Raya and the Last Dragon is so Misinterpreted (Movie Commentary)

[@themoviebud1988]

Save 33% on your first Native Plastic-Free Deodorant Pack - normally $39, you’ll get it for $26! Click here ​​​​​bit.ly/nativemoviebudz and use my code MOVIEBUDZ#AD Big thanks to everyone who uses our link and codes, and all of our youtube members, it really helps the channel a lot 😊

[@burningsamrai3681]

Sometime soon, I wish for you guys to react to Freebirds, its a funny thanksgiving movie.

[@jillianwerner7827]

“Pulled a reverse Mufasa” laughed wayyy too hard at that😂😂

[@syhd_binti_ksmn]

As a native malaysian, i do want to say this movie felt like its more inspired by rather than represent south east asia. I only really recognised the keris, raya's sword tho actual keris is more a dagger.

[@syhd_binti_ksmn]

I do still like the movie for its message n story. Its been awhile we've seen asian epic style fantasy story

[@CottageGurl]

This movie isn't great in my opinion.. the message about 'trust and forgiving' is kind of unclear and messed up.. but I still love the visuals tho

[@syhd_binti_ksmn]

@@CottageGurl hmm.. Yeah i get that. Raya's trust being burned and burned again n we are implied to blame (or the movie did) her for not being trusting of others

[@DustyHams]

I personally feel you guys are being way to forgiving. Raya is always offering her hand out and she got burned. She set up the meeting and it was the other girl that pulled out a crossbow. She got so mad that her mother was turned but didnt give a F that Raya lost her dad. Raya's rage is valid and earned.

[@DustyHams]

But to be fair I still blame the grandma in Encanto as well.

[@hannahfish231]

Dude YES!!! Like maybe I’m just unhealed but that is my least favorite part of the entire film. The character that has been almost entirely alone for six years all thanks to the girl standing across from her CURRENTLY HOLDING A CROSSBOW and AIMING IT at their last hope and Raya’s to blame for acting out? I refuse to accept that, sorry.

[@brunocaldeef8289]

Also she had literally no choice but to put the pieces together and hope for the best. That wasn't redemption. What was she gonna do? Go out where everyone is turned to stone with a bunch of broken pieces that can't protect her anymore? And she even thought about it

[@atheranil]

@@DustyHams you should blame Abuela in Encanto 100%

[@mckenzie.latham91]

The point isn’t that the rage ins’t earned, it’s that you have to look past that Raya’s problem is not trusting Namaari, it was not trusting Sisu which is Raya’s lesson, in the end she trusted Sisu who believed in Namaari and that paid off.

[@miaferret9451]

Namari was literally squeezing the trigger on the crossbow aimed at Sisu then has the audacity to blame Raya for Sisu’s death and for not trusting her when she gave Raya no reason to trust her through the whole movie. This movie’s messaging is all kinds of screwed up.

[@fairy_floss]

yeah the messaging about ‘trust’ is unclear, and it’s not just the messaging that isn’t great, I think this movie has a lot of good potential to be a tv show, a book or a video game, I love the world but the characters need more time to develop. It kind of felt like they just glossed over all the lands and towns and kept introducing characters.

[@kecym.4808]

agree, like I have to adjust and forgive the person who f*cked my life?. I would love it if the movie ended them having mutual closure like them having eye contact and that's it (but never gonna have any sort of relationship)

[@Urakarenn]

She was not actually "squeezing the trigger." Her finger was just trembling/ tense because Naamari was afraid. "Squeezing the trigger" was Raya's point of view because Raya didn't fully trust Naamari.

[@simplyawful543]

​@@UrakarennWhich she had no reason to after Namari pulled out a crossbow in the first place

[@mckenzie.latham91]

The point was she only fired once Raya interfered not before, and Namaari actually wants Sisu not to kill her, it’s shown that she was massively conflicted but Sisu may have been reaching her the point is that Raya didn’t trust Sisu which is the problem, not that she didn’t trust Namaari.

[@mellowenglishgal]

I think the most impressive thing about this film, for me, is that it was made during lockdown, with people working from home. I couldn’t get all my students online for a Maths lesson, let alone coordinate the creation of a film!

[@trajan1707]

This isn’t the greatest Disney movie ever but I really enjoy the visuals of the film and think the characters are very complex and interesting characters especially Namaari. 🐉

[@beezyqueen]

i love that whenever u say a line that makes me think of a song reference, u include the song clip. the “he tried so hard” (“and got so far”) made me lose it 😂

[@strelitziamystery21]

I mainly just wish that Raya changed her outfit to be Aqua at some point after the time skip. Every other character is wearing their colour representing where they are from and she just looks like she's from Tail because of that outfit. It's not a bad outfit but I expected to her to have a moment where she puts on some Aqua clothes in honour of Heart and her Ba.

