Raya and the Last Dragon

5

TitaniumDragonMar 24, 2021

Raya and the Last Dragon - or Raya and her Trust Issues - is a decent but unexceptional CG animated movie from Disney. The movie features vibrant and striking visuals, but a cast of essentially two characters plus a bunch of character shapedRaya and the Last Dragon - or Raya and her Trust Issues - is a decent but unexceptional CG animated movie from Disney. The movie features vibrant and striking visuals, but a cast of essentially two characters plus a bunch of character shaped props.

It is a movie whose moral is that it is only by extending trust can we expect trust in return wherein the ENTIRE PLOT is driven by people backstabbing those who were foolish enough to trust them.

No fewer than two characters on two separate occasions are shot and killed by people with crossbows after extending their trust to the wrong people.

And this is, ultimately, a major problem with the movie - it not only actively undermines its own moral but encourages the idea that people who hurt you are good deep down inside and just need the chance to show it - even though a number of the people show that they are tribalistic and don't care about anyone outside their tribe.

Of course, this coming from the studio that brought us Stockholm Syndrome and the Beast, perhaps this shouldn’t surprise us.

But let me back up for a moment.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a movie about a young woman named Raya who previously was assigned to protect the Dragon Gem, a magical artifact created by the last of the dragons 500 years ago to hold back horrible fire monsters that were turning everyone in the world to stone. Raya’s father invites the other peoples of the world to the country of Heart to all come together, as they once did long ago, and have there be peace between the peoples of the world.

As you might have guessed, this results in the other nations taking advantage of their hospitality to try and seize the Dragon Gem, resulting in it shattering, which causes the horrible fire monsters to come back and start turning everyone to stone, including Raya’s father. The only thing that can hold the monsters at bay are fragments of the Dragon Gem, of which there are five – and the leaders of each of the four other groups seize a chunk, in addition to the piece that Raya herself holds.

Six years later, Raya is a grown adult and is searching the world for the last dragon. She eventually finds her, discovering that the dragon has been in a sort of stasis for the last 500 years, but finds out that the dragon can’t just make another gem – that gem was created by the combined magics of the last five dragons, so the only way to fix it is to reassemble all the pieces.

Que the MacGuffin hunt.

While this might sound like it is a movie about a girl and her dragon, as it turns out, the other main character of the movie is actually Namaari. Namaari is another young woman who appears in the introduction, trying to befriend Raya, only to reveal her actual purpose in doing so was to steal the Dragon Gem. It is Namaari’s fault that the world is broken, and throughout the movie, Namaari is hunting Raya, trying to figure out what it is that Raya is after and to seize the artifacts from her.

The two young women clash repeatedly throughout the movie in a number of well-choreographed fight scenes that are nice to watch, and the relationship between them works pretty well – while they hate each other, there’s also a certain thread of familiarity between them, and we see at certain moments that Namaari regrets what happened on some level but doesn’t believe things can be fixed. Of course, this thread of hope is repeatedly dashed as Namaari repeatedly does things to keep furthering the fight between the two young women, and Raya herself is unwilling to tell Namaari what is really going on, concealing her quest from her because of their past together.

This is all well and good, but the other characters are extremely flat.

Sisu, the titular Last Dragon, is endlessly full of optimism and trust. The movie seemed like maybe it was going to create some sort of middle ground with her, but there is no character development for Sisu. She starts the movie the same way that she ends it, and there’s no real changes at any point.

The rest of the cast gets even less screen time, and all rehash the same backstory of having lost their family to the monsters. While there are a couple of good moments here and there, they don’t really get developed.

Meanwhile, everyone else in the world has Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, in a movie about trust. And indeed, two of these “party members” themselves backstab the party at some point.

All of this might make it sound like I didn’t enjoy this movie, but I actually did enjoy myself while watching it. The main reason why is the visuals.

This movie has really vibrant colors, and does a really good job of making its world pop, and the environments are distinctive. The action in the movie works well as well. The fight scenes look great, as do the dragon’s power ups, little as they are used. Ironically, the dragon herself is probably the weakest bit of visual design in the movie.

Overall, the movie is mediocre. Okay, even. But not great.… Expand

6 of 8 users found this helpful62

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5

gubo97000Mar 6, 2021

Simply bland, they got the tech but not the heart. But hey! Look at the water simulation, and we got the creepy toddler with the monkeys, you can't not like it!

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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5

LastHope17Jul 10, 2021

Great animation. Silly story, felt like I was watching a super hero movie. Raya is boring like most female main characters in action media they can't seem to find the right mix to make her interesting.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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5

kpaulMar 6, 2021

This felt like a discount Disney princess movie compared to classic Disney. Unrealistic character choices and a disjointed story. Only 1 character earned emotional investment from me. Every other character was a caricature and monotoned.

