Saturday, April 17, 2021

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

IMDb plot summary: In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.
Directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada. Starring Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, and Gemma Chan.

I love that this story makes the primary protagonist, antagonist, and sidekick all female. That hardly ever happens on film, and that was a delight to see her. I also really enjoyed the main lesson of trust and the variety of side characters we get throughout the story. Sisu as a character took me quite awhile to get on board with, as she falls into my least favorite brand of Disney sidekicks -- the wisecracking goofball full of cultural anachronisms that take me out of the story -- but they eventually integrate her nicely with the story, and I really enjoyed her by the end. The designs of these characters and worlds are a fascinating mix of Asian-inspired fairy tale and post-apocalyptic Mad Max steampunk. Overall a familiar plot with some unique takes on character and design.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Raya and the Last Dragon > One, Two, Three
Raya and the Last Dragon > Whip It
Raya and the Last Dragon < Revengers Tragedy
Raya and the Last Dragon < School of Rock
Raya and the Last Dragon > Is It College Yet?
Raya and the Last Dragon > The Babadook
Raya and the Last Dragon > Atonement
Raya and the Last Dragon < Colossal
Raya and the Last Dragon > The Bumblebee Flies Anyway
Raya and the Last Dragon > Big Trouble in Little China
Raya and the Last Dragon < The Farewell
Final spot: #642 out of 3342, or 81%.

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