Welp I finally watched Raya and the Last Dragon after all this time waiting.
right off the bat I wanna say I really liked this movie, I was a little worried at first because modern Disney I don’t think does it’s fairytale stories as good as they use to but thankfully this movie I thought was way better then Frozen and Moana were.
I do have some personal issues with the film, first off a large chunk of the film feels very modern Disney channel with dialogue and acting that feels less timeless and more modernized for today’s audience and kids (same problem I have with Tangled, Frozen, and Moana). Don’t get me wrong if they want to make a cute cartoon with funny moments there’s noting wrong with that, that’s what I always loved about classic Disney films but when you are telling this very serious kind of story and wanting to respect other cultures I think it’s best to maybe not include a lot of catchphrases and words like “Awesome” and “Nerd” which don’t fit with this movie’s environment. Also Sisu is okay and I get she’s suppose to be like the Genie and Mushu personality wise but I don’t think it works quite the same way as they do (Awkwafina does still do a good job with the role). I also can’t help but feel the story for this film operates more like a video game which I guess isn’t bad if it’s done right but I do appreciate movies where you don’t always know where they are gonna go, and of course the Con baby I think is a little ridiculous for a movie such as this.
Now with that said thankfully this movie got a lot better moving forward, the story is still well told, the characters are likeable and interesting; I like that Raya was not made out to be a mary sue or anything like that, it’s also neat to see a Disney princess who is kinda an antagonist, the animation is beautiful to look at as always (even though I am more into hand drawn) the action scenes are good, the music is good, and when the movie does take itself seriously I am invested in what’s happening. I also thought the ending was good though it might have felt a little rushed, but let’s just say this movie did better what M. Night’s adaptation of Avatar couldn’t so at least it has that going for it.
Final thoughts: this was actually good and definitely is worth checking out.