighting Ten gangsters dancing Nine Launchpad crashes Eight hammy nobodies Seven dogs a-barking Six long delays FIVE POWER UPS Four bad reboots Three magic candles Two Sith Lords And a blade in the shape of a key

[@trinaq]

Thanks so much for delivering a perfect comment chain, and adding to our day! ♥️😘

[@chasehedges6775]

👍👍💯💯

[@darthsader7089]

ITS YOU!

[@drewsaur9543]

Mr. Critic should do a short skit just for this comment chain at the end of the month. This stuff is gold

[@ThemeParkAvenue]

@@drewsaur9543 that would be amazing.

[@ShadyDoorags]

"They both learn how to listen and how to act on not only what they're preaching, but what they're also learning." Sisu doesn't learn anything. She continues to be overly trusting throughout the entire movie and despite several consequences coming from it, the movie keeps pretending she's right.

[@FritzFoxPirate]

True I have to disagree on Critic for that one.

[@ainap8394]

I totally agree. It would have been a much better, if Sisu learned that trust ist nice but sometimes a healthy dose of skepticism is necessary. There's a reason kids are taught not to speak to strangers or to get into cars just because they're offered candy.

[@bishoujoagogo6243]

I agree, I feel like if it came to a point where something happens, Sisu thinks to herself “she was right you can’t trust anyone” and in turn raya learns “it’s ok to try and trust sometime” and Raya saves sisu that way, and they both learn to walk the line of trust and caution, then I think the message would’ve been better sent, if Sisu learned the cost of being too trusting. And also, side note, the ending pissed me off with the “this is your fault too for not trusting me to not killing Sisu even tho I’ve betrayed you in the past and my gun was pointed at her and I was slowly pulling the trigger” and then it plays as if that were true and Raya SHOULDVE trusted her like that scene can quite honestly kiss my ass

[@Morten_Storvik]

@@bishoujoagogo6243 It was true though. She didn`t want to kill her and it was Raya that caused it to happen by accident. The movie made it out that it was *both* their faults.

[@bishoujoagogo6243]

@@Morten_Storvik Yeah, but if someone had a gun pointed at your friend, are you going to trust that they arent going to shoot them? Especially since this person has betrayed you before? Yes, its true that she didnt want to kill Sisu but Raya doesnt know that, we the audience do but Raya doesnt. Blame shouldnt be pinned on Raya as well if shes trying to stop a violent act from happening. Blame should be placed on the one holding the trigger and the fact that she doesnt own that blame herself but tries to push it onto Raya too is what makes it a terrible conflict.

[@365ral]

I think this would’ve worked better as a series. The emotion would’ve been a lot stronger if we spent more time with the characters, especially with Raya and Namaari. They only knew each other for 5 minutes before they became arch enemies!

[@thevarietychannelofyoutube4769]

It's like She Ra Princess Of Power if the people who wrote the dialogue thought that they needed to make the entire thing cringey one liners

[@365ral]

@@thevarietychannelofyoutube4769 Or if they tried to cram the entire "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series into a movie.

[@thevarietychannelofyoutube4769]

@@365ral Shaymalan literally did try that

[@365ral]

@@thevarietychannelofyoutube4769 Except he didn’t even watch the whole series before making the film, lol

[@lincolnbeckett8791]

Interesting. For me, this is first Disney movie I've watched in a long time that I've really disliked. The message about trust was very badly executed (especially with how it gaslights Raya for rightfully NOT trusting Namari), we barely got time to really connect with the characters or explore the locations in any depth because once we got introduced to one, we very quickly moved on to the next. I think we should have had only three locations to visit, and one additional companion for Raya, other than Sifu. Speaking of which,I personally found Sifu to be very annoying 90% of the time she was on screen. Other than the visuals and fight scene, nothing else worked in this film for me. And this is coming from someone who WANTED to love this movie.

[@raynet587]

I agree with ALL of this, thank you

[@chasehedges6775]

Same

[@tatianahernandez2865]

Totally agree

[@peacelovebooks100]

well said! As an Asian American, I really wanted to love this movie and what it represents for our community, but I felt that the movie didn't do the best job with representation because it was spread too thin and wanted to incorporate too many elements

[@eilonwy0360]

oh so true, I felt absolutely the same watching this movie!! like... I wanted to like it, rlly did, but eghh it's like it kept throwing all the wrong choices and the worst tropes at you. It seemed bland, crowded with too much characters that never got properly developed or explained, and imho outright boring. Didn't care either for Raya nor Sisu, who quickly became the most annoying character I've seen in a while... except the visuals, nothing rlly seemed to get me invested or interested. And the message overall felt just undeveloped.. I never rlly trust Disney with handling the "serious, action-packed & moody" stories like Raya seemingly is supposed to be - it doesn't seem to be in their area of interest or talent, dunno

[@masonwheeler6536]

2:08: "Namari is a good antagonist without being a 100% bad guy, and thank God there's not a secret surprise villain in this one!" I disagree, largely due to poor writing. There doesn't need to be a secret surprise villain because there's a *right out in the open* villain: Namari. And failing to recognize this is by far the biggest place where this movie goes wrong. I can understand wanting to make a story about the value of trusting others. It's a laudable goal! But a story first has to make sense as a story in its own right before it can be used to teach principles. Simply put, it has to be a good story before it can be a story used for Good. And this story teaches that, because strong bonds of trust exist between a family who have a long history together of familial love to support that trust, therefore it's equally important to trust a serial backstabber who has a long history of giving you every reason to believe she will betray that trust. This is, simply put, pants-on-head stupid. And they made it the central message of the movie. This makes the movie itself pants-on-head stupid. Beautiful, but still stupid.