5 of 7 users found this helpful52

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5

RazzleTheRedMar 11, 2021

I just thought it was okay, nothing special. A solid 5/10 not a bad movie, but not a particularly good one either. Pretty mediocre.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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5

SeaSphynxMay 1, 2021

This movie was a huge disappointment to me. I absolutely loved Moana and thought this idea for a badass warrior accompanied by a dragon to save the world would be a fresh change of pace. But everything about it just ended up feeling cheap andThis movie was a huge disappointment to me. I absolutely loved Moana and thought this idea for a badass warrior accompanied by a dragon to save the world would be a fresh change of pace. But everything about it just ended up feeling cheap and crappies put together.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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5

WestSider55Mar 5, 2021

Raya and the Last Dragon felt like a missed opportunity. It has a good message but poor execution. Inconsistent animation quality throughout, forgettable characters with little personality, and a messy but simplistic plot. It’s very possibleRaya and the Last Dragon felt like a missed opportunity. It has a good message but poor execution. Inconsistent animation quality throughout, forgettable characters with little personality, and a messy but simplistic plot. It’s very possible the production of this film suffered due to the pandemic, with different teams working on it remotely. Late changes in directors and multiple writers lead me to believe that was the case. While not a lost cause, the movie is forgettable and one of Disney’s weakest animated efforts in the last several years.… Expand

9 of 16 users found this helpful97

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5

ScereniaMar 6, 2021

Raya and the Last Dragon ultimately feels like a story and a world that’s too big to fit into its two-hour run time. Each of the locations and characters felt two-dimensional and left something to be desired as the story simply didn’t haveRaya and the Last Dragon ultimately feels like a story and a world that’s too big to fit into its two-hour run time. Each of the locations and characters felt two-dimensional and left something to be desired as the story simply didn’t have the time to explore them in greater depth.
While watching, I could feel how rushed it felt, especially at the beginning. Major plot points, characters, and relationships started to feel more like checkboxes than story beats. Then, once that pace had been set, it inevitably made other more lighthearted scenes feel like a waste of time given how brushed over everything else was.
Overall the movie is enjoyable and the message is good, but I feel like Raya’s story would have been better told as a series. If it were a show rather than a movie with less than two hours to pack everything in, perhaps the plot and the characters would have had more room to breathe and develop naturally. Maybe Raya could have been the first LGBT+ Disney princess. (The seeds were definitely there.) Instead, the movie and the ending are exciting but ultimately low-stakes as the audience feels little attachment to the world or the people in it.… Expand

9 of 11 users found this helpful92

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5

HexagonCubeMar 17, 2021

Graphics are great. But however I feel that even though the visuals are stunning, the story plot is far from awesome. It was quite boring to me honestly especially when I could predict what was happening next except one part where I wasGraphics are great. But however I feel that even though the visuals are stunning, the story plot is far from awesome. It was quite boring to me honestly especially when I could predict what was happening next except one part where I was visibly confused. It's pretty boring, trying to be like The Avengers but I think that's a far-fetched reality.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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5

SkinChangerJun 10, 2021

This movie is promising at first with a unique storyline but quickly reveals itself as a flat and bland piece of media. the characters are flat and one-sided and the plot feels rushed and forced. Raya and the last dragon had potential, but itThis movie is promising at first with a unique storyline but quickly reveals itself as a flat and bland piece of media. the characters are flat and one-sided and the plot feels rushed and forced. Raya and the last dragon had potential, but it wasted it. I honestly think this movie could have turned out better if you gave more time for the characters to develop by extending the runtime. also, this movie contradicts its own story's logic MULTIPLE TIMES. 5/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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4

norseAug 1, 2021

This wasn't a terrible movie; the graphics were pretty good, the voice acting superb. It is a very far cry from the likes of Moana, Up, Zootopia or Soul, and that's mostly due to the writing. The setup is cookie cutter, the characters areThis wasn't a terrible movie; the graphics were pretty good, the voice acting superb. It is a very far cry from the likes of Moana, Up, Zootopia or Soul, and that's mostly due to the writing. The setup is cookie cutter, the characters are paper-thin and as the story develops, you yearn for the depth of other Disney releases. In a world where everyone backstabs constantly, blind trust is not a great strategy, and having it win the day due to some deus-ex-mahina nonsense is just disgraceful.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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4

Aaronbake322Jan 19, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Raya and the Last Dragon is a movie that wants so very badly to be great. It's got great visuals, a great score, some enjoyable side characters, and is pretty edgy at times... So why is it so mediocre?

While the side characters are kinda fun, they're pretty underdeveloped. There's a ton of cringe-worthy "modern" talk that feels out of a place for a movie set in ancient Southeast Asia, Sisu is a major tone-killer that's arguably worse than Olaf in Frozen II, and the attempt at the trust message is just so messy and heavy handed that it tanks the movie as a whole. I never felt like the rival girl deserved a chance at redemption because she did literally nothing to show that she deserved it.

