Raya and the Last Dragon
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: March 5, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 48 Critic Reviews
Positive:
38
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonMar 2, 2021
Sure to be an instant animated classic as it expertly balances emotion, humor and social politics amid a backdrop of surreal, eye-popping visual beauty. Read full review
100
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMar 1, 2021
The film is crammed with so much transporting spectacle and visual invention, it feels epic even at living-room size. Read full review
90
Christian Science MonitorLindsey McGinnisMar 11, 2021
As I watched Raya, Namaari, and Sisu grapple with anger, fear, and self-doubt, I realized “Raya” had done something few films even try – it allowed three well-developed female characters to drive the story. Read full review
90
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeMar 1, 2021
It’s a film with a lot on its mind and plenty of plot and character plates to spin, but the results are both impressive and exciting. Read full review
88
ABC NewsPeter TraversMar 5, 2021
The sisters are doing it for themselves and one of them is a dragon in a wild, animated wonder ride from Disney that radiates female empowerment and comes at you in a whoosh of creative ideas in full eruption. Read full review
88
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMar 2, 2021
Disney’s gorgeously animated, entertainingly told fantasia Raya and the Last Dragon is a visual feast. Read full review
88
ObserverBrandon KatzMar 1, 2021
The film is nothing short of a joyous experience that champions a hopeful optimism in humanity’s ability to trust one another despite ample evidence to the contrary. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineDan RubinsMar 1, 2021
On its own gorgeously depicted terms, this film sticks the landing as a celebration of hope, a manifestation of what unfettered trust in our shared humanity could look like. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoMar 1, 2021
It's an ambitious family film that will work for all ages, and one that never talks down to its audience while presenting them with an entertaining, thought-provoking story. It also contains some of the most striking imagery Disney has ever produced, dropping its characters in a world that feels both classic and new at the same time. Read full review
85
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Aparita BhandariMar 1, 2021
Any excuse to tune out the real world and escape into a fantasy land is welcome – especially through a film that’s about trust and the loving bond between family and friends, and also manages to deliver a couple of solid laughs in between. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattMar 2, 2021
If Raya's outlines and endpoint are strictly fairy-tale familiar (evil is vanquished, good triumphs, reconstituted dragons romp), the movie feels fresh not just for the mere fact of its female-forward and predominately Asian cast, but for the breeziness with which it bears the weight of Disney history. Read full review
83
IndieWireKate ErblandMar 1, 2021
As the Disney princess brand has continued to evolve, from the introduction of newbies like Moana to the continuing popularity of classics like Tiana and Mulan, Raya and the Last Dragon is a sterling example of how the trope still has room to grow — while proving that some of the original ingredients can still deliver the goods. Read full review
82
Paste MagazineJacob OllerMar 1, 2021
A splendid showcase for Tran, a lead duo of inventive and endearing original characters, and a big final swing make Disney’s tour through Kumandra one worth taking even if it’s shy of a tour de force. Raya and the Last Dragon is an admirably mature tale in a rich and vibrant world that parents and kids alike won’t mind trekking across over and over again. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Simran HansMar 7, 2021
There is an incandescence and a buoyancy to the animation that elevates the formula. Read full review
80
Total FilmKevin HarleyMar 5, 2021
It might not venture into the unknown, but Raya takes spirited wing. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreMar 4, 2021
Raya and the Last Dragon is a reminder of the things that Disney has always been capable of doing so well at its heights, a marvel of character design, world-building, and canny choices. It unfurls a richly realized Southeast Asia–inspired fantasy realm called Kumandra, made up of craggy deserts, snowy bamboo forests, floating markets, and canal-shielded cities. Read full review
80
Film ThreatAlan NgMar 1, 2021
Not only is it gorgeous, but an excellent primer for the young set into South Asian culture. Read full review
80
IGNNicole ClarkMar 1, 2021
Raya and the Last Dragon is a beautifully animated, action-packed hero’s journey, and a great next evolution of Disney’s modern-day princess films. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonMar 1, 2021
A marvellously colourful and emotional adventure, Raya And The Last Dragon compellingly argues that the world is a dark place — but the only way to heal it is to hold onto hope. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterInkoo KangMar 1, 2021
Raya and the Last Dragon occasionally crawls, but most of the time it’s got urgency and momentum to spare. Just as impressively, it builds to a deeply moving climax whose resolution is unexpected yet consummate. This is a film that knows how to soar. Read full review
80
EmpireBen TravisMar 1, 2021