[@MiraTheWarlock]

I honestly think it was a great movie, good story, great characters, humor hits perfectly and effects are stunning Problem? The moral. Yes trust is important...but they demonstrate it with someone who over and over has broken both the characters and the audience's faith. I like the character, but she was not a good fit for such a lesson. It's good she proved to be trustworthy at the end, but one shouldn't be painted as a paranoid jerk for not trusting her

[@joyunicycle]

Thank you! That whole moment and botched moral really bothered me. Other than that I liked the movie.

[@Exl6243]

Exactly. Naamari could not be trusted. Time and time again she proved herself to be untrustworthy. It was especially galling to hear Naamari try to blame Raya for taking part in killing Sisu when she was literally the one who brought a crossbow and shot Sisu. ANYONE would have tried to stop her. No one should have trusted Naamari. I think a lesson that could have been better woven into the story was not to trust Naamari, but to trust her self-interest. We already established that she cares for her own kingdom. We also establish that each of the kingdoms live selfishly and only trust each other when we establish that the threat will destroy all of them. So, why not come to a compromise between Raya and Sisu? Why not establish that trust is earned and negotiated? That it IS ok to distrust others initially, and that you have to earn trust. It would better fit the story because that's what was happening throughout the film: Raya and her friends earned each other's trust by sharing their lives with each other. Their self-interest and hope for living allowed them to trust each other.

[@lenastorm6280]

This! Exactly!

[@jesuschild07able]

I agree . I think if they did one scene where she saved Raya from being killed or getting hurt and it then ran off. It would show how she wanted good. That way the Raya had a reason to trust her.

[@MadameTamma]

In the movie Sisu tries to explain that her family would never have been able to save the world the first time if they didn't have trust in each other, and I just remember thinking, " No. Apples and oranges. That doesn't equate at all." There's a difference between putting your trust into close family members who've always had your back, and putting your trust in someone who was responsible for a horrible childhood trauma.

[@draccoonxcii1288]

The conflict with Namari reminds me of the saying... "Fool me once... Shame on you. Fool me twice... Shame on me. Fool me thrice... Wow I'm an idiot!"

[@Dim4323]

Jontron: I AAAAAAAINT HAVING THAT

[@wstine79]

Chaplin: "Oh no! Lloyd has turned to stone. He must've done a great deed in return." Lloyd: "What? I was asleep, you fool."

[@RiveroftheWither]

Buster: "I'm Buster"

[@GuninGames]

I love Sisu not just because she's adorable and she's a dragon, but also because she's the literal embodiment of water and heart, something that many people need in their lives, a little theory I have is the Druge only exists because of human conflict, and the dragons were supposed to help unite the people so they would never exist in the first place, the magic was never in the stone it was within the people, Sisu even says they only exist because of Human Discord, I think this movie is brilliant to remind people that we should stop fighting and learn to love eachother

[@realjoemavro]

"water and heart, something that many people need in their lives," Totally agree...less gatorade, more water, people!

[@myriadmediamusings]

Even if the movie may be something of an underperformer because of the limited story and lousy theatrical circumstances, I hope Disney won't leave the property to rot and die. Walkaround characters, park additions, story expansion through Disney+ series and short films are all feasible. It is also the one of the best of the Animated canon to implement into Kingdom Hearts.

[@NEVETSGILBERT1233]

I mean I kind of hope they do more with Raya cause honestly I think it could benefit from like a tv show or a least a mini series heck I think it should have been a mini series a lot of the problems people have with the movie could have been fixed it the plot had more time to do it's thing

[@teneesh3376]

Sisu's design is strange to me. It looks amazing. But with the other dragons looking basically the same as her, she looks like a set of a toy line. Getting a My Little Pony feeling when I look at her now

[@jackrodakthemovieguy1726]

A unique concept that doesn’t force too much and actually feels like what a Disney movie should. I’m down

[@erainmartinez8175]

you can't be serious also please review Fluppy Dogs 1986 animated movie no one's doing it

[@tigertempertantrum6573]