I've seen worse, it's not even within Disney's bottom 10 animated movies, but I don't think I'm ever gonna watch it again.… Expand

6 of 7 users found this helpful61

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4

faithg781Jan 19, 2022

Here's a movie that happened that nobody talks about or praises less than a year later.

It could've been one of Disney's best, it's got a lot of great ideas, but in execution it's heavily flawed and doesn't hold up or get better as itHere's a movie that happened that nobody talks about or praises less than a year later.

It could've been one of Disney's best, it's got a lot of great ideas, but in execution it's heavily flawed and doesn't hold up or get better as it lingers in my mind like Encanto or Wreck-It Ralph or most Pixar movies. If anything, it just gets worse. It should be lucky it's score is still as high as it is.

I'll be quite surprised if anyone remembers this fairly mediocre adventure a year from now.… Expand

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

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4

PsychoPaxMar 9, 2021

It has a very interesting concept, but man does it also have issues. The pacing is not good and everything is a bit rushed, the characters constantly make mind numbingly dumb decisions, on top of not being developed very well. The movie alsoIt has a very interesting concept, but man does it also have issues. The pacing is not good and everything is a bit rushed, the characters constantly make mind numbingly dumb decisions, on top of not being developed very well. The movie also makes a rather stupid point to trust everyone and compares two situations that are not comparable. Trying to tell people to trust one another when one person caused the end of the world then doubled down on it is an exceptionally awful decision and should not be taught in any film. TL;DR: Somewhat interesting concept, could have executed world building much better, not very good character development, and LOTS of very very poor character decisions where everyone is insanely dumb. This is very much a don't use your brain movie.… Expand

7 of 10 users found this helpful73

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4

justmahreviewMar 6, 2021

Best part? the visuals by a long shot! in the whole movie there are 4 male characters that have actual lines rest are just in the background and never get heard from or interact at all with them, it was too one sided and the story was soBest part? the visuals by a long shot! in the whole movie there are 4 male characters that have actual lines rest are just in the background and never get heard from or interact at all with them, it was too one sided and the story was so rushed.. the dragon was more focused on getting gifts for others than actually getting the stuff needed to save everyone....

this is a easily forgettable movie that could have been so much more but either was a higherup trying to get money out of this asap or the director gave up mid way through and butchered the movie

-Huge minus points for rushing a movie that had the potential to be sooo much more than what they did with it.
-Huge minus points for uninteresting characters.
-The only points that can be given for this are some of the Voice actors and the animators they did a awesome job… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful63

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4

macman7010Mar 6, 2021

Raya is cumbersome and difficult to follow. I couldn't make heads not tails of what was going on and the voice acting was awful.

6 of 12 users found this helpful66

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4

oizukiMar 13, 2021

(Watched in Dolby cinema) Good animation. Good score. Interesting possibility of a story. Terrible writing. Purely dreadful. TMI too fast with almost no time to actually get to know and care about the characters. Very sad, because the work(Watched in Dolby cinema) Good animation. Good score. Interesting possibility of a story. Terrible writing. Purely dreadful. TMI too fast with almost no time to actually get to know and care about the characters. Very sad, because the work going into the animation and score served a very poor screenplay.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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4

SquidlustMar 15, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Beautiful environments and visuals do not make up for the first-draft plot. Confusingly anachronistic dialogue betrays the fantastical setting; jokes about undercuts, bling and breakdancing leave you wondering who exactly this film was written for (or by). It's easy to tell which characters had their design driven purely based on ease of stuffed animal production, and don't get me started on the infant martial arts master with the sentience, understanding and physical ability of a thirty-year-old who seems to exist only to appeal to fans of Boss Baby (or, perhaps nobody at all). The story is full of glaring plot holes (why didn't he jump in the water too? If the monsters are repelled by water why do multiple characters not use their magical, unlimited powers of rain and mist production to fight them off?), and the entire experience comes down to "Avatar: the last airbender" meets "Boss Baby" while failing to create a world that the viewer actually cares about or characters that we're actually rooting for.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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4

gamer696Jun 6, 2021

Only bad writers would make a movie this generic and boring! They actually made a dragon I didn't like, and that's saying a lot cause I love dragons. Disney is going to hell, don't make the same mistake I did and pay a whole year of Disney+

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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3

DexEngineerMar 12, 2021

Great graphic is not enough to compensate shallow story and inconsistent world mechanic. Things which makes sense in initial moment loose any sense a moment after. Fight mechanic is laughable. Movie message is very weak. Characters over theGreat graphic is not enough to compensate shallow story and inconsistent world mechanic. Things which makes sense in initial moment loose any sense a moment after. Fight mechanic is laughable. Movie message is very weak. Characters over the top. Another missed opportunity and improper use of pontential of great animators.… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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3

capt_morganMar 8, 2021

Nothing special about this cartoon, you feel you watching something forced. Soon you realize what is forced is the interaction between characters. It has the visuals but non of the charm of other Disney works.

