Disney is a legendary company for a reason. Not just because they’ve purchased every popular franchise under the sun. Their stellar reputation came from their run of amazing animated films, so a new animated release is always exciting.
With the recent release of its trailer, Disney is giving us a more detailed look into Raya and the Last Dragon. Besides the obvious—that this is a film about a girl named Raya and it somehow involves a dragon—we know that the film takes place in the fantasy world of Kumandra. Although humans and dragons lived peacefully long ago, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity from an evil force. Five hundred years later, the same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the fabled last dragon to bring humanity together. Set in her solitary lifestyle with a mantra to “trust no one”, Raya must learn that this is one battle she’ll be unable to win alone.
As can be expected from a big budget Disney film, the cast of voice actors is stellar. Kelly Marie Tran voices the intrepid Raya; Awkwafina is the legendary dragon, Sisu; Gemma Chan voices Raya’s nemesis, Namaari; Daniel Dae Kim is Raya’s father, Benja; Sandra Oh is Namaari’s mother, Virana; Benedict Wong is Tong, a formidable giant; Isaac Wang is Boun, a young entrepreneur; Thalia Tran is mischievous toddler Little Noi; Alan Tudyk is Raya’s trusty steed; Lucille Soong is Dang Hu, the leader of the land of Talon; Patti Harrison is the chief of the Tail land; and Ross Butler is chief of the Spine land.
Raya and the Last Dragon is directed by Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada with Paul Briggs and John Ripa co-directing. With movie-goers still wary about going to the theaters, the film will be concurrently released in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on March 5, 2021.
