Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
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A warrior princess must find a fabled dragon to save her land from a destructive force.
The story
In the prosperous land of Kumandra, humans and dragons live together until the Druun, mindless spirits of destruction, petrify everything in their path. The only thing standing against them is a magical gem, which was shattered into five pieces following a power struggle. Years later, a warrior princess named Raya seeks the fabled last dragon, Sisu, to help her reassemble the gem and defeat the Druun. Along her journey, she must navigate a fractured land and overcome her own distrust of others to find the strength to save her people and her father.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Kumandra was once a prosperous land where humans and dragons coexisted until the Druun, mindless spirits of destruction, began petrifying everything. Sisu, the last dragon, saved the people by hiding her magic in a gem, but the resulting power struggle split the land into five chiefdoms. 500 years later, the warrior princess Raya protects the gem's remains. After a betrayal by Namaari, the princess of the Fang tribe, the gem is shattered, and the Druun are released. Raya sets out with her steed, Tuk Tuk, to find Sisu. They travel through the various lands, gathering allies like Boun, Little Noi, and Tong. Along the way, they collect the shards of the gem, which grant Sisu various powers. In a climactic confrontation in Fang, a misunderstanding leads to Sisu's apparent death. Realizing that her lack of trust caused the tragedy, Raya chooses to trust her enemies and allies. By reassembling the gem with the help of her friends, a massive wave of magic clears the Druun and restores the land, reviving the dragons and the people of Kumandra.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Don Hall; Carlos López Estrada
- Writers
- Qui Nguyen · screenplay; Adele Lim · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kelly Marie Tran · Raya; Awkwafina · Sisu; Izaac Wang · Boun; Gemma Chan · Namaari; Daniel Dae Kim · Chief Benja; Benedict Wong · Tong; Sandra Oh · Virana; Thalia Tran · Little Noi; Lucille Soong · Dang Hu; Alan Tudyk · Tuk Tuk
- Genres
- animated; fantasy; action; comedy
- Themes
- trust; feminism; cultural diversity; environmental harmony
- Tone and mood
- epic; adventurous; emotional
- Premise and plot tags
- quest; buddy film; mythology
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, praised for its animation, diverse cast, and cultural themes, though some critics noted issues with cultural specificity.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 303; Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 48; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Animated Feature · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was inspired by traditional Southeast Asian cultures.; The film was twice delayed from its November 2020 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.; The film became the third-most-streamed film of 2021.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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