8 of 11 users found this helpful83

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3

halfbloodprinceJun 1, 2021

You will forget everything in this movie a week after you watch. The animation is pretty good but Raya and the Last Dragon ends up being a muddled mess.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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3

thunderboltwayMar 9, 2021

Pros: Cool Monsters. Pretty set pieces and some neat fantasy creatures. Awkwafina’ s dragon form is unusual and impossible to take your eyes off of. Dragon-shaped kingdom: interesting. Occasional nice use of blue, green, and purple (cool).Pros: Cool Monsters. Pretty set pieces and some neat fantasy creatures. Awkwafina’ s dragon form is unusual and impossible to take your eyes off of. Dragon-shaped kingdom: interesting. Occasional nice use of blue, green, and purple (cool). Maybe the best CG water I’ve seen? Music by James Newton Howard is quite good. Adequately dark climax. The evil plague sweeping the land is maybe a little like Facebook, which is clever.

Cons: 2/3 of the film is clunky exposition. The film would have been stronger without most of it. 9 year olds with 30 year old voice actors. Tran is a talented orator, very Shakespearean, but she doesn’t sound like a teenager. Very distracting and unconvincing voice performances. Awkwafina needs to lay off the cigs. Way too much plot, way too little audience interest in said plot, way too many paper-thin cutesy sidekick characters (ten?). Painfully unfunny. Can’t pull off its own faux-tough, faux-Kung fu, faux-lesbian love story with zero romance and zero stakes and zero timer. Absolutely horrendous storytelling and morality. While it’s nice to see Disney try something new, they fail, backpedal, and it can be a shame to see Disney forget how to Disney.

Would have garnered a five for the visuals alone if it weren’t for the inclusion of quite possibly the worst animated short I’ve ever seen (Us Again) before the film. This double feature literally gave me a headache due to all the cringe.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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3

CptnMcKawesomeJul 31, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Looks beautiful. Great start. Then once they invited the other nations in, it fell apart. The main civilization is obviously doing very well, and when they offer to unite the nation's into one they all complain and blame and blah blah blah. What's the intention here? They clearly don't want to be your friend and your whole civilization crashed because you tried. Then daddy dearest decides to have a heart to heart with his daughter and throws her off a bridge. Why doesn't he just jump with her? I'm not going any further than that but not a good movie. Characters are bland stereotypes of over the top ridiculous cliches. Story matches it well. Bored.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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3

MoTzelMay 23, 2021

Pésimo guión y pésima dirección. Personajes sumamente olvidables que abusan de un humor simplón y sin sentido. Me alegra que pixar no tuviera nada que ver con este filme. No le pongo 0 por la animación, la cual es bastante buena (aunquePésimo guión y pésima dirección. Personajes sumamente olvidables que abusan de un humor simplón y sin sentido. Me alegra que pixar no tuviera nada que ver con este filme. No le pongo 0 por la animación, la cual es bastante buena (aunque mejorable en el apartado de diseño de personajes).… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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3

devolovedMar 22, 2021

Essa nota é apenas pela trilha sonora e pela fotografia e design, é apenas um filme bonito (só o dragão que é estranho). A história é vazia, não consegui me conectar com nenhum dos personagens, o pior é que o enredo é bom e daria um ótimoEssa nota é apenas pela trilha sonora e pela fotografia e design, é apenas um filme bonito (só o dragão que é estranho). A história é vazia, não consegui me conectar com nenhum dos personagens, o pior é que o enredo é bom e daria um ótimo filme se bem executado.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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3

AstroLad69Mar 7, 2021

Absolute tripe. Yet another low-effort, shallow attempt by the dead horse that is modern Disney at teaching lessons with paper-thin characters and karma farming of a specific group of people. Anyone that chooses to ignore its glaring,Absolute tripe. Yet another low-effort, shallow attempt by the dead horse that is modern Disney at teaching lessons with paper-thin characters and karma farming of a specific group of people. Anyone that chooses to ignore its glaring, problematic tropes while being mesmerized by the visuals and "intention" is mindless sheep with low standards. Especially for the egregious price on top of the subscription. Wake up.Have some standards instead of putting shiny things on pedestals.… Expand

6 of 13 users found this helpful67

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3

MovieMackMar 13, 2021

The "Hero's Journey," as one of cinema's oldest tropes, hasn't been innovated since 1977. Disney can throw all the gender trendiness, inauthentic ethnicity, Marvel Comics-style MacGuffin-ry, and purple-glowy animation at the cliché that itThe "Hero's Journey," as one of cinema's oldest tropes, hasn't been innovated since 1977. Disney can throw all the gender trendiness, inauthentic ethnicity, Marvel Comics-style MacGuffin-ry, and purple-glowy animation at the cliché that it wants, but RAYA comes off mainly as unoriginal, over-expository, and childishly naive. The "princesses" now punch and kick! Yippee! Some beautiful animation, but isn't that the very least we can expect these days? This is a movie that you'll likely forget about 15 minutes after you've seen it, even if you are more of a fan of the genre than I am.… Expand

5 of 7 users found this helpful52

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3

kadeweJun 4, 2021

Bland predictable story with very good animation. Some highlights are the baby monkey combo. Maybe in a movie theatre it would have been more enjoyable.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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3

lastditcheffortJun 9, 2021

The visuals were amazing, the Southeast Asian inspiration was wonderful but neither of these things made up for the weak storyline littered with plot holes.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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3

LuissDtApr 1, 2022

Although some things dazzle, Raya and the last dragon is too boring and does not have much soul

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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2

phildogMar 6, 2021

Probably the worst Avatar: The Last Airbender knockoff yet.

