Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

 Score: 5 / 5

Knowing very little about this movie going in, I was completely blown away by it. It begins with Raya, a young girl, who has grown up learning the stories of the dragons and how her homeland came to be. We learn along with her, in typical fantasy fashion, seeing the dragons and humans of a land called Kumandra living together in peace until a monstrous enemy called the Druun arrive, turning their victims to stone before multiplying like cancerous cells. In their last stand, a small group of dragons create a magical stone to stop the Druun and revive the humans before turning to stone themselves. Then the humans, desperate for the power to control the stone, divided themselves up along the river that sustains their land and schemed how to take it from Raya's kingdom.

The five realms of the humans are called together to Raya's kingdom for a feast. Benja, her father, is the primary guard of the magic stone and has been training Raya for that job as well; but more importantly, he has been training her to lead with kindness, hospitality, and peace, in the hopes that the kingdoms will unite someday. But, of course, lust for power prevails, the stone is broken and divided between the realms, the Druun return and decimate the populace, and Raya's father is petrified. It's a harrowing opening sequence, one that at first feels overwhelming due to its scope -- and its extensive fantasy terminology -- that, by the end, was almost too emotionally draining. A land divided? Greedy factions seeking control? Dashed hopes for reconciliation? A little direct, Disney.

Then the film jumps ahead six years, as Raya (now a badass rogue fighter and treasure seeker) travels across the land, much like the love child of Mad Max and Indiana Jones. She's looking for Sisu, the last dragon who created the magic stone, who she hopes can help her find the scattered pieces and vanquish the Druun. When she finds her, the movie bubbles with a sudden burst of infectious energy that never lets up until the credits roll. Beautiful animation, music, and storytelling are more than enough to make Raya and the Last Dragon a fabulous viewing experience, but this movie makes the most of Awkwafina as the titular dragon. Much like Robin Williams as Genie, Awkwafina lets herself loose on this material, eliciting laugh-out-loud responses from this viewer with almost every line. It helps that her counterpart, played by Kelly Marie Tran, so effectively plays a fully fleshed, deeply dynamic character. These parts are so well-rounded, and so skillfully voiced, that I felt more moved by their believability than almost any other animated movie I've ever seen.

Together, these two buddy-adventurers traverse the land, stealing the other pieces of the magic stone from their respective kingdoms while fleeing Namaari, Raya's former friend and now antagonist, after the same prize. Namaari gives off major queer vibes, and it's really nice that she's neither pathologized nor truly villainous. Actually, none of the characters in this movie give off full-villain energy, and it makes for a welcome extension to the newest fad in Disney features. Especially in a movie explicitly about East Asian cultures, featuring mostly female leads, it's ideal to not demonize anyone. While the various kingdoms seem to represent distinct cultures, I confess myself not always able to identify the traditions, architecture, and habiliments. And that's great! They are realistic enough to hopefully get kids (and all viewers) interested in expanding their awareness of East Asia, while not so specific as to caricaturize or simplify any particular culture.

And it's just a beautiful movie. This is state-of-the-art animation, from the water and the hair to the stunningly realized fighting style of the characters. Both classic and novel in equally important ways, this movie transports us like the Disney Golden Age features we love even as it shows us imagery and tells us stories we've never heard before. More importantly, the filmmakers never let the spectacle -- breakneck-paced as it is -- distract from the heavy, dense, and timely themes. There are crucial emotional stakes here, as we are repeatedly reminded that this isn't just Raya hoping to save her father and her newfound friends (one from each kingdom, who combine into a hilariously funky ragtag group of weirdos); her primary goal is to unite the land. It so easily could have been about a girl, chosen by magic, to save the day, but it's not that movie at all. Instead, this is heady, complex theming that trusts its audience -- especially children -- to accept and handle the difficult questions while having a really great time.