'Raya And The Last Dragon (2021)' has a strange tone that actually sees its comedy clash immensely with its drama, rather than compliment it. It doesn't help that the opening is pretty much played straight and that there is a rather serious undercurrent running throughout the entire affair. It also has an odd pace that kind of makes it feel like a video-game truncated into two hours, awkwardly squashed to fit its medium. These issues are particularly frustrating because there are segments in which the movie truly is great. Rather than being outright bad, its least successful moments simply pull down its most successful ones and make the overall affair less effective than it clearly could have been. Still, it's not as if the flick isn't enjoyable. For the most part, it's a solidly entertaining experience with some unique aesthetics and appropriately amazing animation. The fact that it was completed almost entirely from home due to COVID-19 is especially impressive; it looks and moves just as good as any of Disney's recent efforts, if not better. One highlight is certainly its fight scenes, which typically have quite a bit of weight to them and emulate something seen in a proper martial arts flick (though they're obviously less violent). In the end, this is a mostly fun but occasionally frustrating adventure. Despite its issues, it proves that people can pull together to create compelling no matter what the circumstances may be. 7/10.
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Alex_Lo21 June 2022This Disney film is one hundred percent Disney, that's the best description I can come up with.
There are too many sidekicks, but they are still likeable. The moral of the story is overused, but that doesn't make it any less valuable. The visuals and worldbuilding are stunning, the story is too formulaic. The story is cheesy and also beautiful. So simply Disney. -
From the trailer, I could see this would have an expensive budget, and I wasn't disappointed. The animation was absolutely gorgeous. The character designs were very good, had realistic facial expressions, all the imagery were a visual treat. The action scenes were so well made. I didn't expect the dragon to have an Elsa-face though, but that's just me nitpicking, and apart from that, It's so good.
However, the movie had some serious issues when it comes to writing and the pacing. The movie constantly shows you what happens when you go around trusting strangers randomly, and then there's Sisu constantly blabbering about trust. I thought maybe they'd give Namaari a better redemption arc, but boy was I wrong. Naamari never apologises for the two times she messed up - and while I do agree that Raya had her faults too - but Naamari should have apologised. In the sacrifice scene, Naamari should have stepped up, sacrificed first, and the movie would be a lot better. Raya has enough trauma from Namaari's action, and she definitely shouldn't forgive her that easily. While Sisu argues that and tells Raya about how she trusted the other dragons and they trusted her, it should be noted that they were literally siblings, while Naamari and Raya weren't even friends - they knew each other for a few hours only. There's a huge difference between them. And thus, the movie delivers the message that, no matter how much someone hurts you and how much trauma they cause you, you should learn to forgive and trust them. That's incredibly toxic and that's where the movie fails.
Honestly, the movie did have the potential to be great. In fact, had it been a series, or slightly longer movie, the character relationships could be explored further. It'd have been better with slightly slower pacing.
But one could argue that we shouldn't look too deeply in a disney movie. And in that case, it's a pretty good movie! It will make you laugh and you'll enjoy all the interactions between the characters. Boat guy had some funniest scenes!
Over all, a solid 6/10 for me. -
whiskeywhiskey797 June 2021Raya and the Last Dragon is the most spectacularly meh film I think I've ever watched. Cool world. Boring characters. Ok story. Awful pacing.
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ThomasDrufke22 October 2021Raya and the Last Dragon is the type of Disney animated film we'd get in the mid 90's. Heartfelt, at times heartbreaking, but most of all an achievement in animation that instantly makes you want to revisit the story shortly after. Oh, and it's also perfect for young children who want to be entertained and adults who look for life lessons hidden in these films (unlike most of Universal's animation).
9.5/10. -
Yet another brilliantly done animation movie which is absolutely absorbing and should please audiences of all age groups. The movie has an Asian background and the antagonist is Raya, a warrior princess on a mission to bring back a dragon gem which will then help to bring back her father who has been turned into a stone statue by evil spirits. All this she does with the help of Sisu the last dragon who converts into human form for the mission. The plot keeps us glued to the screen since it has all the elements of an emotional drama ( father -daughter relationship) .The kingdom is split into 5 parts resembling the parts of a dragon starting from Fang, then Heart, Spine, Talon and finally Tail. So there is a mission, an assorted crusader group from the 5 areas, a few evil spirits ( the druuns), some adventures on the way, a bit of betrayal by a member, death of a member, and finally a fight to gain the gem which breaks into 5 pieces. Now Princess Raya has to retrieve and reassemble the 5 pieces to make the gem whole again and achieve results. ( Similar to mission of Avengers end game ?).