The one thing I think brings this film down for me is the clunky, sloppily executed message about trust. Overall, I feel like Sisu expecting Raya to trust someone she'd known for a night that betrayed her instantly and then comparing that to her siblings who I can assume didn't betray her ever and it being shown as this 'grand revelation' was stupid considering how different they are. That's why I thought, if they wanted to show a conflict of trust between Raya and Namari, make them siblings. It might be cheesy and all, but it'd make sense: Raya's dad and Namari's mum are each other's parents, but when the father got the gem, the mother wanted to use it for reasons that the father didn't agree with, and distrust spread until the family separated and the mother left to rule the Fang kingdom, taking Namari with her. The sisters would've been close until then, and Namari would've been with her mother, hearing her talk about how 'if she had the gem, things could be better', which Namari believes. Meanwhile, Raya inherits her naivety from her father through the time they spend, both sisters becoming different people. Then the movie continues as normal: Raya and Namari hang out and Raya shows Namari the gem as they'd relocated it since the separation, and Namari betrays Raya. This would amplify the betrayal as they'd been so close and, of course Raya would trust her, they're *sisters*. This would also help show Raya's side of things; no wonder she didn't trust again, if her own sister could do that over the gem, who wouldn't? It would also justify Sisu's story, about how Raya knows her better than anyone and still wants to trust that she wants to do the right thing, and it would also make their confrontations more impactful overall. I don't know, this is just me being stupid, but I'm sure you all have better ideas. :)

[@Faolan-qe9vl]

Nah, I think it works. Plus, it better parallels Sisu's comparison to her own siblings. I can't think of anything else atm, but its a good idea.

[@t-mag3004]

This movie together with Encanto makes for two Disney animated movies back-to-back that DON'T have a hidden villain. I hope this is a clue that Disney realises hidden villains near the end was a dumb and overdone trope and continue to just tell good/great animated stories! But this IS Disney, so I shouldn't be too hopeful.

[@matthewbuckley7757]

I miss the days when Disney villains were badass and threating.

[@guillermor.tinajero1338]

It has actually been 5 in a row!: Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen 2, Raya and Encanto; and not only that, but they’re all villainless Twist villains are not a problem by themselves, (some like Hans, De La Cruz, and Bellwether work, IMO) the problem was that they came out with-in a trend were we came to expect the twist villains to show-up, ruining the surprise and becoming tiresome. Now we left that behind but replaced it with a villainless movie trend. Which is better and not forced like the twist villains were, but man I miss a regular old-style Disney Villain. If we could only mix it a little bit, and have a couple movies with a villain, then 2 or 3 villainless and (yes) maybe a twist villian after a while. That would be perfect.

[@dustyrose192]

@@guillermor.tinajero1338 I wouldn't say ralph breaks the internet is villainless as ralph kinda becomes one. Or am i blurring antagonist and villain?

[@guillermor.tinajero1338]

@@dustyrose192 Yeah all of them have an antagonist force, that makes up for conflict, a villain is when that force comes willingly from another character. I think the closest to having a villain is Moana, with Te’Ka and Tamatoa, but the former is not bad, just angry; and the latter is an actual villainous character, but he’s not the main bad guy, so I’d describe him more as an obstacle, than a villain.

[@sladikk]

not only does this movie do a fakeout death, it also has the message of "100% trust the person who stabbed your back the first time you met them"

[@Merina2222]

There's so much good in this movie, I'm glad you gave it credit where credit is due. And I find it hilarious that people miss the point of the moral so easily, banging on about 'you shouldn't trust people who betray you!!!!!' - for goodness' sake guys, the whole point of the film is that yes, it's HARD to trust people who betray you, it's hard to know what to do in those circumstances. Division between people and cultures causes so much pain and destruction, and it's HARD to be the first person to say 'okay, let's try again'. And it doesn't always work. Sometimes people don't change, sometimes they betray you again. It's high risk, high reward. But the movie says that we should try, because if we don't try, we're doomed to live in a broken world forever. Very powerful, challenging stuff.

[@bbolin5626]

I recommend you watch this video from Schaffrillas about why it was executed terribly.

[@josephdannivitz1167]

Bravo! Exactly! That was the impression I got the first time I saw this movie, too. And considering how the times we live in have become, this is sorely needed.

[@ArtComMusic]

It's important to try to trust, but it makes no sense to try with a dangerous person who has emotionally and physically hurt you and so many for years.

[@bengreen562]

This was the first movie I saw in theaters after Covid started and boy did it feel good to be back in a theater!

[@LloxieFox]

I love Sisu so much. She's so adorkable. This is easily one of my favorite movies of the past ten years or so.

[@femkev.5245]

I really enjoyed this one, but my biggest issue was how anachronistic the jokes were. I wish Disney would understand that their fantasy films don’t need to be peppered with modern humour to be enjoyable. It was so distracting.

[@rommix0]

> but my biggest issue was how anachronistic the jokes were. Disney was always anachronistic in their films. Aladdin and Emperor's New Groove are great examples of anachronisms in Disney films. It's always been their thing for better or worse.

[@grantmortensonva]

@@rommix0 difference being Raya takes itself MUCH MORE seriously, so it doesn't work.

[@rommix0]

@@grantmortensonva yeah I can see why that would fall flat. Pocahontas had the same exact problem.

[@grantmortensonva]

@@rommix0 also add that "Pocahontas", unlike "Raya and the Last Dragon", is NOT the usual Disney practice of adapting a public domain fairytale or creating an original story, but is actually (however loosely) based on real people and real events from real American history. And funnily enough, Disney as a company thought "Pocahontas" was gonna be their biggest film ever, but it was actually the start of the 90s "renaissance" dying down. While Disney's "Hamlet with giant cats" went on to be the highest grossing animated film of all time for a good while.