[@sariarellano5606]

Hey Budz, I just wanted to say that you guys have become an unexpected comfort channel for me. I appreciate how understanding and compassionate you are, while also being completely honest with how you feel and experience the world. I always feel very safe with you. I say 'unexpected' because I am a 31 year old single mom in Mexico, which I would say is kind of the opposite of you guys 😂. I also wanted to say that I know you thought the baby hugging Sisu's face was weird, but all 3 of my kids used to hug my face when they were babies. And I loooved it! It was strange and adorable. Anyway, sorry this is so long, but I do love you guys and look forward to every one of your videos. 💕

[@mckenzie.latham91]

Drune aren’t a manifestation of evil, but human discord, which means hatred, distrust, ambition, war etc. they are the opposite of trust and order

[@animeguykurosaki1]

I'm sorry, but giving Raya 100% blame for Sisu's death is inaccurate, considering Nemari was tightening her finger on the trigger, if she had relaxed it and Raya didn't notice that would be one thing, but she was so close to firing the shot at Sisu anyways.

[@halloweeninmay6810]

Yea she was 93% gonna shoot

[@TheGabygael]

one of the animators of saban moon said something like "it's always in the last place you look that you find what you're looking for because when you've found it you stop searching"

[@strawberryfox8819]

While I do like the message of this movie, I feel like it sets a bad example and goes about it in a pretty wrong way. I mean, Fang did fuck up, Naamari fucked up, all of which caused the trauma and contemporary deaths of hundreds of people. And they're not even going to apologize? Where's the logic in that? And it's embodying a horrible message for children, which is that they should be the bigger person and trust and forgive people no matter how much they hurt them. On that level, My little Pony handles the act of forgiveness and redemption far better for children. At least the characters there need to actually change and show they're sorry for what they did. But I still MASSIVELY simped for Raya and Naamari

[@melit.]

All I’m gonna say, is the message of forgiveness/trust is very very skewed in this movie. And it should not be followed. It’s good to give trust but when someone betrays that trust and continues to do so once you’ve given them another chance (multiple times), it is on them to get that trust back not yours to continue to give it. Do not give blind trust. And you are not obligated to forgive someone either, when it’s serious forgiveness just like trust needs to be earned. And of course I’m gonna watch your reaction any because I like your reactions despite my distaste for the movie.

[@19Rena96]

i agree

[@olavihekandjo2928]

I think people with your point of view are coming from a situation with one clear "bad guy". The movie presents that all the tribes aren't " bad", in their opinion they are in the right and protecting themselves from the other tribes. And in a situation like that, someone (also think of it as nations and not individuals) has to make the first move towards peace.

[@melit.]

@@olavihekandjo2928 yeah and agree someone should, my point is that the movie is telling us to trust a person over and over again no matter how many times they betray that trust. Someone does need to take the step and it should have Namaari at the end to give up her piece to Raya. I wouldn’t be as mad about the message if that happened. But no, Raya had to trust Namaari again despite literally all her truly important actions telling her not to. In my opinion that’s not a good message, you’re free to disagree.

[@nerd_by_nature5046]

I'm definitely with you on that one. I watched one reviewer talk about how partly putting blame on Raya for Sisu's death doesn't really work because Namaari gave no reason for Raya to think she wouldn't do something bad toward her or Sisu. Why trust she won't do something bad now when RIGHT as she was about to take the stone, Naamari pulled a weapon on them? She couldn't know in that moment if Naamari wouldn't shoot or not, and she couldn't afford the risk if she did. And like you said, the movie teaches us to trust people no matter what because not having trust in others is bad. And it's like, yes of course having no trust isn't good either, but neither is trusting someone who has repeatedly given you reason not to. And also too, Naamari may not have wanted to directly hurt people, but she was still willing to do whatever it took for Fang's future, and that would involve hurting people anyway as an outcome of taking all the crystals.

[@datscursed9019]

While I do agree with your main point I believe this movie it's not so black and white. Through all of the movie we see how, "you're not obligated to trust" mentality plays out, and though to some extent it's true let's remind ourselves we are social beings, we are needed to trust at some point, the movie emphasizes this by hammering the concepts of "union", "for the people" etc into our heads all the movie, Raya in all her right didn't and we know how that ended. Now Namari (I don't remember how to spell it) has given Raya no reason to trust her, but also something that's clearly engraved in the story is that Namari greatly respects and loves dragons, Raya knows this, we as the audience know this, and that's what we needed to keep in mind, and that also she doesn't act selfish, when she comes alone she's stepping away from her mother's control and trying to trust which can be hard, that's why she brought a weapon, to not feel weak in front of a person she knows hates her. Namari and Raya had no reason to trust each other (and they didn't) for the dragon it's a different story. It's supposed to be depicted as the only sign of hope. I believe the ending was appropiate, had Raya kept all the pieces her whole "trust" ark would've been for nothing, Namari having the opportunity to escape but instead blindly trusting the others and staying it's a good end to her life (ark). The movie (just like life) has deeper context and can't be judged as something so superficial as "this one bad" or "this one good". Haha, that was long

[@lilybean9585]

If you are going to continue with the Disney movies please look at Treasure Planet is so underrated and one of my favourites

[@Twinkler205]

Yess!!!