Characters are far too many and lack development. The writers don't seem to understand the importance of continuity of location. There is some queer subtext that the movie doesn'tProbably the worst Avatar: The Last Airbender knockoff yet.

Characters are far too many and lack development. The writers don't seem to understand the importance of continuity of location. There is some queer subtext that the movie doesn't have the guts to do anything with. The dragon is straight up annoying and for some reason keeps making real-world references. The baby that's a scam artist is absolutely ridiculous. The animation, models, and everything is pretty great. The character designs are pretty bland.

I'll give the movie credit for one thing. In Eastern lore, dragons are heavily associated with water and not with fire like in the west. That's the only thing really original to this film, and when it explores the mechanics of that, it gets more interesting.

That said, it's by far not enough to save this film. The movie is basically watchable, but frankly, you're better off watching the show it so crudely cribbed off of or actual Chinese animation.… Expand

12 of 17 users found this helpful125

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2

ZodwraithMay 12, 2022

Getting to where I have no faith in Disney or Pixar anymore. Within the first 5 minutes I was able to tell my wife EXACTLY what was going to happen with the story. Laughably predictable story arc, characters are stereotypical tropes, jokesGetting to where I have no faith in Disney or Pixar anymore. Within the first 5 minutes I was able to tell my wife EXACTLY what was going to happen with the story. Laughably predictable story arc, characters are stereotypical tropes, jokes failed to even bring a grin, character development shallower than a puddle in the sahara, and an underlying pro-China message making me wonder who this was made for. C'mon. The cartoon bad guys have Japanese undertones, the obvious Mongolian is stupid while the Chinese undertoned tribe are the peaceful good guys?

If you can get past all that the story itself has holes big enough to drift a bus sideways through. While Pixar gets better with their animation the writing has taken such a nosedive there's almost no point in bothering anymore.

You can't convince me 90% of these good reviews aren't simply people that want ANYTHING to entertain them after the pandemic cause this doesn't rank in even the top 10 pixar movies.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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2

magicrocksMar 6, 2021

1) When Awkwafina's goofy, energetic, and comedic character is the serious one of the movie you know you got a problem. 2)This movie feels like what a western born and raised Asian kid would tell their non-Asian friends. 3)It has all the1) When Awkwafina's goofy, energetic, and comedic character is the serious one of the movie you know you got a problem. 2)This movie feels like what a western born and raised Asian kid would tell their non-Asian friends. 3)It has all the flash and familiar symbols but none of the meaning. 4)Also it paces its self at neck break speeds, just like a sugared up chatty little kid would too. 5)There's simply too much flat and high pitched noise telling an "and then" type of story that it's exhausting. 6)The final message of the story feels so shoehorned in that the anti-hero of the story replies correctly with the audience with a "What??". 7)Not a biggie but the main character's voicing always seems a bit off. The tone, energy, and timing doesn't match with how the character is acting… Expand

8 of 14 users found this helpful86

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2

BigtiddygothMay 29, 2021

The movie for kids is a good to go film how ever when it comes to the actual plot/ substance of the film for an actual viewers pleasure it’s story is vary basic and blatantly boring.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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2

XayahuwuMar 14, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. the only good thing its the animation and the scenes like kung fu panda , but its visual beutiful but only that¡ its.. the dragon its useless ..thank… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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1

Docholliday504Jul 23, 2021

Hug everyone. Even if they destroy the world…twice. Great message Disney.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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1

feenaMar 10, 2021

Paperthin character development. There are multiple clans, they had plenty more time that they could have added for character development (movie is only around 90mins) but disney says nope! Didnt care about any of the characters in the movie.Paperthin character development. There are multiple clans, they had plenty more time that they could have added for character development (movie is only around 90mins) but disney says nope! Didnt care about any of the characters in the movie. This film is nothing close to Disney's usual hits. SOUL IS 10X better than this movie. And that one didn't have any action scene lol.