[@azurelionheart]

Agreed. Granted, I think the film got better with it after Raya’s narration was over, and once she met Sisu; it’s just the opening few minutes with her as a kid that are particularly painful.

[@hyperchibiabsol1813]

I love this movie but Namaari victim blaming Raya saying she had just as much fault in a certain character’s death kinda got me pissed off. No. *YOU* shot the arrow. *YOU* did that. Edit: Spoiler warning but go to 1:17 here to see that she was clearly pulling the trigger before Raya intervened. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpiap2epoZyqjas

[@Tadicuslegion78]

It’s abusive relationship 101

[@mrcritical6751]

If they made it clearer that Namaari wasn’t gonna shoot and only did it because Raya spooked her she’d actually have a case

[@justanotherguy2609]

She didn’t though? Raya hit the bow with her chain sword causing it to go off. Don’t get me wrong, she was scared so it made sense, but, that was why the arrow was fired, not because of Nammari.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@justanotherguy2609 👍👍👍💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@jesserochon3103]

@@chasehedges6775 Yeah I cannot believe how many people missed this critical detail. Namaari was not gunna shoot. Raya was terrified she would though, so she attacked Namaari's crossbow with her grapple sword, causing it to fire, killing Sisu. Sisu's death is quite literally on Raya. I thought that was a brilliant twist.

[@DragonPrincessAoife]

I absolutely loved this film.

[@Nasser851000]

You could make a novel out of this movie and it would be fascinating :)

[@chasehedges6775]

Same. A novel would be interesting and fascinating

[@jlev1028]

I think most Hollywood movies nowadays have novelizations.

[@trinaq]

Kelly Marie Tran is a very talented actress, and I'm delighted that she's managed to get high profile work after the Star Wars controversy. She, and her character Rose, both deserved better.

[@chasehedges6775]

Same

[@coolnerdlll6053]

To think her character in Croods 2 was almost Kat Dennings. Thank every possible god for that change.

[@ThePa1riot]

Well, one of them does.

[@stormtraitor6545]

I don’t think I’d use the word “controversy” regarding Tran’s ‘Star Wars’ experience. But yeah, after all the shit she’s been through, this was what she needed.

[@BP-dn9nv]

I'm not a fan of the movie but it was hardly her fault. At least she was older than Jake Lloyd was when the controversy around his part came about so she could deal with it better.

[@bigredballtime5424]

I absolutely love this movie and really hope it doesn't go forgotten. Its one of my favourite Disney movies of all time and doesn't get worse when thinking about it after viewing it (with the exception of the Dragon, who isn't awful, but doesn't make me laugh)

[@pisces2569]

For me, Sisu never really learned. They set up it up that not everyone is trustworthy when Sisu was almost killed by one of the land’s chiefs. Sis was even hurt and confused by it. But the next scene she is still convincing Raya to trust Namaari despite having zero reason to.

[@fleeceblanket9515]

Boy, that's a generous review.

[@ThePa1riot]

Loved this movie so much. Love that it’s actually secondary world fantasy rather than a pseudo-historical thing. Love they tried to put some martial arts elements in it. Love that it’s kind of a post-apocalypse, or perhaps more distressingly, an apocalypse barely held back by the presence of the gems and some environmental hazards that drastically restrict the ability to live. It was also the movie that I felt got the darkest Disney has done in a long while at least in terms of the stakes involved. The darkest hour has our hero dueling her former friend turned bitter enemy, the hope of the world has been shot in the heart, the aforementioned apocalypse is happening around them, it’s pretty harrowing.

[@paganavenger8920]

I would love to see Disney Animation do more of these high-fantasy epics similar to this one, experiment different cultures and combine them together to create original worlds, maybe have the next one with steampunk similar to The League of Legends series: Arcane and even the Final Fantasy series.

[@genericyoutubecommentchann7418]

I have to watch this one again, but my impression on my first viewing was that it probably would have worked better as a series. I thought the post-apocalyptic world was an interesting idea, and the characters had potential to be really good, but neither got enough time to really get fleshed out because the movie was only 90ish minutes long and they had to keep quickly moving from one location to another. Also, I didn’t think the trust message worked very well. Sisu’s comparison of siblings trusting each other and someone trusting an enemy to prove a point to Raya I thought was especially bad.

[@eternallyconfusedneveraware]

What frustrates me is this could have been a great series. Instead, they condensed all the ideas into a compressed film. One of my biggest gripes with this film could have been easily solved if this was a tv show. If Raya and Namari were shown growing up together with Namari's nation feigning allyship in order to try and steal the dragon stone while also using Namari to manipulate Raya, I would have fully been on board with Raya's feelings of betrayal and having her trust shattered. It would have also helped Namari's character by having her be guilty over having to betray a childhood fried she cared for, but was pushed into doing it by her mother. Instead, Raya just shows this incredibly important artifact to someone she just met just because they both liked dragons. So when she starts complaining how she can't trust people, it didn't feel earned to me and downright annoyed me. It feels about the same as giving your ID and credit cards to a stranger then being shocked when they steal your identity.