There are a few nicely done scenes like a hand to combat of princess Raya and princess Namaari, dragons dancing and flying all over the landscape, Vietnamese boats area etc. The dialogue speaks of trust, togetherness and peace like " Maybe the world is broken due to lack of trust" and " We are a world of orphans because we are fighting over a piece of gem". Very relevant to what is happening in our world today. -
This is very much a standard Disney Princess movie for our time: not only is Raya self-assertive, a-la-Rapunzel in Tangled, and resisting traditional societal expectations for girls, a-la-Mulan, or Merida in Brave (or even Elsa in Frozen); she seems not to need such resistance at all, but simply walks into a warrior role, leading an action-adventure, a-la-Moana, that, 30 years ago, would normally have been conducted by a boy/man. Raya's main enemy is another warrior-princess and her mother; there is no love interest (a-la-Elsa and Moana), but a strong relationship with her father, which she attempts to restore by turning him back from stone.
Another interesting aspect of this movie is its marketing as Southeast Asian. From what I can tell by reading articles about it, the mythology is not strongly tied to a particular Southeast Asian country, language/tradition, or myth, but draws on many, as is also reflected in the creative team and voice actors. That is very similar to the pan-South American approach found in another animated project released this year, Maya and the Three. And both are very much like Game of Thrones, which draws on a vaguely European mythology, without being closely beholden to any particular aspect of it. And that, I think, is as it should be, even if more faithful representations of myths and traditions should have their place in entertainment too. -
In a nation divided by hard civic borders, plus a generation's worth of simmering distrust, a diplomatic olive branch is extended and then snapped. This betrayal shatters both the uneasy peace and a symbolic crystal, the latter of which unleashes a cloud of spectral monsters and envelops the land in a lasting chaos. Years later, in a dark and dangerous new age, a determined young heiress seeks to heal both wounds by awakening a mythical dragon and gathering the crystal shards.
I'm making this sound stuffier than it really is. Although Raya is driven by her responsibility and the fantastical plot is a little stiff, the periphery is crammed with the standard helping of wacky Disney sidekicks and the culture-rich art direction (an amalgamation of several southeast Asian influences) is breathtaking. Awkwafina is the standout, providing the voice of the enthusiastic, rainbow-themed, re-awakened dragon. Spritely and sarcastic, she bounces her way through an appropriately wacky, joyful role that brings much-needed relief during the heavier scenes and an extra dash of heart elsewhere.
The story is deeply formulaic, though, and the primary plot arc is predictable enough to write in stone within the first twenty minutes. Good, and pretty, enough to merit a family watch, but not something I'll need to revisit any time soon. -
noeythanchanok7 March 2022This movie is gorgeous, one of the best films I have seen in recent years.
"Raya and the Last Dragon" take place in a fictitious land called Kumandra. It's about the dragons who protect Kumandea from the Druun eith life, their vestigial magic being preserved in a gem. One day chief Benja of Heart,, guarding the gem, wishes to re-establish a whole nation, but things go horribly wrong, the gem fractures and the pieces are scattered, and the Druun return. Five years later Raya try to recover the gem pieces feom a wasted land against the opposition of the Druun and, indeed, her fellow countrymen. But she didn't fight alone. She was helped by Sisu, the last dragon that survived the previous battle (the fight scenes was really good).
This animated movie have many asia art and culture. So, the voice cast is largely made up of actors of Asiatic origin. -
Taking the usual Disney story template, applying the same rinse n repeat formula to it, then slapping the added representation tag on the package just for the sake of it, and marketing it as something fresh when it's not, Raya and the Last Dragon marks the arrival of a new princess in the Disney kingdom, and is truly astounding to look at but the film as a whole has no original voice of its own.
Directed by Don Hall & Carlos López Estrada, the story hurries us through its own mythology and doesn't spend enough time to strengthen the foundations before the main plot surfaces. Add to that, it expects the viewers to be invested in Raya's journey without putting in the effort that would compel us to do the same. There are familiar beats & predictable subplots here, plus it plays safe instead of risking anything.