Disney delivers a vibrant action-fantasy epic with another heroine who feels legitimately revolutionary. Read full review
75
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenApr 1, 2021
A triumph of design, Raya and the Last Dragon is held back by a lackluster story, one cobbled together from various influences (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, an array of Southeast Asian cultures) and bent in service of a tortured—and somewhat confused—lesson about learning to trust. Read full review
75
Vanity FairRichard LawsonMar 11, 2021
It’s a fun movie, packed with escapades and just-shy-of-cloying cutesy humor, but there is a resonant depth, too. Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiMar 4, 2021
Raya doesn’t have any coming-of-age experiences, she doesn’t sing, she’s not trying to please her father, there’s no romance subplot, nobody helps her get dressed. What there are are crossbows and swords. And on that front, it is a success. The battles and missions in each separate place are visually exciting. Read full review
75
The Associated PressLindsey BahrMar 4, 2021
Raya is undoubtedly a visual feast. It’s also the best kind of feminist film in that it’s one that doesn’t clobber you with the message. Raya is allowed to be awesome without the script shouting about it all the time and it’s better for it. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 2, 2021
A visually arresting, consistently entertaining story featuring a host of endearing and memorable characters. Everyone in the ensemble is excellent, but the standout is Awkwafina, who does some of the best animated voice work I’ve ever heard. Read full review
75
The Film StageJared MobarakMar 1, 2021
Let this tale be a stepping-stone then—a beautifully rendered and energetic one at that. Let it entertain while planting the seeds of acceptance and understanding so our children can build upon that foundation and be better than the insular generations that failed before them. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittMar 1, 2021
The film wrestles with tonal inconsistencies but features fantastic action scenes to go with a touching underlying narrative about the power of trust. Read full review
75
SlashfilmHoai-Tran BuiMar 1, 2021
One film shouldn’t have to handle the weight of representing an entire geographic region, and I don’t expect Raya and the Last Dragon to do so, though it appears to desperately want to. But taken purely as an action epic, Raya and the Last Dragon is a real treat. Read full review
70
CNNBrian LowryMar 5, 2021
There's some gorgeous imagery along the way, and a strong payoff after what amounts to the episodic nature of Raya's journey. But the film feels too conspicuously like a work by committee than one of inspiration (the film credits four directors or co-directors, and 10 names as having contributed to the story), missing the spark that has characterized the studio's best animated fare, including Pixar's recent "Soul." Read full review
70
Rolling StoneDavid FearMar 4, 2021
And while the action-set pieces and stand-offs and Raya–ders of the Lost Ark sequences are indeed thrilling, it’s the buddy-comedy aspect that actually makes the movie come alive. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangMar 1, 2021
Raya herself is an appealing amalgam of countless smart, unpretentious, down-to-earth action heroes before her — the kinds of characters that, as with this movie, you gravitate toward as much for their familiarity as for their novelty. Read full review
70
Screen RantMolly FreemanMar 1, 2021
It's certainly a good family-friendly movie for viewers young and old, but those who have enjoyed Disney Animation's offerings in recent years will find plenty to enjoy. With richly detailed animation, exciting action and a compelling story about trust, Raya and the Last Dragon has all the makings of a modern Disney classic. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMar 8, 2021
For a film that is so fresh, thrilling and overdue in its very existence, just by having three Asian-American women leads, the narrative seems hidebound: for a story that break so far from the traditions of the Disney fairytale, it's still deeply predictable. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubDanette ChavezMar 1, 2021
When Raya And The Last Dragon takes the time to ruminate on grief and recovery from trauma, it meaningfully distinguishes itself from the rest of the princess oeuvre. Just as unique as the film’s world-building is its sense of hope burnished by loss, not undermined by it. Only the Disney boilerplate messaging—believe in yourself/others—obscures the power of this moving tale and how it captures, intentionally or not, a specific form of sorrow. Read full review
67
The PlaylistRobert DanielsMar 1, 2021
For all the enchanting elements, the kooky lovable sidekicks, and spirited voice performances from Awkwafina and Tran — the warmth shaking the ash from this well-worn story is the gift of family. The family we are born with. The family we make. The Southeast Asian-inspired “Raya and the Last Dragon” conjures some much-needed magic for a modicum of fun. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 3, 2021
Raya and the Last Dragon should entertain children but adults may fidget from time-to-time and the overall impression is of something that, like many middling Disney titles, will quickly be forgotten. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 1, 2021
“Raya” is a pleasant enough kids’ adventure — “Raiders of the Lost Ark” meets “Mulan” who is now a “Tomb Raider.” Read full review
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