What stands as visually remarkable, can't be made up for in a movie treading through shallow waters.
Making a splash on Disney+ and available in (some) theaters around the nation this weekend, is Raya and the Last Dragon. Directed by Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada, Raya is a story about the titular Raya (voiced wonderfully by Kelly Marie Tran) maneuvering the landscapes of a dystopian Kumandra. A future where five colonies have put up their defenses since Raya’s mistake in trusting the Fang princess, Namaari (Gemma Chan). With the fate of the world on the cusp of humankind being turned to stone, Raya sets a course across a barren Kumandra in hopes of acquiring all five pieces of Sisu’s gem to replenish the life of the world. Along the way she’ll face foes, and forge new fellowships in the wake of their own destruction. If any of that sounds familiar, it’s because Raya and the Last Dragon is caught staring at various other movies and TV shows that have done the story better, and with more depth.
With movies being around as long as they have, it is easy to say that there are no true original movies anymore. This hasn’t stopped any great storytellers from twisting, bending, or evolving decades old tropes, clichés, or narrative stepping stones to benefit their movie. Everyone who loves making movies is inspired by something or someone whether it’s in the movie business or not. The problem with Raya is that it’s comparisons to Lord of the Rings, The Last Airbender, or other Disney films are apt, but it is too interested in being all of those stories, it can’t make way in being its own. This all begins with an opening sequence narrated by Raya that essentially lays out a beat for beat “catch the audience up” akin to Nickelodeon’s, The Last Airbender. It is incredibly blatant, and nearly the exact reflection of that show's prologue. This instantly leaves a strange taste in the mouth if you’re familiar with it in the slightest. Not only do we see a younger Raya donning an eerily similar blue get up to Airbender’s Kataara, but then the plot is set into motion and the similarities pile on.
As mentioned previously, Raya sets out to discover Sisu, the last dragon. A glowing blue dragon that harnesses the power of water, voiced by a gleeful Awkwafina. Now that the plot is drawn out, the story is going to fill between the lines and we’re going to get deep into the world and characters. Wrong. The identity of this world is vast in its visual fidelity, but it’s all table dressing for dinner that will never be served. It creates this idea that there is story and world to get lost in, but all it really is, is plot. It’s a Macguffin chaser without unique characters, a developed word, or a captivating story. Raya and the Last Dragon becomes a checkbox of visually distinct settings without any individuality. Towns float on the water, or have become lost in the sands of time, but there’s nothing within these areas that spark interest. They all contain the same Macguffin, with a new character to add to the fellowship, and on to the next one. It’s upsetting when you can see the potential of a world worth exploring stripped of personality. Especially when the animation is as sharp and delightful as the 4K stream allows it to be.
Within each of these sections of the map, there is a chase sequence or fight. All of the action looks and sounds terrific. Edits are clever and never disorienting, the scenery lends itself to the scale of the action, and it can be exciting to watch. This may be the first time since Big Hero 6 where the action in a Disney movie was one of the biggest takeaways. When you consider how versatile, talented, and well utilized the cast is, it can make these sequences pop like they intend to, but shortly after it’s another descent into familiarity. Structurally this exists within the boundaries of many movies we’ve seen before. Especially Disney movies. Again, most movies exist within the same structure as many others, but how do they draw distinction to level with itself? Raya doesn’t really do that because it’s so caught up in wanting to be like so many other movies and shows we’ve seen, that whatever chance they had at being individual, ends up not happening at all.
You’ll find glaring, blatant visual, storytelling, and vocal similarities to so many stories that have been told to you, you’ll be wondering what movie you’re watching. There are times when you have to wonder how or if they’re going to get off easy for some eerie comparisons, that some rumblings from other artists may be around the corner. That sounds dramatic, but when you see it or hear it, you might wince when you recall Disney’s history with this type of stuff before. That’s not fair of me to say that they intentionally ripped off or plagiarized the hard work of many other people, it could be too close to call, but some instances may make the Lion King to Kimba situation look like a happy accident.
As we near 100 years of movies existing as we understand them now, it’s going to become increasingly difficult to forge a true, original path. For Disney, a company with a long history of spawning era defining magic from the glowing mouse, to a rejuvenated Robert Downey Jr., their fairy dust may be losing some of its effect. Narratively, structurally, Raya and the Last Dragon is a recycled catalogue of characters, story development, and Disney’s greatest hits, whether they created those hits or didn’t. This is all external storytelling with recalls of other female protagonists with more emotional depth within a larger than life world around them. Nothing about this story is internalized or interested in confronting the ranges at which one little girl caused the world to shift. It’s snappy and only interested in leaping to a new scene to unleash visuals decorated by water paint without allowing the protagonist a time to reflect. All of the characters who join her are also a slight variation of herself. They share a mutual goal, which resembles some form of rippling universality, but they exist to acquire a new side character to make the final levels of a video game easier. When you consider it’s plot, yeah, Raya and the Last Dragon is essentially a video game without any of the immersion.
Thanks to my Patrons:
Rakesh Raja
Manny Magallon
Jacob Baker
Roger M. Arbisi
Louisa Payden
James Rivera
Markus Harlan
Caleb Robinson
Orly Macias
Sydney Uphouse
Sasa Bratic