MAJOR FAILURES & PLOT HOLES:
This movie doesn't deserve the Disney branding. It doesn't even have BASIC LOGIC. #1. Your clan holds the most precious stone or jewel in the continent, you invite other nations to visit your place. NOT A SINGLE GUARD is present to Guard the treasure? Not a single guard is even present in the whole town. Meanwhile your visitors have squads of soldiers with them. Seriously? #2. How can a BABY still be a baby if her Mother got turned to stone 5 to 6 years ago? What the baby stopped growing because her mother disappeared? What a joke Disney. I think you need Kevin Feige to mange Disney Animations too. I'm sure there are tons of amazing stories to tell out there, how the h3ll did this story get approved? This movie doesn't deserve its current score of 7/10. A 5 or 6 is more acceptable. But yeah it felt like they just needed to make another asian themed movie so they won't be called out for any diversity issues. I am asian so I'll give this movie an asian rating. This movie is a B for BOBO.… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful63

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1

MavelinCriticMar 6, 2021

Disappointing, same old Disney story, different cultural spin. Try something new, Disney.

7 of 15 users found this helpful78

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1

JCTeeMar 16, 2021

Childish Tried to educate people to blindly trust people , especially those keep cheating on you
However, graphics are ok

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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1

PoeloMar 26, 2021

Dull, trite, not funny, violent, and with a terrible way to carry their message.
One of the worst full-CGI Disney I've ever seen all things considered (the dragon is just not working at all).

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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1

HakonamakekJun 6, 2021

This movie was so awful, I had to create an account just to leave a review. There is so much wrong with the movie: the bland "fetch-quest" plot of collecting gem fragments from each tribe was frankly boring. The voice acting of the two leadsThis movie was so awful, I had to create an account just to leave a review. There is so much wrong with the movie: the bland "fetch-quest" plot of collecting gem fragments from each tribe was frankly boring. The voice acting of the two leads (Raya and the dragon, Sisu) was some of the worst I've ever heard, although I'm unsure if this was due to an inexperienced cast, or bad directing. Sisu's voice acting and lines were particularly terrible and annoying, as even her "Butt jokes" (which my 4 year old niece and 6 year old nephew would normally love) fell completely flat. The animation was great for the most part, until the characters began to speak, as the over the top voice acting paired with the over exaggerated facial expressions clashed with the more "realistic" animation style. Despite it's flaws and weak plot, I could give it a pass if the kids enjoyed it. Unfortunately (though fortunately for me), my niece and nephew, who are Disney loving kids, hated the movie. After almost 40 minutes of trying to get them to sit still, they asked if we could put on a "Disney movie". We ended up watching "The Little Mermaid".
As we were only able to make it to 40 minutes, I'm unsure if the 2nd half gets better. I would give it a 0 rating, but as some effort was shown, I have to rate it a 1/10. Avoid it you can.… Expand

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Alexk58Jun 12, 2021

Same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over again like this review to meet minimum length requirements

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zachary_g5Aug 10, 2021

Aside from a painfully predictable, and formulaic plot, uneven pacing, and characters so unoriginal and bland that they prove forgettable in the end, Raya is blatant Chinese propaganda that bores as much as it offends. Derivative, uninspired,Aside from a painfully predictable, and formulaic plot, uneven pacing, and characters so unoriginal and bland that they prove forgettable in the end, Raya is blatant Chinese propaganda that bores as much as it offends. Derivative, uninspired, cash-grab.… Expand

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0

imthenoobAug 24, 2021

I thought the cast did a solid job but this is honestly your generic copy and paste Disney animated movie. The plot is incredibly predictable, it hits one too many familiar tropes along the way, and it fails to bring anything unique to theI thought the cast did a solid job but this is honestly your generic copy and paste Disney animated movie. The plot is incredibly predictable, it hits one too many familiar tropes along the way, and it fails to bring anything unique to the table. If Disney didn't have their name attached to this, We wouldn't even be talking about it. It has absolutely no substance. Disney stuck to the formula on this one and it shows every step of the way.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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LunnaraMar 19, 2021

I knew I was in trouble when it opened with 5 minutes of exposition which is one of the very first things a good writer is aware not to do. Generally I try to watch an entire movie before coming to a conclusion regarding its quality, but inI knew I was in trouble when it opened with 5 minutes of exposition which is one of the very first things a good writer is aware not to do. Generally I try to watch an entire movie before coming to a conclusion regarding its quality, but in this instance I simply don't have the will to sit through this trainwreck in order to write something for it. I don't get paid to do reviews and that's what it would take to make me watch this movie all the way through. So for the 20 minutes that assaulted my senses, it is definitive, Disney has put forth a D grade story with A grade visuals (the 1 star is for the visuals). Pacing is a problem right from the get-go where the main character is introduced as a princess and guardian of the magical dragon stone, only to see her lead her enemies directly to its hiding place in literally the next scene. It reminds me of the daydreamings of a 9-year-old girl, but I don't want to insult 9-year-old girls by making this comparison. I'm fairly certain that most 9-year-old girls' daydreams have more sophisticated plot lines than those that are being laid out in this trainwreck of a production. It is baffling to see such poor quality dialogue and plot rolled into a hundred million dollar production. It's insulting not just to writers but to every audience member who knows anything about East Asian culture and East Asian peoples' mythological. In a time where we're supposed to be reaching for authenticity in stories, Disney has decided to bastardize the myths of multiple peoples by stealing elements and then haphazardly throwing them together. It's clear to see that the Disney Renaissance is over and we're now slipping into a dark age of bad Disney animation.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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0

gonzalo94Mar 18, 2021

No me llama la atención sinceramente, me parece mejor como entrenar a tu dragón.