[@emthegem9866]

your guys's ad game has improved!! I appreciate the effort! It does not go unnoticed!! when you speak on camera now during the ads. Sam, it's a lot more natural.

[@themoviebud1988]

Thanks so much 😊 I appreciate that! - Sam

[@alexandraburton232]

I love the music in this one! James Newton Howard goes hard. I wasn't too happy with how they handled the message of trust in this film but it was fun. If you're staying on this Disney kick please, please, please can you do Atlantis the Lost Empire, Rescuers Down Under, Treasure Planet and 101 Dalmatians (live action) But if you're taking a break from Disney, I think you would have fun with Rise of the Guardians, The Mummy 1999 and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

[@christinagrieser5664]

You finally did Raya. I waited for that to come. I really love that movie, visually it is amazing like Disney is known for. I also love the message in that movie. I love your commentary, it would be great if you could do „Your name“

[@sassylittleprophet]

YES! "Your Name" is such an amazing movie!

[@CottageGurl]

But the message of this movie is not good...

[@spinosaurusstriker]

Yes, i love the message of forgiving a person who betrays tou over and over and over and over like a abusive relationship, really epic.

[@olavihekandjo2928]

Zuko and Katara. When Zuko and Katara bonded and Katara was about to heal his scar then minutes later he almost killed Aang

[@ItsAsparageese]

Yo put blatant spoilers behind a warning and some line breaks. Plenty of people are still newly discovering ATLA all the time. If you care about a story then show some respect for the storytelling process

[@olavihekandjo2928]

A simple. "Spoilers" would have been enough. Also ATLAB been out for year's now. If people haven't watched it by now they will be spoiled. This two guys here already watched it though and that's my only concern. "@@ItsAsparageese

[@ItsAsparageese]

@@olavihekandjo2928 The "it's been out a long time" argument is a lazy egocentric euphemism for "everyone should have seen it by the time I saw it/if I've seen it then it's been long enough not to care about anyone else who will see it". I'd defend your _right_ to be a selfish spoilery jerkwad, but you should really reconsider choosing to be one, it's really disgusting & babyish. I'll comment however I want; just like people's timing in discovery of new stories, my choices don't revolve around you. Like obviously just saying spoilers would have had no chance of changing your obnoxious views lol, eff off with that bratty nonsense of trying to dictate how others reply to you in a PUBLIC forum. Good god what an objectively childish level of social development. Your priorities suck & so do your excuses. You're choosing to be a jerk. You're the one who has to live with that, so I sincerely hope you grow up & develop some integrity sometime. We're done here

[@jaylalove7308]

@@ItsAsparageese you acting like it’s a new show. It’s been out for years and tons of spoilers been out

[@ItsAsparageese]

@@jaylalove7308 Read my prior comment before yours. That argument is just a lazy excuse for being obnoxious

[@joshdaniels]

omg i think this is the first video i have seen wherein Sam says his asian heritage is Thai! I've always thought he was part filo! Just nice to learn a little more about you guys, coming from someone that's been subscribed to you both and watching your videos for a while now!

[@tofuumie2562]

I'm telling you guys now, If you haven't already seen it but I'd love to see a commentary to Cinderella 3 a twist in time!!!! Probably my favourite disney sequel ever.

[@alexanderdavidd]

Okay but why did Kelly Marie say “okay, so here’s the sitch” in literally the same voice as Christy Romano in Kim Possible

[@florenciahoracio8517]

this is so random but seeing your videos always makes me so happy, I love seeing you talking about some of my favorite movies and how you take the situations happening. Even if I haven't seen the movie, watching it with you for the forst time is just as good! love from Argentina ♡

[@frejamller2416]

Awww it makes me so proud on the guys' behalf to see how many names there are after mine now. Look how many we are!!! 🥰🥰 It's cool being able to follow the growth with each new name being added 🙏

[@themoviebud1988]

Thanks so much, it's so appreciated to have that support 😊 - Sam

[@-chenlanying5818]

@@themoviebud1988 you guys should watch Xiran Jay Zhao 3 part series on Raya. They collab with many SEA creators to point out the misopportunities/problems of this movie and the drama like: Surface level representation, Lindsay Ellis discoure when this movie first came out, the problem with Sisu, queerbaiting, 'dep la': a Vietnamese word translate to 'strangely beautiful' and what ACTUAL SEA queer culture is like, how Disney comodifies culture & cultural appropriation in this movie and many more

[@katm8128]

I hope you guys up doing the kung do panda trilogy. Those are some of my most favorite movies ever, especially the second one

[@luciaelizabeth9233]

You both failed me by not thinking of ''It's raining men'' or ''Purple Rain'' hahaha. Much love to you from Argentina

[@themoviebud1988]

That’s fair haha 😁 - Sam

[@Yugioh420]

Seesu still has all the powers of her siblings that she absorbed so with the exception of the last gen she got all the powers of the gem. So she is among the most powerful Dragons now