[@CrystalGoddess90]

I adore this movie, I love it, but I agree with what you're saying about Namaari and Raya. Had I been the screenwriter, I would have made the girls cousins who grew up together for years. That would have made things even more interesting. (Also, Namaari should have been a year or two older than Raya.)

[@robynsrecs2183]

YAAS this is almost everything i felt about Raya!

[@Katzenkaiser4]

I watched this movie like 5 times by now. the Animation and soundtrack are so good! also it made me fall in love with awkwafina ^^

[@CaBdosdos]

The movie that ended the Nostalgia Chics career.

[@2873surabi]

I’ll be honest I couldn’t finish this movie. It bored me to tears. The animation is great though and I like that they took a risk.

[@s.g2344]

Agreed I did finish it but yeah It didnt grab me unlike other films 🙂

[@gdnickel92]

To me I honestly enjoyed it for what it was. It may not have been a masterpiece but I still had fun watching it and Sisu has become one of my favorite Disney characters

[@nikobrien88]

I absolutely loved this film. I love the animation. I love the voice cast. I love the lore. I love the fights. I love the story. Sisu is now on my list of favorite Disney characters. This is now one of my favorite Disney films of all time.

[@chasehedges6775]

Cool, man.

[@jesserochon3103]

Agreed.

[@KeatsTube]

I super enjoyed this movie… right up until the dragon showed up. I then proceeded to be annoyed by the entire rest of the film

[@chasehedges6775]

I like the boat boy tho. He was cool adorable

[@linedwell]

I really enjoyed Raya. It's biggest flaw imo is the predictability, but it's Disney, they couldn't exactly let evil win or Raya die etc.

[@chasehedges6775]

Same. It’s like they can’t be too dark or horrifying or it will make parents mad.

[@clandestin011]

Even though I love above all the in depth nostalgia critics, I really like disneycember episodes because it gives me some insight about relatively recent movies without spoiling them

[@Meggsie]

I think this movie was so good, people wish it was on another level of good.

[@animiser9437]

I honestly would have loved this as a mini series rather than a film. Also I wanted the ending to be the dragons are gone and magic no longer runs forth in the land. The people realize they must work together to thrive in a world without either.

[@chrisnicholson2407]

Reminded me alot of Avatar.

[@rodrigorousseau562]

I loved this film

[@stormshadowproductions1660]

Sisu is adorable

[@AquaLantern]

Moral of the story: Trust someone who has shown repeatedly that they hate you and wish you harm IMPLICITLY, no matter what, and everything will work out okay! Thanks, Disney! :D

[@xanrobin]

I honestly think that this movie should've been a series. Mainly because I wanted to see what happened inbetween them finding the shards. so much room for character building that way.

[@ROOKI3LINKX]

While I agree with most of this, this is one of my favourite modern Disney animated movies ever, especially the third act and Raya's revenge quest after a certain character is "killed"

[@TheCommenterDragon]

I loved that movie, i mean it has it's ups and downs like all movies do but it was still awesome to watch!!!

[@3layerdipstack726]

The commenter Dragon

[@carrastealth]

The Disney movie that everyone wants to see as a TV Series.

[@MinecraftRealm713]

The animation and choreography is what made me really like the movie. The story was somewhat different from what I usually watch but still seemed overly familiar.

[@emilyschannel131]

Raya should be in the Disney princess lineup by now #MakeRayaADisneyPrincess

[@realjoemavro]

One thing that really took me by surprise was that it wasn't Raya but her father who wanted to take the first step toward change. That's not something you see very often in Disney stories.

[@tylerharris7081]

I love this movie, this is probably my favorite Disney movie in a while. Which says something because when I saw the trailers I wasn't sure it would be good. I was afraid it would go the route of live action Mulan with a "strong female character" in the lead of a movie that only exists to sell Chinese movie tickets. Instead I got a mature and intriguing story and world that gave me plenty of food for thought. What gets me the most is the core themes of trust and forgiveness. So often in family oriented movies, the film will just say trust and forgiveness is good without any real nuance. This movie however shows the inherent risk involved in trusting others and the extreme courage it takes to forgive someone and open up to them after they have hurt you. It is much easier to hate, suspect, and cut yourself off from others, but in the end that just makes the world cold and heartless.like a statue.

[@rjmckenzie4706]

I agree Doug it's not great but a step. I really loved the animation, honestly Disney is getting better with their stuff it felt so real. I also liked some of the character the baby I loved she was cute and hilarious, Sisu was funny in some parts overall it's fine.

[@theonegoldengryphon]

The biggest thing that took me out of the movie was the extremely modern dialogue coming out of these ancient fantasy characters. It usually doesn’t bother me too much, but for some reason it just REALLY stuck out to me in this movie.

[@AnimatedTerror]

Ever since robin williams made it work in Aladdin, the trope of “ancient deity that talks like a modern teen” has been rampant since they are almost never funny.

