Raya and the Last Dragon

Release Date: March 5, 2021

Watch Date: April 16, 2023

    Now here is a Disney Princess every little girl should grow up wanting to be.

    She’s complicated, flawed, but fierce. She is extremely capable and does not need a partner of any kind to save her, but at the same time she is capable of learning the value of trust and friendship. With her, Moana, and Mirabel, gone are the days of a princess trapped in a tower waiting for her one true love while being treated like crap – and accepting that status. Disney princesses kick butt and take names now, and I am so happy our daughter is growing up in this era. Our daughters are in good hands.

    My favourite character, despite all of the positives of Raya, has to be Sisu, because despite all I just said about the benefits of a character like Raya culturally, I too, always want to believe in the best of humanity – no matter how many times it tries to show me otherwise. I was raised with eternally hopeful and positive Disney princesses and I don’t know if that permanently changed my psyche, or if I would have always ended up this way. But for me, Sisu is relatable, Sisu makes sense. Sisu is where it’s at.

    So on top of there being two amazingly varied and interesting female leads, this film is also gorgeous. The varied landscapes show off the best of South-East Asia, Disney’s inspiration for the many locations of this film. The design of the dragons, even Sisu in her human form, is unique, friendly, and still capable of being extremely intimidating. This is a world you want to explore. I want to see more of the rich, dense, bamboo forests of Spine. I want to know why Heart was so prosperous. What Fang was like before they retreated to the capital? Is Talon just one city, and how do the people in Tail eke out a living?

    Humans refusing to work together is a fantastic villain and proves, once again, you don’t need an evil witch with a plot to kill the prettiest girl in the land to have a compelling narrative. The druun don’t actually feature too heavily, but their design is eerie and intimidating and they lurk at the edges of the story, giving you just enough fear and motivation to keep going forward without looming larger than the actual message they’re meant to represent.

    I am genuinely excited to put this on again for our kids and Bob, who had again somehow never seen this before, was completely riveted the entire time. We’d been waiting for the prefect day to watch this film during my birthday month, and I’m glad the opportunity finally appeared. This is a modern Disney classic that truly should not be missed.