Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Released in March 2021, Raya and the Last Dragon arrived at an unusual moment for theatrical animation: distributed simultaneously in cinemas and on Disney+ Premier Access during the tail end of pandemic-era restrictions, it found its audience in living rooms as much as on the big screen. The film is set in the fictional world of Kumandra, a land shaped by Southeast Asian geography, mythology and culture, and represents one of the more ambitious attempts by a major American studio to centre a Disney animated feature on those traditions. Walt Disney Animation Studios drew on the visual languages, architecture, textiles and folklore of countries including Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia, working with a cultural trust of consultants throughout production to ensure the world-building had genuine grounding rather than surface-level decoration.

The film is co-directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada. Hall is a long-standing figure at the studio, whose earlier work there includes the rather more modest Winnie the Pooh. López Estrada, by contrast, came to the project primarily from live-action, which perhaps explains something of the film's visual ambition and its interest in grounded, kinetic action. The screenplay, credited to Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, works from an original story rather than a pre-existing book or fairy tale, which gave the production both freedom and the considerable challenge of building an entirely new mythology from scratch. The world it constructs is genuinely expansive, divided into five rival lands, each with its own distinct character, all of them haunted by a corrupting supernatural threat called the Druun.

The voice cast is an interesting mix of registers and registers. Kelly Marie Tran, best known from live-action work, leads as Raya, the warrior at the centre of the quest. Awkwafina voices Sisu, the last surviving dragon, bringing the kind of loose, improvisational comic energy she has made something of a signature. Gemma Chan, Izaac Wang and Alan Tudyk (a reliable presence in Disney Animation productions over the past decade) round out a cast that has reasonable range on paper. Whether that range translates fully to screen is a question worth sitting with. For comparison's sake, it is worth recalling what a strong voice ensemble can do for an animated feature: both Trolls and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are useful reference points from this site's archive when thinking about what animation does and doesn't need from its cast. Running at 107 minutes, Raya is a polished but unremarkable length for a Disney feature of this type, never outstaying its welcome but not always filling the time with quite the weight its premise implies.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a visually stunning film, easily one of Disney’s most beautiful animated features. The world of Kumandra is rich with detail, blending Southeast Asian cultures into lush landscapes, intricate costumes, and fluid, dynamic action sequences. The animation, especially in the water, magic, and dragon movements, is breathtaking, and Awkwafina brings playful energy as Sisu, the goofy, optimistic dragon who may be humanity’s last hope. The ambition is there: a story about trust, fractured kingdoms, and healing after generations of division. Raya herself is a strong, capable heroine on a quest to reunite a broken world. But for all its strengths, the film never quite reaches its full potential. The plot feels familiar (chosen one, magical quest, band of misfits) and moves through beats without much surprise or emotional depth. The voice acting is fine, but not memorable; Awkwafina’s performance leans heavily on her usual quirks, and Kelly Marie Tran, while sincere as Raya, is given dialogue that often feels flat or overly earnest. It could have been fantastic, a true cultural milestone with a gripping story to match its beauty, but it settles for being solid rather than spectacular. The themes are important, the visuals are award-worthy, but the execution lacks the heart and originality of Disney’s best. Beautiful to look at, enjoyable while it lasts, but ultimately more style than soul. A missed opportunity wrapped in dazzling animation. Worth watching, just don’t expect magic.

For me, that tension between visual ambition and narrative delivery is what I keep coming back to. The craft on display is genuinely impressive, and I don't want to dismiss what the animation team achieved. But a beautiful film and a great film aren't the same thing, and Disney of all studios ought to know the difference by now. There's a version of this story that could have been genuinely affecting, something that earned its themes of division and reconciliation rather than just stated them. As it stands, it's a film I'd happily put on again for the animation alone, but one I'd struggle to recommend to someone who needed to be convinced. Worth your time, then. Just pack your expectations accordingly.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2021  | Watched: 2025-10-10

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Trailer

▶ Watch the official trailer for Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) on YouTube

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

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More from Don Hall: Winnie the Pooh (2011)
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More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)