While some characters are interesting, others are annoying. Humour also falls flat, for the film tries too hard. The emotional moments pack a punch but isn't allowed to stay afloat for long enough to deliver the goods. The animation is breathtaking for sure. Its richness, colour depth, lighting & rendering is almost immaculate. The background score by James Newton Howard is also a plus. And the voice cast play their roles responsibly as well.
Overall, Raya and the Last Dragon is enjoyable & entertaining, and will manage to satisfy most but there isn't anything new or different about it. Visually it may look richer & resonant but the underlying flavours are all the same. From a storytelling perspective, it is formulaic. From a creative standpoint, only its animation is worth noting. Nonetheless, despite the conventional treatment, there is a sense of fun & lighthearted quality to it that makes the ride pleasant enough. -
GU-Gohan26 April 2021Seriously. What's wrong with humanity? All these people who give this film a 1/10 have lost their mind. Don't take a single one of these review scores seriously. That isn't a question of opinion. Those people have an agenda. They're bitter human beings, hiding in the anonymity of the internet behind their desk and post their biased, pitiful buzzwords. Review-bombing a film for kids, how pathetic and miserable are they?
Seriously, I respect different kind of opinions. I respect that people perceive and rate films differently. I would accept it if people give that film a 4/10 or a 10/10 because they genuinely believe that and because that's in a range that I would see as "plausible". But anyone who gives this film a 1/10 is not a reviewer. These persons are totally biased and not qualified to give a proper score.
The film was wonderful. Animations are top-notch. The story is clichéd, but okay. In the end, it's a movie for kids and even though I still like watching Disney films, they can't be compared to complex, non-animated films because they're targeting a different audience. So I'm not expecting a film like Memento here, but that should be obvious... Although the film lacked the typical songs, I found the soundtrack quite beautiful and atmospheric. To sum it up, it's a nice story and an overall beautiful film for everyone. -
abigailcoucher6 January 2023Raya and the Last Dragon is a fantastic film that is sure to delight people of all ages. This exciting adventure follows the brave and strong-willed Raya, who sets off on a quest to find the last dragon and break an ancient curse. Along the way, she meets friends from other lands who join her cause. The animation is beautiful and the story is surprisingly mature for a Disney film, dealing with themes of trust, collaboration and understanding. The music soundtrack is gorgeous and the characters, both old and new, are all memorable. The action sequences are thrilling, and there's plenty of humor throughout the movie. Raya and the Last Dragon is an impressive achievement that is sure to leave viewers with a smile on their faces.
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evanston_dad25 August 2021The animation is absolutely dazzling, but otherwise this movie just goes through the motions. There are a lot of platitudes about trust and tolerance that we've heard a million times before -- same book, different cover.
Grade: B. -
kikiboo_824 March 2022The idea of the plot and the story was pretty creative for sure. Execution on the other hand, couldn't quite keep up.
The team that was eventually made was ridiculous and uncompelling. I mean a little boy who can't be over 7 years old, a literal baby with her 3 pets... Seriously? Add in all of them being magically much smarter and more capable than anyone of that age could ever be in real life and voila, huh.
Though I love the idea of a friendly dragon, this one looked more like a harmless, lovable puppy, taking away any fierceness that a dragon is inherently supposed to have. They would've done a better job with a big, fierce looking dragon, who has a secretly gentle/good side.
Raya herself was nothing special. Didn't hate her and didn't love her. She inspires total indifference.
And the ending was very predictable from the very beginning, of course. -
johannesburgensenjr29 March 2021The movie's basically another allegory on greed and how it can tear humanity apart.
Now the plot's lack of originality would've been fine if they had a strong cast and some solid writing to build upon. But sadly, they were more concerned over the number of characters they could shove into the film than they were with actually developing said characters into actual people.
They keep cracking jokes and pop culture references instead of holding conversations that would could've added depth or provide a much more organic build-up to trusting and accompanying Raya -- a lone wanderer. They do have their somber moments, but it's brief and doesn't really do much in terms of establishing their bond over lost loved ones. It feels formulaic.
