Moana, where a young heroine also embarks on a quest to save her beloved family and land.
But just like how
Moana is refreshing because of the Polynesian cultures integrated into the story, the writers of
Raya and the Last Dragon, Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen, manage to trace back their Southeast Asian roots (the former is Malaysian American while the latter is Vietnamese American) and incorporate them into the movie in small details.
Look no further than in the design of the characters. Where most Hollywood productions centering on Asian and/or Asian American stories tend to only feature characters with pale skin, the characters in
While this figure is considerably lower by pre-health crisis standards, it should be noted that the film (helmed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada) is also available to Disney+ subscribers for a one-time Premier Access fee of $29.99. Disney may eventually release streaming numbers, but for now, it s unclear how many households didn t to stream to movie in favor of braving a local theater. Internationally, the animated fantasy feature did much better, raking in $26 million for a global bow of $34.6 million. Not a bad haul for an opening weekend in the current times, but not great either, especially since high-end animated projects come with a price tag of around $100 million, writes
Raya and the Last Dragon: Qui Nguyen Explains the Authenticity of the Film s Fight Scenes
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Raya and the Last Dragon is now in theaters where available and streaming on Disney+ Premier Access and while the film is drawing critical praise for a number of elements including story, performances, and animation one of the things that has impressed audiences and critics is the film s realism. The first Disney animated film to center around Southeast Asian culture, there are a lot of details in the film that are authentic to the region including the martial arts depicted in its fight scenes. Now,
Raya and the Last Dragon Introduces Disney’s First Southeast Asian Princess. Advocates Say Hollywood Representation Shouldn’t Stop There Time 3/6/2021
The arrival of
Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney’s latest animated movie, brings cause for celebration among many in Asian and Asian-American communities. The film is a landmark moment for Southeast Asian representation in Hollywood: Raya is Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess, and is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, the first Southeast Asian actor to lead an animated feature from the studio. Set in the fantasy land of Kumandra, which Disney has said is inspired by the cultures of Southeast Asia, the story follows the quest of the eponymous heroine as she searches for the fabled dragon Sisu in order to restore a broken world. The film which is available on Disney+ with Premier Access and in select theaters on March 5 was co-written by Vietnamese-American screenwriter Qui Nguyen and Malaysian-American screenwriter Adele Li