[@BlackParadeMarcher1]

Namari had an AWFULLY itchy trigger finger

[@annakrpatova3429]

I would love you to comment on Emperor's New Groove, it's one of my Disney favourites and I think you would really like the jokes 😀 your commentary is comforting, I've watched almost every one in the last month

[@libbykaras]

The Blind Side is one of my favorite movies it's so good and so inspiring

[@orballo13]

I liked this movie in my first watch, but the message of blindly trusting people that had already showed you they can't be trusted is wild and very harmful, it doesn't sit well with me. Namaari betrayed Raya and as a result she lost not only her father, but also her home, people and culture. After years of survival and some encounters with Namaari (that wasn't even remorseful) she made an effort to trust her again only to be betrayed mere seconds later. I don't think Raya is to blame for her reaction to the crossbow. What was she supposed to do? Just stand there and trust? Sure, that's a beautiful message, if you don't think about it too much. But the reality is that Raya's experiences with Namaari tell her not to trust her. Asking people to "be the bigger person" just to give an opportunity to people that have hurt them more than once is terrible wrong, harmful. Trust is earned, especially when the other person has broken it already. The fact that in the end Raya had put her trust on Namaari again instead of Namaari showing Raya that she in fact had changed seems twisted to me. I still think this is a beautiful made movie, but the message...

[@DBfan12]

Ah, this movie. I didn't watch it until quite recently, and while I didn't hate it, it also didn't sit quite right with me. While I like the idea of trust and forgiveness, the execution feels very bad imo. Raya has every right to distrust Namaari, and not want to forgive her. I hate them framing Sisus death as Rayas fault when it absolutely wasn't. Maybe if the changed the framing device, and focused more on forgiveness than trust, I'd probably be more forgiving. But having the movie constantly act as if Sisu is right and Raya is wrong feels obnoxious. Maybe have the message be about how to fix something broken, forgiveness is the first step, and if neither wants to, then you either gonna have to get over it and take the first step, or let it stay broken. In the movie I think the first option is the correct one, but as a metaphor I think both are equally valid. When there are more lives at stake than just yours you're gonna have to take the high road sometimes, unfortunately. I like the environments and setting of the movie, but the characters didn't really do anything for me. It's a shame, I was looking forward to a more badass fighting princess, but Raya didn't really do it for me. I still think she's the most likeable character in her movie though.

[@TechnicallyTexan]

Y’all need to review Kubo and the Two Strings. I love that movie so much.

[@shainewhite2781]

I enjoyed this movie and it's a lot of fun and visually stunning as well as being impressive! Raya is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, Rose Tico from Star Wars. Poor woman recieved death threats and disgusting racist tweets on her Twitter account where toxic fans accused her of ruining Star Wars after the release of The Last Jedi.

[@ceceelizabeth527]

I still haven't watched Raya. It looks gorgeous.

[@leigh-anjohnson]

I love the character design

[@toxicginger9936]

Forgot the best one: 🎵 "Raaaaaaain. Feel it on my fingertips, hear it on the windowpane. Your love's coming down like Raaaaaaaain." 🎶

[@Cujo4169]

Namari was squeezing the trigger, to this day, I will be angry bc of that.

[@jennafer2327]

Right it wouldn't have shot if your finger wasn't already half on the trigger

[@UGUNII]

20:06 I hated group projects because some how I ended up doing most of the fucking work .. while other people just joked around 1:01:50 Purple Rain came to mind

[@zachtomomitsu7720]

I am the same way it was annoying so glad that over I graduated this year in June

[@UGUNII]

@@zachtomomitsu7720 yeah I got annoyed and was glad to do projects by myself

[@juliapakarinen7956]

I've been binge-watching your reactions this weekend, and I think this one might be my favorite so far. This movie is so underrated and deserves much more appreciation. Love your insights about it. This movie could really be expanded well into series. It would be great to see your reaction to Coco and Big Hero 6 as well.

[@spinosaurusstriker]

Nah

[@TheRealTezzandra]

I think a perfect ending whould have been if the five heroes stayed turned to stone and they became a monument to when they saved the land. Everybody comes back but them.

[@maxsmith4412]

im excitedly waiting for you guys to react to everything everywhere all at once. 😌

[@leoniekoning1005]

Not a Disney animated movie, but I'd LOVE to see you guys react to Red shoes and the seven dwarves!

[@bungiecrimes7247]

The writers wouldn't know the concepts of trust and forgiveness if it kicked them on the side of the head.

[@hashtagangel5998]

There are actually quite a few Thai references in this movie such as Tom Yum a Thai soup and the name Tuk-Tuk is a Thai word used in a form of transportation.... also I am also Thai myself😊

[@Jemini4228]

You guys are so great to watch movies with!

[@tamlynferreira8288]

I love that length of hair on Sam. Looks really good 👍 Just commenting to help with the old algorithm ❤️ Thanks for keeping us entertained 😇

[@kaithlyn-in5es]

''the answer is always food'' --- My mates! YES✊😌

[@SinSiricheDu]

Billy got to Ever After first but I still want you guys to do it!