Back to the theme, I get it. People are inherently greedy. Greed is bad and destroys communities. It's overdone and the movie constantly bashes the audience's heads over it. Especially Sisu, who's the worst offender of the bad off-timed
I gotta admit that Raya does have great visuals and fluid animation. However, the dragons just pull you right out of the immersion. They stood out like sore thumbs with their wacky colors and fur, similar to those silly caterpillars with googly eyes. I bet they designed these "sacred dragons" with the intention to sell as many toys as they can. -
TheLittleSongbird23 February 2023Despite seeing and hearing a lot of mixed reactions, with the disappointment being strong, this reviewer was still up for seeing 'Raya and the Last Dragon'. Due to being a huge lifelong fan of Disney, especially their 30s-60s work and a vast majority of the Renaissance era. It did become very hit and miss post-'Tarzan', when it hit like with 'Tangled' the results were wonderful. When it missed however, like 'Chicken Little', it was not worthy of the Disney name.
Have also really appreciated how Disney became more diverse over the years, with more exploring of different cultures (like 'Raya and the Last Dragon' does with South East Asia) which have really broadened the horizons. As well as their tackling of bold and more mature themes. 'Raya and the Last Dragon' is not one of Disney's best by any stretch and can understand why there are people disappointed totally. This reviewer actually liked it a lot though on the whole, a few issues but a lot is also done right.
Those things done right are going to be mentioned first. The animation is stunning, with backgrounds that dazzle in their vibrancy and rich attention to detail. James Newton Howard's music score is a beautiful mix of haunting, rousing, melancholic and spirited, with lots of lush orchestration, energetic and atmospheric rhythms and some nice Asian flavour too. The voice acting is fine also, Kelly Marie Tran is absolutely impeccable and Gemma Chan is suitably sinister as Namaari.
While the story is not perfect, it has a good deal of energy, rouses in the beautifully and imaginatively animated action and to me it did have heart. Loved how there was a mix of old and new Disney with its embracing of conventions and loved the cultural element, which was nostalgic, educational and didn't come over as stereotypical. The action excites and the screen blade is really cool. The writing again isn't perfect, with it mostly failing in one crucial component, but it is smart and well meaning with it not coming over as awkward. The titular character is incredibly winning and easy to root for.
'Raya and the Last Dragon' is far from perfect though. To me, it is too safe with not a lot of risk taking and trying to be a little too closely indebted to older Disney conventions rather than doing something new. The pacing can be off, with some of the storytelling later on feeling over-crowded. Especially in the climax, which felt rushed.
Furthermore, the humour mostly does not work. It came over as very forced too often, out of place within the story and dated. Especially with the truly annoying Sisu, a character that there could have been less of to be perfectly honest.
Concluding, a lot to like but could have been better. 7/10. -
MsDJH16 January 2023I didn't expect to like this film at all. I thought it would be a mix of fantasy and martial arts, but it was something entirely different. Right from the start the visuals sucked me in and so did the characters, most of all Raya and Si-Su. Every world they visited was interesting and their entire journey enthralled me, especially the end. It touched me like Disney classics usually do. Very beautifully done. Raya and the Last Dragon is definitely a new favorite of mine I'm looking forward to rewatch. Only next time, I hope, on a bigger screen, not just my tablet. I bet I'll love it even more then.
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FeastMode7 November 2021This is a great animated movie. Visually beautiful with a good story, heart, and some pretty cool action (the fight scenes were really good!). I was emotionally invested in the characters and the outcome of the story. Very funny. Awkwafina did a great job, elevating her character. I really enjoyed it and would watch it again. Oh and I liked the musical score. (1 viewing, 11/6/2021)
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wesleythegnome2 November 2022I'll admit the plot/writing wasn't perfect. At the end, the motivations of the would-be villain feel like they're just there to drive the plot forward, rather than an honest decision she'd make in the moment. She clearly is in awe of the dragon, and worships it, but would still dare to point her weapon at it?
And the scammer ninja baby felt tonally weird, maybe because we don't get to see any other kids like her. Her physical abilities are too much of a gag, or too supernatural, which doesn't really fit because all the other humans are just humans, non-magical and bound by the laws of physics. I could have done without that character. They could have combined two of the lands and made the cast a little leaner.