[@rommix0]

@@AnimatedTerror and that trope is nearly 30 years old now.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@rommix0 💯💯💯

[@chasehedges6775]

@@AnimatedTerror 👍👍💯

[@labyrinthmind2951]

Upon my 8th or so rewatch (my son loves this move), I realized that the point wasn't Raya trusting Namaari, but rather Namaari trusting Raya. Think about each of their journeys. Raya DID trust Namaari on several occasions throughout the movie, but it was only when Namaari gave in and put her faith in Raya for the first time that they were able to defeat the Druun. Also look at the kind of development Namaari gets. She's constantly torn between doing what she thinks is right and her duty to her mother and country. And then she gets scenes like meeting Sisu for the first time and being overwhelmed with emotion and paying respect to the dragon statues on her way back to Fang. These are two of the best scenes in the movie in my opinion. Raya as a character is fine, but has nowhere near that level of development. When you look at this story as Namaari's journey, it works a lot better.

[@angiepants9219]

I love this movie to bits, the action the animation the story all amazing 💖❤️

[@bryan5347]

I've always thought that this movie would have worked a hell of a lot better as a multi-season animated television show.

[@bluecoin3771]

Rayatar the Last Dragonbender was the joke at the back of my head whenever I saw trailers for this. Look, I’m glad that Avatar inspired people, but I’m afraid that between this and the She Ra reboot (which also borrowed heavily from Avatar themes more than the show it was based on), people only seem to be understanding surface elements of what made that show work, especially Zuko’s character arc. Nowadays, there are entire video essays on why that worked.

[@AnimatedTerror]

At least the she ra remake was pretty good. But yeah. Surface elements are being copied without understanding exactly why it worked. I’ve actually been watching a guy go through each episode of avatar and talk about why it’s so great. It’s uh “overanalyzing avatar” It’s good stuff.

[@bluecoin3771]

@@AnimatedTerror I would disagree on the quality of She Ra. For a more in depth analysis, I would recommend MJ Tanner's review. The two of them are sisters who were oldschool fans, and they did a pretty good job of analyzing each episode and comparing it to the original. They've since started branching out into reviewing other shows and rumor has it they may be working on a little indie project of their own.

[@bahesb2419]

Raya and the last dragon Shows that Disney is getting better again.

[@rommix0]

But not yet visually. Sony is currently the leader in that department.

[@L337M4573RK]

This movie had the stunning visuals, the unique plot-lines, and the interesting characters/tribes, but it didn't give enough time to properly flesh it all out! In retrospect, all of this would have worked better as a Disney series, or (at least) an introduction to one. Unfortunately, by the end of the movie, almost everything is wrapped up nicely...which leaves very little for Disney to expand upon if they ever tired to make a sequel or a follow-up series.

[@watchforever1724]

Kinda enjoyable but expecting mixed reviews from the public as others would care less I wouldn’t say it’s amazing if anything

[@chasehedges6775]

Same

[@3layerdipstack726]

It’s pretty bland with an awful message

[@chasehedges6775]

@@3layerdipstack726 I don’t think it’s awful but definitely not good either

[@3layerdipstack726]

@@chasehedges6775 “don’t trust anyone”

[@rommix0]

Well yeah, especially in a post-Spider Verse world. Disney isn't taking much risks anymore. It's kinda expected now that reception of newer Disney films would be mixed.

[@j0ellyfish]

I heard about this/saw it with ads a few times. Never had the time to watch it. Watched it today and now it's one of my favorite movies. Wow. I loved it.

[@billyp1836]

Its kind of eery that this came out during the middle of the pandemic. Because the movies world feels like it was going through a sort of pandemic itself.

[@rommix0]

Hence this movie is probably gonna feel really dated in its sentiment in a year or so.

[@DanGamingFan2846]

Now to marathon all 60 of his Disneycember animated canon reviews!

[@davidfeltheim2501]

I really appreciate this film considering it's coming after Ralph breaks the Internet and Frozen 2, though still behind Pixar with Soul and Luca.

[@courtney_timmins]

I kind f avoided seeing this film for a while, I don't really know why. But I am so glad I watched it today. At some point even though I had a rough idea of what would happen next it still was very moving for me. And I loved it, not a perfect movie, but I would definitely watch it again and again.

[@BlankGreenCanvas]

I’m glad Kelly Marie Tran got an opportunity like this one.

[@rpgqueen8737]

Thank god! I’m not crazy for thinking this was okay

[@elithesia781]

I enjoyed this movie decently, but it didn’t quite grab me enough for it to make me want to see it multiple times in the future. I agree it probably needed another rewrite or two to truly be great. As is, it’s serviceable.