[@arielxlazarus]

I still don't get why people, and the movie in general, want to absolve Namaari of blame for Sisu's death. What part of tightening her finger on the damn trigger makes it look like she was gonna let go? Raya had every right to see that as an act of aggression and at least attempt to stop it. Plus the fact that the stupid crossbow didn't need to be aimed at the last freaking dragon to begin with, like wtf? Honestly this movie just failed at getting it's message across for me. Nearly everytime Sisu trusts when Raya warns her not to it goes badly and Raya does eventually trust others after she actually has reason to give them a chance (or if they seem innocent, look how quickly she was willing to help the baby at first), but then in the end Raya trusting specifically Namaari when she has every reason not to is what saves the day? Should've been Namaari having to show some remorse and actually trust Raya for once, wouldn't have fixed it all but it would've been a better ending. Also Sisu comparing Raya trusting Namaari with her family trusting her is so stupid, your own family trusting you when you haven't betrayed them before is a lot easier than trusting someone that pretended to become your friend to trick you which also caused you to lose your father.

[@tinyquokka]

🎵 I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN KUMANDRAAA- 🎵

[@heartdragon2386]

The retractable sword was in Bleach a while ago, and likely other things I haven't personally seen. I also think Raya isn't really hopeful in the beginning. More like desperate.

[@relaxationstation7634]

I never bothered to watched this movie bc Lindsey Ellis watched it, tweeted about it, and got so much hate for her tweet she basically quit social media/KZbin. Insane how much bullying she received bc of her tweet. IDK if what she said about The Last Airbender and this movie being similar is true (bc I've never watched either) but no one should get that much hate that they basically quit their career. And she made great videos - did so much research and reallyyyyyy took the time to make each and everyone of them a masterpiece(even that crazy wolf romance author, uhhh shit is insane).

[@joelgreenoff6035]

You guys should do the Cheetah Girls 😂 love your stuff!

[@secretlybees]

I've seen some good criticisms that compare this and ATLA through story elements and I do feel some similarities. That being said, Avatar was a major cultural phenomenon that inspired a lot of people working in animation, and even literature, today. I don't think it's a 1:1 comparison by any means, though. This movie does have its own identity. I think the story would have been better told in a single season series.

[@gabrielbadescu2419]

Ngl for the Rain songs, I'm surprised you didn't singe "i blessed the rains down in *Insert name of Fictional country here*"

[@Johns-accounts]

Was waiting for you guys to react to this YESSSS

[@OpticalSorcerer]

Man, I wish they made this a musical and made the countries a different SEA country instead of a blend.

[@samiahbaugh8117]

What’s funny is that I just started using Native Shampoo and Conditioner and I love it lol

[@themoviebud1988]

That's great to hear! I love the products I got 😊 - Sam

[@jennapeaches4339]

Did I just hear "Jenna" in the intro? :D Alright, I try to follow your advice at work tomorrow and not throw hands :P

[@sprout8426]

though there are some tacky aspects of the movie, the way i interpret the message is more about assuming better in others. everybodys quick to point fingers and blame, or see the worst in other people, and if we want a world where people don't do that, you need to be the one to take the first step. it feels like its more about humanity as a whole rather than a 2-person relationship. because in a 2-person relationship, things could potentially be black & white (Like its better to withhold trust from someone who's betrayed you many times), but on a larger scale, the situation is almost always gonna turn grey. You could always choose to see grey as a lighter black than a darker white.

[@snowboardgurl4545]

I can't stop seeing Hexus from Fern Gully

[@Ain08195]

nah man this movie has the audacity to put some blame on raya for sisu’s death because she didn’t trust the person who wronged her before? what kinda message is that…

[@SusanaCanales1]

No. Because she didn’t trust SISU. That’s what Nemaari said. And it’s true. Sisu told her to trust her to handle Nemaari and Raya didn’t. Hence the attacking and forcing Nemaari to pull the trigger right as she was about to pull back.

[@Ain08195]

you mean like the same way with her dad in the beginning of the movie when she doubted her dad but he was like “trust me everything will be fine”? because he got shot in the leg and turned into stone…

[@SusanaCanales1]

@@Ain08195 um. No. That’s not the same thing because that’s her dad. Someone she grew up with her entire life. Not to mention she’s…ya know. TWELVE. Of course she trusts him. And his vision wasn’t wrong.

[@Ain08195]

but raya continues to see sisu put her faith in strangers only to be betrayed by them, and now the person who’s wronged raya and hunted her is pointing a crossbow at her friend and she’s just supposed to believe in sisu and do nothing? it’s so silly…

[@SusanaCanales1]

@@Ain08195 probably because Sisu knows she’s only been betrayed because no one trusts each other to begin with. She knows why the droon exist in the first place. Hence why she never stops trying, because if she stops trying, nothing would ever change. Well considering Raya knows she’s the dragon who saved the world through the act of trusting one another, yes. She is. Raya’s way has never worked for her or anyone else. She has always done things her way. And it’s because she gave a little trust to their friends of enemy nations, they made it as far as they did to begin with. They were just as much a risk as the one she knew already wronged her. Trusting Sisu and waiting is not the same thing as doing nothing. That is not too much to ask for and after everything Sisu did to help her, it’s the least she could’ve done, as her friend, if nothing else.