Other than that, I thought the movie was perfect. The main character has a really cool silhouette design and both touching and intimidating moments. The way they emoted her hit for me, it felt so true to life. The dragon is heartwarming and funny, I already think Awkwafina is hilarious but this was some perfect casting. She both elevates the dragon as a character, and the performance also made me love Awkwafina more. I really liked that her human form looks and emotes like her, it was like seeing an old friend.
The moral was really simple (unite and trust one another, and together we'll be greater), but I think it's a timeless sentiment that is always applicable and true. It's something all of us clearly still need to hear all the time, since as a species we continue to be relentlessly petty and short-sighted. -
nicolasverdessm27 March 2022Really entretaining, I can see Disney here making kind of a bold move with a different tone in this movie, more story based and maybe grimer. The animation and art direction are ofcourse amazing, I really liked how different cities look different but but you can tell they came from the same influence, as everything was once one big countrie. The character of the dragon wasn't my favorite, I think she looks wierd in dragon form, in human form the voice and personality really matched up. Not all jokes landed.
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The dragons who protect Kumandra from the Druun (evil purple mist which turn people to stone) are all lost in the final battle, their vestigial magic being preserved in a gem. The once harmonious nation fractured into five regions at odds with each other. Chief Benja of Heart, guarding the gem, wishes to re-establish a whole nation, but things go horribly wrong, the gem fractures and the pieces are scattered, and the Druun return. Only Benja's daughter Raya is left five years later to try to recover the gem pieces from a wasted land against the opposition of the Druun and, indeed, her fellow countrymen. Still at least she is "helped" by Sisu, the last surviving dragon (with the unlikely voice of Awkwafina).
This Disney CGI feature dropped through the cracks in the Covid floorboards, and I have only just caught up with it. The story is enyoyable, albeit not hugely original. And Disney's leaning towards cute animal sidekicks is in full flow although, to be fair, the critters here - big and small - do have some work to do plotwise.
The voice cast is largely made up of actors of Asiatic origin, although you would never be able to tell this by listening to them - the voicework is resolutely present-day American, even from English performers.
Importantly, the movie is gorgeous, one of the most beautiful films I have seen in recent years, and is worth seeing on that basis alone. -
stefanozucchelli29 July 2022Aesthetically it is an amazing movie, not for everything else. The story might be nice but there are too many plot holes and forcing in the script. Everyone wants the gem but no one tells us why they want it. It is said to be magical but the only power we see is that it pushes the drumm away, so it was perfectly useless in the 500 years that the Drumms weren't there.
The movie repeats ad nauseam that problems arose because people didn't trust each other and started creating boundaries. But I wonder if for 500 years the 5 kingdoms went on even if divided, maybe that wasn't the problem.
Another thing is that at the end of the movie Raya has to trust the enemy who has betrayed her several times. Perhaps the problem is not trust but too much trust in the wrong people.
There is no decent villain. Drumms are as dangerous as a natural disaster. Terrible but casual, they don't act out of malice. Raya's friend / enemy and her mother actually act because they want to help their people by showing more sense than Raya who throughout the movie shows a certain insensitivity to the situations in which others find themselves. His only goal is to get his father back. -
Well, I was definitely looking forward to getting to sit down to watch "Raya and the Last Dragon" and I must admit that I had some expectations for this 2021 animated movie, no doubt about that.
And Disney definitely delivered with this animated movie. I will give them that much. Yeah, "Raya and the Last Dragon" was an enjoyable animated movie in many ways. First of all, the storyline was good, and it was one that was pretty straight forward and easy to follow. It wasn't cluttered down with an abundance of side plots and sub-stories, no it was straight forward and to the point. But perhaps that could be a double-edged sword, because that could also mean that the storyline didn't offer as much as it could have to some people? But hey, I was entertained.
Now, if you have an interest in Asian culture and mythology, there are lots of things to life in "Raya and the Last Dragon".
Then there were the characters. Indeed, there was an abundance of likeable and loveable characters here, from the small monkey-like creatures to the majestic dragons, and everything in between. I really liked the Raya character and also the dragon Sisu.
"Raya and the Last Dragon" has some pretty amazing and visually stunning-looking CGI animations. Wow. When you sit down to watch the 2021 "Raya and the Last Dragon", prepare to be bedazzled. I was in awe at the impressive CGI and art style they used for this animated movie. It looked very realistic, while still maintaining a sense of it being but an animated movie. But wow, the colors, the details, the sharpness to it all and the dynamic flow to it. Just made the entire animated world spring to life in a very believable and realistic manner. Thumb up, way, way up to the CGI department here.