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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smartinvestor30Apr 3, 2021

Looks like Disney has gone full woke supremacist. But what's worse is the writing is bad. Now all the women in Disney films are "warrior princesses". The voice casting is really bad too. The voices do not fit the characters at all. Raya'sLooks like Disney has gone full woke supremacist. But what's worse is the writing is bad. Now all the women in Disney films are "warrior princesses". The voice casting is really bad too. The voices do not fit the characters at all. Raya's voice actor was switched out (probably a race issue, with them giving the role to a non-asian at first then switching to an asian person to be woke and avoid being criticized/cancelled by the woke supremacist mob. The narrative is sub-par. The pacing is bad. I think it was written and everyone was scared to criticize anything from anyone else because that could result in big problems (fake accusations of racism, sexism, etc). I don't think any kids are going to be dressing up as Raya. They purposefully leave out any male character. This is 100% feminist propaganda. Like with Aladin you have him and the princess or even the genie to dress up as (Jafar as well). But with this it's completely devoid of any male characters (on purpose). Just woke trash.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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PixlmMar 5, 2021

This movie was a massive disappointment, with no character buildup. Everything felt super rushed, moved too fast. The main character screws up so many times, but never owns up to her mistakes, pinning blame on others when shes a part of it.This movie was a massive disappointment, with no character buildup. Everything felt super rushed, moved too fast. The main character screws up so many times, but never owns up to her mistakes, pinning blame on others when shes a part of it. TLDR: Rushed, Hollow story, Hollow characters. Main character never owns up her mistakes.
The only good part of this movie was the visuals.
But pairing good visuals with garbage still makes it garbage.… Expand

14 of 21 users found this helpful147

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kotomoMar 6, 2021

We recognize the staff who worked on Moana and I said to myself that I will like it.
Except, the mayonnaise does not take any more! It's an incredible waste of time knowing that there are more interesting stories about Japanese anime.
Why? AWe recognize the staff who worked on Moana and I said to myself that I will like it.
Except, the mayonnaise does not take any more! It's an incredible waste of time knowing that there are more interesting stories about Japanese anime.
Why?
A teenage girl who shoots guys twice as tall and strong as her ... it's called feminism 2.0.
Men are only present to create conflicts.
The characters are absolutely not worked and the scenario is not only wobbly but it suffers from a lot of misunderstanding.
A lack of realism that is not up to the very beautiful graphics and an obvious lack of maturity.
In a work like Aladdin, the director had the intelligence to think that the public who pay their children to see the film are adults!
As far as I'm concerned, I won't take my son to see such inconsistent silliness!… Expand

8 of 20 users found this helpful812

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0

freeweebhentaiMar 14, 2021

This movie is supposed to be southeast asian but it is in the most superficial way possible it doesnt explore the culture in any meaningful way other than aesthetics. the world building is lackluster and the plot contradicts the themes ofThis movie is supposed to be southeast asian but it is in the most superficial way possible it doesnt explore the culture in any meaningful way other than aesthetics. the world building is lackluster and the plot contradicts the themes of trust as trusting the wrong person is the cause of the bad things in the story and the ending does not sell trust as something that truly helped in the resolution. The characters are forgettable at best and annoying at worst. Also 30 bucks for this movie is beyond an outrageous price. other than that it looks good and the voice acting is mostly passable. this movie couldve been a 5 or 6 but its price and lack of use of the southeast asian inspiration makes it a frustrating watch and a waste of time. 0 dont reccomend it… Expand

4 of 9 users found this helpful45

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DuncanBlackMar 16, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Rather than introducing interesting and rounded characters to create an engaging story, it introduces unlikable, under-developed automatons to further the plot in unsatisfying and predictable ways.

Some highlight idiocies of the movie follow, so spoilers.

After knowing the antagonist of the movie for all of 3 seconds, the protagonist (Raya) takes her to the dragon gem even though it makes little sense to the story. The move was incredibly shoehorned and out of place in the story and the protagonist clearly understands that it would be a bad idea and is old enough to know better. She isn't even slightly pressured into it, she just goes "hey I have a terrible idea that will advance the plot" and then breaks the world.