[@reysgotplans5005]

Aww missed you guys! 😄

[@peachberry9774]

I fully understand why Raya didn't want to try is the dragon's way first. She already trusted, already gave and opened her heart but was brutally backstabbed and lost quite literally everything. If you've reached out blindly first before it's almost impossible to do so again even if you do only have good intentions

[@vadalia3860]

Ugh, I hate the message of this movie. I don't get how they thought it would be a good idea for Sisu to say "if you want to get people's trust, you gotta give a little trust" to the woman who gave trust to Namaari (along with her father giving trust to Fang) and was betrayed for it. They DID give trust. They did NOT get people's trust in return. Instead, they were betrayed. While I think there's value in the idea of not letting one betrayal cause you to close yourself off from trusting everyone, that's a lot different than the idea you should trust someone who has actively harmed you in the past & shown very little remorse. Raya does learn to trust people again & that's how she gets her "adventure family" assembled but Raya absolutely should NOT trust Namaari, specifically, because Namaari showed zero remorse and/or attempts to make amends for her previous betrayal of Raya. I just wish the movie had either had another character from Fang be the one Raya had to trust in the end or, I think the better option, make it so that Namaari didn't know what her mother was planning in the beginning. Like her mother basically told her to buddy up with Raya but didn't tell her it was to gain information they'd use to backstab Heart. That way Namaari's lack of remorse in the early movie can be shown as being a defense mechanism for the guilt she feels. An after-the-fact justification of her mother's actions & her own (albeit unknowing) role in breaking the world. It also makes the movie's stance that Raya needs to give Namaari trust make sense because in doing so, Namaari gets to make a knowing decision on what to do when Raya trusts her, instead of being used as a tool to gain trust that someone else makes the choice to betray.

[@Yukiasmr1]

Aang wanted to be friends with zuko cause he reminded him of his friends in the fire nation.

[@delightfulblueberries7405]

Sam I know this is a dumb thing to say but I got caught off guard when I saw you had LEGS!! Like damn sir

[@themoviebud1988]

Thanks so much haha. It's not dumb tho, I appreciate it. They used to call me chicken legs in high school 😂 - Sam

[@libbykaras]

Hey I don't know if you've ever seen the blind side but if you haven't I HIGHLY recommend you watch it it's based on the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game which is the story of how NFL player Michael Oher (pronounced like an ore like a paddle) and how he came into the lives of the Tuohy (pronounced as tooey) family it's really good

[@themoviebud1988]

Have seen it and considered it, it’s a good movie. Not sure when we’ll do it tho - Sam

[@libbykaras]

@@themoviebud1988 cool have a good day or night depending on what time it is there

[@bulletsandbracelets4140]

Surprised to hear you say the ATLA similarities are thin! First time I watched this they jumped out at me - not from an aesthetic standpoint, but from a story element one. It isn't a bad thing! It's just a common trope - you are introduced to a world with a certain number of different groups, main character has to then go travel to those groups and collect knowledge/items (and friends) along the way. It's an easy way to build your world, flesh it out, and have your main character grow through the journey with a formula to provide it. It's not specifically an avatar thing, but that is definitely the series that I'd say is the most noteable example of it. (Added bonus of Raya coming from a place that was destroyed by the failures of the other nations, but having to save them regardless. Her character does deal with this in a wildly different manner than Aang does, though!) From an aesthetic standpoint, however, 100% agree. I just don't think that's what most people are comparing. I don't jive with people who use it as a way to knock the movie though.

[@jureumi7143]

Fun fact. That arch in Heart looks like the aortic arch of the human heart.

[@poisonkiss201]

yo, let Jenna throw hands on work if she wants

[@yourfriendaj5643]

I love you guys videos. they have gotten me though so much. My dad thought you two were a couple when we first watched you guys. Which if people don't think you and your friend are dating then are you really friends. You guys should watch Mr church its an eddie murphy movie I think it really good. It based on a short story about a real story. the short story is called The Cook Who Came to Live with Us. i also a movie about chosen family. I just think it really sweet. love you guys cant wait to see what come next.

[@spiderduck369]

I have to say regardless of feelings on the mixed messaging or the story, rava has received a lot of criticism for its inaccurate portrayal of SEA cultures, and for those who wish to learn more, i highly recommend checking out Xiran Jay Zhao’s videos (2 parter) compiling presentations by SEA on the many things they get wrong (and the few they got right). They also did a third video on queerbaiting in the film from a SEA lens. Disney heavily advertised this film as a win for representation and then proceeded to mash up all SEA cultures together and still get things wrong, which is a HUGE yikes

[@mikailagray]

I really liked this movie but my sister had an issue with it because it didn’t have as many narrative based songs like other Disney films. I didn’t mind and I think the music they used was great for keeping with the cultural aspects. I like traditional musics of all cultures so I enjoyed hearing the music they had.

