Filled with action, magic and adventure, Disney doesn’t disappoint with Raya and the Last Dragon opening in movie theaters and on Disney + with premier access. The film jumps off to a good start, builds a nice story and then turns it into an action filled journey to bring back the fantasy world of Kumandra. Disney does what they do best and that’s provide entertainment for families and with this one their target audience is adolescent to older teens.
Heading the land of Heart is Benja (Daniel Dae Kim), a single father and chief of a land that believes in love for all. His daughter Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) has become a fierce martial arts fighter and wants to protect their people from those who would want to dominate the world of Kumandra. With the protective dragons turned to stone so many years ago in an attack by the Druuns, they are helpless against the powerful evil.
On this one day, Benja has invited the other tribes of Tail, Talon, Spine and Fang to try once more to have peace between them. Only being bound by a fight against the evil Druun, they fear that their people will be turned into stone statues if they let their guard down. But Benja thinks he can get the tribes to work together against Druun, a challenge that seems hopeless.
With Raya’s mind set on defeating Druun by finding Sisu (Awkwafina) the only dragon that’s still alive and hiding in the realm, she sets out with her trusty Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk). Directors Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada create some exciting characters from each of the lands. Heading up the crafty tribe of Fang is Queen Virana (Sandra Oh) and her strong willed warrior daughter Princess Namaari (Gemma Chan) who are adversaries. Joining with Raya are the characters from other lands that include a smart 10-year-old boy named Boun (Izaac Wang), the tough and daunting giant named Tong, and a thieving group lead by the child “Little Noi” (Thalia Tran) with her shoplifting Ongis.
The film is a lot of fun even for us adults that appreciate a good action film that entertains with a lively story. Much like the animated adventures of Moana, Mulan, and PIXAR’s Brave, Raya and the Last Dragon has a strong female lead character that sets out to fight for their land. I like the script filed with a lot of surprises, some nice twists and a very heartfelt ending.
Accompanying Raya and the Last Dragon is a short film called “Us Again”. The sweet music and dance movie centers on an older couple who think back at when they first met. It’s one of the better short films put out by Disney and one the older folks with find very uplifting.
Raya and the Last Dragon has been rated PG by the MPAA for some violence, action and thematic elements. There are some intense sword fighting scenes and a few bad manners, but nothing mature youngsters can’t handle. The film opens in movie theaters this Friday March 5th and on Disney + with Premiere Access. My rating is 5 Stars for the target group and 4.0 for the rest of the ages.
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