And with "Raya and the Last Dragon" being an animated movie, then of course having the right selection of voice performers is crucial. And yes, they most certainly had that here. With a majority of Asian voice performers, I must admit that I was impressed. And I am glad to see - well, hear, technically - Kelly Marie Tran back on the screen. I am not familiar with Awkwafina, but she really nailed the voice performance for Sisu.
If you are just going to watch one animated feature in 2021, let it be "Raya and the Last Dragon", trust me. This one offers something for the entire family. I sat down to watch this with my 11 year old son and we were both loving it.
My rating of "Raya and the Last Dragon" lands on a well-deserved eight out of ten stars. I was initially going to rate it a seven, but the impressive CGI really upped the game here. -
"Raya and the Last Dragon" is an animated movie from 2021, so still relatively new, and even if you would not have guessed it maybe, it is in theory a full-on American production in the English language, even if all characters here are Asian and also the film is entirely set in Asia, even if we are never really told a specific country or maybe you can also make a point that it is set on another planet or in another universe if you look at the dragon-like shape of the place where all the action is set. But let's stay with the basics first: If you look at the people who contributed to this film, the Asian background could not be any more obvious. This includes the ones who made it behind the camera (or behind the microphone I should say) as well as those who lent their voices to the characters. I will spare you the names of the people who are credited as writers and directors here because it's really many and you can check them out yourself. In general, it can be said that many of them worked on all kinds of animated projects in the past, so the experience is certainly there. Frozen for example would be one of them, but the one that really many have in common here was the Oscar-winning Big Hero 6. In terms of the voice cast, there are also many people included who have an Asian background, pretty much all of them, which is interesting because they did not have to be Asian with an American English-language production where you don't see the actors' looks. Oh well, I guess some confused souls would have mistaken it for racism otherwise. Like a Black man can voice a White character and also the other way around. I see nothing wrong with it all. This is real tolerance and diversity when these backgrounds do not matter at all. Anyway, as for the actors of this film here, it's in the key positions Asians who have had success in the American entertainment industry too. Sandra Oh is really the perfect example for that. I mean the only one kinda missing maybe would have been Michelle Yeoh, but she had her own big hit this year. Awkwafina is on board too of course here and she voices the dragon character mentioned in the title. I will get to her a little later, but you could say that the character reflected the actress.
With the How to Train Your Dragon franchise likely over, dragon (movie) lovers did not have to wait for a long time until the next really big dragon-themed animated movie got released and even by a big player like Disney. Of course, the dragons here look very different compared to the ones in the aforementioned franchise, but this makes sense of course as it should not have been a (cheap) copy or so. Also, the impact of the dragons is rather small, even if the entire film is about them. We only have one single dragon except at the very start and and end for the rest of the film, the dragons are turned to stone somehow. The explanation that it was bad behavior from humans that is the reason for this was not too convincing for me and a bit too much of a pseudo message I'd say. It would have made more sense if said behavior would have stopped the dragons from protecting the humans, but oh well. With the last dragon, I was also not particularly happy. I mean I do not need a creature full of elegance and beauty, but the clumsy aspect and how this dragon turns into a human (or "human") was also a not too much to my liking, even if the visual depiction, also with the hair (color) was alright there. I guess. But how we are shown that the dragon is killed in the end and then revived by the other dragons was a bit too scripted and even if the plot about trusting each other, even your former enemy, was okay, it was all too fast from "all is lost" to a 100% happy ending. The film had more to offer before that I thought. The last half hour of these over 100 minutes (including credits) was not the film's biggest strength. I kinda liked how the main character is tricked early on and you already see the two girls become friends (or more, you never know these days, also in animation) and maybe her parents becoming a couple or so, but it was a completely different path they took there. One that led to devastation. Still, you can see how the main antagonist, who reminded me of an Asian version of Ariana DeBose with the hair, was never truly evil. She tries to talk some sense into her mother and she is also deeply respectful of the dragons and impressed by them. When we see her and her face expression in all this smoke on one occasion, it was maybe the most beautiful shot of the film.