[@chasehedges6775]

Same. 💯💯💯

[@kingsize127]

I’m gonna say it. It’s a long-ass post, but I’m gonna say it: I wish Namaari’s mother was the villain. There is no real villain in this movie, but I wish that they made Namaari’s mother a villain. It was SHE who told Namaari to trick Raya (most likely off-camera). Then, she says, “Remember, the other tribes blame US for what happened…” and I’m like, “Well, that’s cuz it WAS your fault. YOU betrayed Raya’s trust. YOU got all the tribes fighting over the gem.” And she even hinted that she wanted the whole gem PLUS Sisu to herself, which I thought was gonna mean that she wanted to be the one with all the power and control. I thought she was gonna show up at the crossbow scene. Like, she secretly followed Namaari without her knowledge. Then, she was gonna be aiming at Raya, and then Namaari goes to block her, but it strikes Sisu, and we get the climax we got. Raya blames the mother, so she goes to fight her. She defeats her. Then, she defeats the Druun with Namaari, because she realizes A: Namaari was FORCED to betray her the first time, and B: she didn’t mean to betray her the second time. The mother learns the lesson after it was her daughter who technically saved her. That way, the lesson of trust is not entirely destroyed, Namaari looks far more sympathetic (which I think Disney was trying to do), and the mother can be reformed, and everything just feels warranted. I think this is the “one more re-write” the Critic was talking about. Rant over. P.S. I just watched this movie for the first time ever the morning I wrote this comment (1/24/2022), and I didn’t know a thing about it prior to watching it. So I got all of this thinking in one day.

[@camdencoblentz3245]

I saw Namaari's mother as the true villain, which is why I wish she had more focus and that the movie explicitly treated her as such.

[@Zeithri]

Talk for yourself, Sizu got a rile out of me more often than not. BEST CHARACTER NO DOUBT! 🐉 Personally I rate this at 8 / 10. It had great female characters that weren't men obsessed or your typical brand of "hot wommin", I love Raya's clothing style since I love baggy pants and cloaks. Sizu is just adorable. The kid with the boat is pretty funny but I find the con-Baby lacking in the way of " _Why are you even here!_ ". The villain was pretty good too because they aren't just thoroughly evil and as we see towards the end, she's terrified that if they restore the world, everyone will come gunning for her kingdom and people, which honestly is a breath of fresh air. Raya herself isn't a hero by destiny or anything like that, she chooses to do it because she has nothing else in life after those events at the start. Also, legit. I thought that Sizu was voiced by Fran Drescher at first. That's all my praise for it. It's not my favorite movie of all time, but I thought it was pretty darn good. And I know, I just know that at least two kinds of people, will hate this movie and that fills me with sadistic glee! One half will accuse the female characters of "Just being men", and the other half will hate it because it's women and they can't stand it. Oh such joy!

[@MiMayonGo]

The soundtrack really has that catchy and accelerating tune it really deserves an oscar award as "the best original score" than "a best animated feature".

[@motor4X4kombat]

*On the 18th day of disneycember the critic gave for me:* 18 Mystic dragons 17 Retro sitcoms 16 Endless cutscenes 15 Spider people 14 Leather dresses 13 King Kong knockoffs 12 Wet scales 11 Battle droids 10 Dancing street gangs 9...DUCKTALES! WHO-HOO! 8 Expo dumps 7 Super powers 6 Black widows FIVES CG REYNOLDS 4 Deadly traps 3 Gifted children 2 Lightsabers and a Keyblade for a kingdom heart realm

[@chasehedges6775]

👍👍👍💯💯💯🔟🔟🔟

[@thiagoteixeira6537]

I disagree with you on Tangled and Princess and the Frog! I love both the characters and story of both those movies and I know I'm not alone!

[@orangeslash1667]

Princess and the Frog can be a little hard to understand at first, but if you watch it about three times you'll understand it.

[@TIGER-xk4gk]

Yeah that comparison doesn't hold much weight anymore because Frozen is kinda overated

[@orangeslash1667]

@@TIGER-xk4gk Disney originally planned Elsa to be the villain and Let it go has going to be a villain Song, but because the writers loved the song they changed Elsa into a tragic hero and the story was rewritten allover again, but that caused new problems. The reason why Elsa's ice powers are not explained is because the writers thought it be too overcomplicated for the kids to understand. If that's the case then how is changing Elsa from a villain to a hero a good idea again, because so far the story is a mess????

[@AxelWedstar411]

This movie needed an expanded universe more than anything Disney has produced in decades. Give me webisodes, a graphic novel, hell I'd even take a licensed videogame at this point knowing how well those typically turn out. I just want more of this beautifully crafted world!

[@chasehedges6775]

👍👍👍💯💯💯

[@angelofmusic1992]

I do like how unique-looking this is from other Disney movies and Raya and Namaari are interesting characters. I feel like my nit-picks with this is that I feel like they were too on-the-nose with the message of the movie. Like, you could make a drinking game out of every time someone says the word "trust." And I feel like a movie was too short of a time to visit each kingdom, I wanted to see more of them. Part of me thinks this might have been a little better as a show.

[@AnimatedTerror]

It for the most part looks exactly like every other Disney movie to come out…

[@StephySon]

Sizu was just so warm and bubble I still wanna hug that dragon

[@BlazerK1914]

I love that movie! Raya is pretty much the first Vengeful Disney Princess that ever exists, and I LOVE IT, but didn’t last long, which I’m very glad so.

[@johnkula1536]

When this movie came out, I never really heard anyone talking about it. It just kind of came and went without a sound.