[@raynajay8847]

I love this movie but at the same time DONT GO TRUSTING EVERYBODY

[@sydandtaytum]

Can you guys do Now and Then (1995) or First Wives Club (1996)? they are both feel good classics from the 90s with female leads. Also, why do yall not have a patreon? it would be a good way to have polls on what movies to do next.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Awkwafina is such a good actor. I hope FILMMAKERS realise her asset of versatility in her roles.

[@halloweeninmay6810]

I can't ship them lol, the world was no longer threatened and "Heart" was gonna try and put the pieces of the body back together. So Raya believed her father and also tried to unite them. But fang was selfish and didn't think about the consequences of negatively disrupting the way things were ie war. Then years later Raya is once again trying to fix things and bring her father back, yet "Fang" refuses to do anything if it's not only for the prosperity of only them which has proven before to end badly. What Raya went through was dismissed as her being untrustworthy but why would you trust someone who caused you and the rest of the world to lose everything. Even is she trusted Sisu, Namaari's actions only proved her untrustworthy

[@halloweeninmay6810]

Long ass paragraph

[@halloweeninmay6810]

Not to mention Namaari is angry she has to go through 20 mins of what Raya has dealt with for 6 years

[@shineforeverz]

I thoroughly loved the gorgeous visuals and music! (character design, background, textures, different artstyles, action scenes etc) and seeing different cultures (thought it could've been better as a series). I was very entertained by the movie. I'm from SEA but I guess I was enjoying the movie too much to realize how bad the execution to forgiveness and trust. I would still rewatch it though

[@ThePreciseClimber]

> "though it could've been better as a series" My thought exactly. This could've been the Disney+ flagship animated series. They focus too much on live-action Marvel & Star Wars shows there. It could've been something like this: Premiere movie - basically the entire prologue with the betrayal and fall of Heart 12-episode Seasons 1-2-3-4 focusing on the Tail, Talon, Spine and Fang areas And then the finale movie that takes place back at Heart

[@cooliceprincess2641]

I'll have to disagree with you guys on this one. The movie is very poorly executed, and I'm not even talking about the cultural stuff. The movie's message is all over the place. Here's my reasoning. Sisu's character is really...hmm. Look at it like this. She's super trusting, has had experiences proving she SHOULDN'T trust people blindly throughout the movie, and STILL trust people blindly anyway. Not only that, Sisu's whole reasoning to persuade Raya to also trust others is also bullshit. She said her siblings trusted her, and that was what empowered her to save the world. But the thing is, OF COURSE you would trust your family. They know you, and you know them. There's rapport. There's time to get to KNOW one another, and there's MUTUAL LOVE AND CARE in that relationship. Raya and co in the other hand, do NOT have any of that with Namari. What did she ever do to earn their trust? Stare at Sisu's eyes tearfully? After *rewinding all the scenes where she appeared* betraying Raya, and then continuously fighting, insulting, and generally being antagonistic to her? And then once Raya and co made the decision to give Namari a chance to redeem herself, what did she do? Betray them. AGAIN. She pulled out a weapon, pointed it at Sisu, with her finger TIGHTENING ON THE TRIGGER. Like, I'm not ignoring the fact that Namari felt guilty, or that she does deep down have a good heart, but regardless of Namari's intentions and her own inner turmoil, from Raya's perspective, she had no reason to believe she wouldn't shoot Sisu. Namari never EARNED Raya's trust with her actions. So HOW is it also RAYA's fault that Sisu died? That was some high level gaslighting. Raya is the victim in this whole ordeal. Namari not only betrayed her feelings, but also hurt her physically and caused her to lose everything. And as Namari grows older and knows better, she STILL continues to antagonize Raya for the next 6 years. After all of that, Raya has all the right in the world to be distrustful of her. She would just be plain dumb to believe she won't shoot. Namari's guilt means nothing if she doesn't act on it. If an abusive parent is feeling guilty but still continues to abuse their child without any visible effort whatsoever to atone and be better, then they're still an abuser. The abused child therefore has no reason to forgive nor trust the parent to do better. By the same logic, Raya as the victim DOESN'T have any obligation to forgive Namari, much less trust her. Namari's supposed "redemption arc" happened too suddenly, at the tail end of the movie, with very bad reasoning and little to no gravity. When she finally responded correctly to Raya and co's trust, she did so when she practically had no other choice. You can say she has the choice to run instead of staying, but even if Namari ran away, it's been established that the gem's power is fading. She will be doomed anyway. In that case, between being turned to stone futilely later and taking the risk to stay and fix the gem that can reverse the petrification, it's not that hard of a choice to make. From the very beginning the only reason Namari even considered to switch sides was because Sisu, the dragon she idolized since childhood, gave her positive attention. Not because of her guilt towards Raya and the world, and not because helping Raya and co is the right thing to do. The movie said "someone has to take the first step." That's true. I do agree with Chief Benja's choice to give (moderate) trust to the other tribes, because that's just basic diplomacy. But in the case of Raya and Namari, the responsibility to take that first step shouldn't be on Raya, the victim, but rather on Namari, the abuser. The fact that the movie keeps pushing the idea that RAYA should be the one to forgive and trust Namari first instead of giving Namari proper character development to seek redemption herself is just...messed up. Had the movie shown Namari to ACT apologetic towards Raya for what she did, and not try to insult or beat down Raya every instance they meet; or heck, just give her ONE apology scene for all the pain and destruction she caused, I would be a lot less harsh on my opinion in the movie. But nooo, the movie just had to make their message absurd. "Trust people! even if they'd traumatized you, abuse you physically and mentally, never apologized or shown themselves to be regretful for it, and then blame YOU for shit THEY did!!" That is a very damaging message to tell an audience, especially kids. Like, honestly in my eyes the only thing I can praise about the movie is the animation quality. With that level of detail to the water texture and Sisu's mane, I expect Disney to not only treat my culture's representation with more respect, but also handle the plot and message with more care.