As for all the supporting characters, the film was alright from this perspective. Some I appreciated, others not so much. The father was very stereotypical, but had no impact at all anyway almost. The armadillo was the greatest ever and I would totally love to have one like this. The sneaky Asian baby with the monkeys assisting her was really hilarious. The little boy did almost nothing for me, was already a bit on the annoying side. And finally, the big strong guy who lost all his people as they turned into stone too was quite funny as well with how he seems so evil and what a mess he will make when hurting the main characters, but he is really kind at heart as we find out when he is ready to adopt the baby in the end. This was not a twist or change of events pretty much. He was always like this and we knew it from the moment when Raya asks or rather tells him that he does not know at all what he should do with them, his prisoners. I would have loved to see more from the character. Visually, this film is of course another big success, there is no denying and I am sure this, as well as the name Disney, contributed a lot to this film's big success with awards bodies, the Oscar nomination and all the Annie nominations, even if it did not win any. No pun intended. I know we could take this high visual level for granted with animation in the 21st century or, to be more precise the 2020s, but maybe we should not do so and instead just enjoy the beauty of it all. Or the mayhem if we are talking about the depiction of several characters being turned to stone. Beauty in this film especially refers to the depiction of all the dragons being freed again and how they are just up there flying. There they are not talking by the way the way like the dragon keeps talking a lot, the one who is featured at the center of the film. I preferred the silent ones. The depiction of the scene when they basically hand that one dragon the power and obligation to save everything and everybody I was also not too big on. Couldn't they have picked somebody else? They should have.
There are actually quite a few inclusions here in which people are tricked into thinking they are dealing with nice people, even friends, but the opposite turns out to be the truth. Look at the girls at the very start, look at the scene in which Raya deals with the Asian baby girl for the first time and look at the scene in which the dragon girl deals with the seemingly nice elderly lady. All make-believe. Okay, not quite as the mistakes from Raya were at least with characters who turn out to be friends in the end. The real villains are these dark shadows anyway that devour everything and turn it into stone. I already said that I would have liked a better explanation there who they are and where they come from, but oh well. Visually and in terms of impact, they were still good enough I guess, not only in the big spectacular final sequence when it is not the title character who defeats them, but her new friend and the title character's trust there and belief to see the good in people is nonetheless a key reason. That was fine. I was still surprised during an earlier scene how Raya tells the other girl that she has the dragon with her. I thought she would be too smart for that and I also don't think she really knew how much the other girl is in awe of dragons, despite the little symbol she saw on the other girl when they were children. So maybe not the best-written moment there. I thought Raya would be smarter than that. She seems to be pretty witty and resilient too with the way we see her set a foot on something she was never supposed to set a foot on at the very start of the film. Seeing her with her dad there was nice, even if the armadillo (still tiny at that point and I initially thought it was a hedgehog) once again was the scene stealer. The most touching moment from the film was maybe the reunion with her dad in the end after right before that we see how all other characters are back home again and happy.
The key message, however, was that only peace would unite them and this is where the film was heading and there was never really any doubt about it that the stone dragons would come back to life again in the end and also that no "humans" would be in stone again and that all the peoples with their dragon body part names would be in harmony with each other. Maybe a bit too much overall and too much in tone with the current global situation in terms of trying to make an impact there, but I can ignore that and I personally think it was a good and enjoyable watch overall. The good is more frequent than the weak with this animated film that is, including credits, closer to two hours than to 1.5 hours. So not a short watch and I hope your kids (and you) have some patience with it. For me, there was, despite the decline in quality towards the end, never really any question that I would give this anything other than a thumbs-up and positive recommendation. I must still say it was not a too mesmerizing watch as I would have liked it to be. Quality-wise, it is probably the same like the weaker, but not weakest moments from HtTYD, even if, as I stated earlier, this comparison is a bit off because there are hardly no dragons in this film at all. Animation style is very different too obviously. Go see it. Better than Encanto. The "hold on" moment was also very funny. You will laugh a bit for sure here. -
annika-222-8315346 June 2021Wow. The animation was absolutely stunning. But the story was completely predictable and unoriginal. Absolutely zero mystique - which is what I suspect most of us hoped for with a story like this. And then.... the dragon spoke. I get it, she's the comic relief, but it just didn't fit. Nonetheless, it was good for the kids. Simple to understand absolutely beautiful to look at.