[@grantmortensonva]

I think it worked in Aladdin because it was a more simple story and Robin Williams was known for his impressions and improv, which was helpful because of the Genie being a magical shapeshifter. It makes sense because while the audience will understand the different forms and references, the characters will still see the Genie as a magical shapeshifter because that's just a thing he does. Raya wants you to know her story is a serious one with actual stakes for EVERYONE. Which is kinda hard to get invested in when you hear Sisu say things like the "group project" thing and "Cap'n pop n' lock". It makes her feel so out of place in the world when she she says things like that, or draws out a joke to try to get a laugh like when she talks about being able to swim. I don' t think that' s Awkwafina's fault, though I don't get her style to begin with since I've never seen her perform in anything else. I don't feel like they let her play to her strengths. For the serious story they clearly wanted to tell, I would rather Sisu have been mute like Tuk-Tuk and just let her body language and facial expressions do the talking. Or if they wanted to keep this version of Sisu, lighten up on the story so it's not so off-putting when the pace gets broken by contemporary slang and jokes.

[@obnoxiousoboe]

What I liked about the movie was how it gave Kelly Marie Tran a sense of moving on and advancing her career to bigger horizons, having her overcome her unneeded harassment by toxic Star Wars fans and making her mature more as a great actress.

[@connorplisga3718]

So that's were all the money for Mulan(2020) went. Disney knew that it was doomed from the start when it was announced there'd be no Mushu, no Shang, no Cri-kee, no Grandma, and no songs. But instead, a witch, a phoenix, and stupid chi midichlorians(HELLO!!!). So they spent more money and heart into something original and awesome!

[@iHeartsNostalgiaPit]

2:14 I guess it's safe to say Disney grew out of it, I guess after Incredibles 2 they thought "okay I think we milked this trope enough"

[@coolnerdlll6053]

Frozen 2 kind of had a surprise villain with the grandfather, but that was almost an afterthought. And if you count them, Jude Law in Captain Marvel, Mysterio in Far From Home and Richard Madden in Eternals.

[@iHeartsNostalgiaPit]

@@coolnerdlll6053 I wasn't thinking of the Marvel stuff

[@lihoffman8157]

I did like the dragon in that movie it was actually pretty cool.

[@mas8705]

Towards the end, that was probably the best way to describe this film: Incomplete. There are good parts to it and it is still good, but no denying that there are plenty of spots where it could have been tweaked better. I also like the idea of how what Princess and the Frog and Tangled were to Frozen, Raya and the Last Dragon could very well be the next building blocks to the next big Disney Masterpiece. As is, it does what it needs to do and the ideas of how to trust others, but it certainly did need to get those wrinkles ironed out if it wanted to really thrive.

[@chasehedges6775]

👍👍👍💯💯💯

[@gianinabadami5341]

I enjoyed the characters. I was also surprised when I found out that Raya was voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose from Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker and I found her better as the former

[@RialVestro]

I never even heard of this one but the plot sounds like a typical anime... like maybe this should of been a series rather than a movie.

[@joethelion8998]

You know, I think what Doug said near the beginning would make an Interesting Fan-Scripton, what if Raya and the Last Dragon took that final step into being a great Disney Film? As for what we already got from this movie, I was quite satisfied.

[@pythonkatie1985]

I thought that it was visually appealing, the story kept me entertained and I didn't get annoyed at any point, plus I thought Tuk Tuk was adorable. That was enough for me.

[@Dim4323]

It was a great movie

[@josephdannivitz1167]

Nice review, Doug! I can see where you're coming from in that the movie is a bit undercooked. But for me, out of the three animated films Disney released in 2021, between Raya, Luca, and Encanto, this one might be my favorite out of them. There were plenty of reasons I enjoyed this movie, such as Kumandra's worldbuilding, and especially the characters. But I'll be frank about this: I had the same reactions to its message that you did with that of Zootopia. You know how Zootopia's message of 'racism' was hammered in too much only to realize that in a climate where that issue is everywhere in the real world, that the message needs to be made as loud and clear as possible for the benefit of our society? That's how I felt about Raya's message about trust. Now, hear me out over this. Without treading onto touchy waters, I can't help but feel that ever since the COVID-19 hit, there's always been backtalking and arguments over what's true and what's not, to a point where trusting certain people on account of what they claim as their validity has become easier said than done. And let's just say it got so bad that I tuned out of the news for that reason. With Raya, every time I went along with her and her journey to attempt to restore peace to Kumandra, it felt like it was reflecting on the issues that were plaguing our country by the time it came out. It made this movie dip more into MASH territory in addressing issues in a way that's crucial to those watching it, while also backing it up with likable characters and goofy comedy for good measure. Long story short, this is a great movie regardless.

[@DragonSoul66]

I remember getting this on Disney+ premier, really due to wanting to see this movie. It looked amazing just from trailers and was most definitely something much different from what Disney had been doing these past few years; and I wasn't disappointed in it. I enjoyed it from start to finish and wanted more for the story (like how things progressed years down the line, but that would be more of a mini-series or a short than a movie). Even my nieces loved it, as they had seen it dozens of times before it even had its official release to a physical copy.