[@kevindominguezlopez150]

Not you guys hinting to possibly watching Aladdin 😄

[@mariawilde3121]

How? 😂

[@kevindominguezlopez150]

@@mariawilde3121 at the beginning, with the sofa comment xD

[@mariawilde3121]

@@kevindominguezlopez150 gotcha 😁

[@dancingsun2]

I still have yet to watch this movie, so this was like watching the movie for the first time with you guys :)

[@ricardaseven6083]

Yay so excited for Do Revenge!

[@alannagilmore8982]

It seems like a unalome rather than a school of fish

[@alannagilmore8982]

They have to forgive us if they can’t punish us…. Damn…

[@manuelconde-entomologiaeil6173]

I don't know if it would fit your channel profile, but think about making a reaction of Elvira, the mistress of darkness! ♥

[@neydaa_]

LOVE this movie. Took me too long to watch it but it was great

[@briannalorincz9293]

I hate this message. Because numari betrayed raya and even years later she’s never apologized to her,and the dragon constantly blindly trusts people. And she keeps getting captured and instead of the Dragon changing her mind or learning from it they constantly keep going with this trust message.

[@urvijain9638]

Guys love your videos but You have to do a video on “She’s the man” It’s a classic film and has great comedy scene Also with amazing cast like Channing Tatum ❤

[@ItsAsparageese]

That movie is far from classic. It aged really really really badly. Wouldn't mind watching them react to it but mainly because they'd have great critical commentary on everything wrong with it

[@samsmith2346]

Um excuse me, neither of you have seen Indiana Jones?? Please put Raiders of the Lost Ark on your list!!!

[@CafeDeDuy]

1:15 lol funny, as a Viet American, I’d say the movie is more Thai than Viet. From my POV that is. I wish it was more Viet

[@YehShuhu]

I really recommend The Last Song if you guys haven't seen it. Its technically not a disney film but its on disney plus but I think thats because of their contract with Miley Cyrus at the time or they just bought the rights. But its an amazing movie that has Miley Cyrus as the lead

[@marisoto9873]

This is not a way to teach people how trust like yes trust is usually given but when it’s broken then it’s earned. Great message concept horrible execution.

[@Auhsa]

I like the idea of what they were trying to do with the message of the movie but the execution was horrible and downright irresponsible. Trust someone who repeatedly hurts you and those around you? Trusting them to do the right thing when they've never, not once, done so in your presence. When really important matters are at stake? Forgiving such a person when they haven't even apologized? That's not only a bad lesson, it's dangerous. The only comparison to Avatar the Last Airbender for me is that AtLA had one of the best redemption arcs I can think of, unlike the weird mess this movie tries to pretend it had. Zuko did the work, even failed, did even more work, earned back the trust he'd broken, actually apologized and got there in the end. Granted that arc had a lot more time to take place but this movie seems to want the same emotional resolution but without Namaari having done anything to actually earn it. ''Yay, she saved herself at no cost to her whatsoever, everyone forgive her even though she hasn't apologized for any of the bad things she did, some of which lead to the crisis in the first place and also happened because the main character trusted her too much too soon but nevermind all that trust is good always okay, wooo!''. o_0

[@Ria-vj3ch]

I wanna see you guys react to the live action Mulan, I’ve heard varying opinions (mostly negative) but I wanna see what you guys think of it

[@Sabrina-jl4sp]

🎵🎹Oh how I wish that it would rain🌧🌧🌧🎹🎶

[@angel_cake9668]

Suggestion: Auzzie Isla Fishers Confessions of a Shopaholic

[@mrrd4444]

I really love Raya as a Filipino, but like. Can't justify why most of the cast was East Asian rather than Southeast Asian

[@neivilde.1242]

"that new kung fu CW show" meanwhile they're at season 3 lmao