All of the character conflict points take the form of 'No, Please, Yes' where characters are required to learn nothing and prove nothing to get what they want, every request is instantly gratified and the ones that aren't are delayed for seemily pointless reasons. Here are is an example of each: Firstly the antagonist of the movie requests from her mother to take "The entire imperial army" (which consists of about 8 people with crossbows by the way) directly into a region where the mother/chief thinks they will be obliterated leaving them entirely defenseless. She requests to take the army, her mother says no, the antagonist basically says 'you never trust me' and the mother relinquishes and lets her take the army. This happens over and over in the movie, the "No, Please, Yes" model leaves a lot to be desired in the story and feels uninspired and lazy. Second example is that the protagonist Raya tells Sisu the dragon that she should remain hidden in human form for some reason because it will keep her safe or make people aggressive or something stupid like that. This would be all well and good if it were true, except that every case where Sisu is in dragon form people give them exactly what they want with no questions asked. The world is crumbling, literally the entire human population could die at any moment and the only being capable of solving this rocks up in the city and says 'give me the gem' I think I'm going to give her the gem. Who wouldn't, but this is yet another example of characters doing the complete opposite of what any rational person would do.

Every region they go to ends up with a new character coming along for the ride. When they find themselves in Spine, they end up being robbed by a literal toddler and some monkeys, the whole scene is just awful and out of place and feels like a strange attempt at comedic relief, but just drags on. The worst part is at the end of this scene, for seemingly no reason the protagonist invites the baby and monkeys that just robbed them to come along for the ride. This is likely the worst example of how all of these unlikable, bland characters are added to the story. It also highlights the awkwardly disjointed, episodic nature of the movie plot that feels more like watching a b-grade kids tv series than a AAA movie.

The main climax of the movie finds the main antagonist of the movie (badly) feigning change of heart. She brings the final piece of the orb (which is the only thing needed at this point to save the entire world by the way, including all of the people from her own faction) to the protagonist with no backup, right here she could have handed it over and rolled credits, but for some reason she, completely unprompted and with no backup, pulls a crossbow on the other 8 characters (all of which would have been sufficiently equipped to stop her) and says that "she doesn't have a choice". WHO GIVES HER NO CHOICE?! "Oh no everyone is going to be mad at me for saving the world!", Is her family being held at gunpoint in the other room? Is there a sniper trained on her location? Is there a whole sea of guards waiting to jump over from behind the ledge if she doesn't give up the gem? No. No. No. She simply chooses to kill the only hope that they have (literally kills the dragon) what a complete idiot, I sat there, mouth wide open wondering how they expected the audience to find this at all convincing or thrilling. Absolutely awful screenwriting. About 10 minutes later she then blames the protagonist for the dragons death (ever though it showed the antagonist literally pulling the trigger) and Raya just accepts that it's her own fault, made absolutely no sense.

In conclusion: This movie may be visually beautiful, but it is full of unlikeable, irrational characters. The plot is lazily written and leaves a lot to be desired. The conflicts are pointless and resolved immediately, the initial issue and the main climax of the movie are both completely avoidable and based in idiotic character decisions. If any of the characters made decisions that the audience would, the plot would be resolved in about 5 minutes.… Expand

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JoshC123Jun 6, 2021

Bad, I struggled to get through the film and will not be watching it a second time; I can't list all reasons, as there are many, but here are a few reasons why.

Disney yet again followed the same formula of an impeccably perfect female lead,Bad, I struggled to get through the film and will not be watching it a second time; I can't list all reasons, as there are many, but here are a few reasons why.

Disney yet again followed the same formula of an impeccably perfect female lead, whose only character flaw is that she's too perfect (she trusted too much and was too protective). This formula is boring and sexist.

Disney ruined dragons for me forever; they made them blue, furry, and wore makeup. Disney, for some reason, makes all characters beautiful and felt it was needed to make the female dragon pretty.

It's filled with cute animals, just for the sake of being cute, and is just oversaturated.

The storyline is weak, basic, and lacks creativity in all senses.

The film is filled with frustrating plot decisions, like the main character spent years training to defend the dragon stone, and basically be a ninja, and then goes and invites the first person she meets to see it, meaning the entire storyline of the world ending, is her fault, and is never addressed.

I'm glad that it was set in a (fictional) East Asian setting; however, it is frustrating to see Disney making it as American as physically possible. The voice actors are of Asian descent; however, all have thick American accents. Their appearances are westernized and the rich Asian culture is generally washed out.

Anyway, I would avoid and watch a Pixar movie instead, which are actually written well for many other reasons.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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chungus52Jun 6, 2021

The voice acting feels off - Raya's voice didn't change at all in the time it took her to grow up a bit and the father's lip-syncing at the start is weird.
No real character development - Only Raya and the fang princess have any whatsoeverThe voice acting feels off - Raya's voice didn't change at all in the time it took her to grow up a bit and the father's lip-syncing at the start is weird.
No real character development - Only Raya and the fang princess have any whatsoever and the other characters are flat and predictable.
The comic relief characters suck - the baby is insanely unfunny/cute and the kid seems irrelevant and artificial. Unlike a movie like Shreck where donkey served as both a vital character and comic relief the ones here are neither funny nor good characters… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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Raya and the Last Dragon

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