Raya and the Last Dragon

 Sadly, this Disney movie bombed at the box office, due to the fact of "that epidemic" coming out of the east and ravaging social life for 2 years going.

Inspired by traditional South-East asian cultures, the one thing about this movie it has been mostly made by working at home with digital tools, which is a fine example of technology if you ask me though!

Five hundred years ago, the subcontinent of Kumandra is ravaged by the Druun, a demonic race that turns people into stone statues.  Opposing them are the Dragons, creatures born of water (which the Druun fear) but their numbers are to small.  One by one they fall, unitl the last dragon Sisu receives a gem made from the magic of her siblings, blasting the Druun away and reviving the people but not the dragons.

As the continent struggles for the power of the gem, it becomes split up into five nations: Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon and Tail.  In the present, chief Benja tries to re-unify Kumandra, but at the ceremony he is betrayed and as a result the Druun are freed and ravage the lands.

Six years later, his daughter Raya, who survived the initial onslaught, is travelling the world in order to restore the dragon gem.  She finds Sisu, reincarnating her.  As she gains slowly more power, by the collecting of more shards, she starts to gain the powers of her siblings.  Along the way Raya befriends people from other nations, like young captain Boun, Noi who is a swindling baby with her three monkey companions, and Tong (the always excellent Benedict Wong).

As they manage to collect all shards except the one of Fang, the nation who betrayed them at first true her friend Naamari. But once again the plan goes wrong, and Naamari accidentally kills Sisu.  As the last dragon falls, the water recedes and Fang is overrun by the Druun.  The group finds themselves surrounded with the power of the gems starting to fade, as Raya figures it out: it was all about forgiveness and faith in each other.  One by one, they step forward and give their gem to Naamari, accepting their fate of becoming stone statues.

Naamari falls as well, but then suddenly the gem starts glowing, and a blast blows the Druun away, reviving mankind once more... but this time, also the dragons (note, VERY epic scene in the movie) as the water first returns, followed by a true force of dragons returning to the world.

As Raya returns home to her revived father, she brings "some friends"as representatives of the other nations appear longside her, and Kumandra is reformed.

 

Okay, let's be honest, this is a FINE movie, the only thing perhaps misplaced in it is maybe the comical notes.  It doesn't work alongside, rather it does work distracting.  Skip out those few attempts, and you have one mighty asian inspired tale on your hands to watch.

 

Severly underrated Disney movie for sure.