Critics say Raya and the Last Dragon is a "exhilarating and dynamic" film and a visual marvel

 Critics say Raya and the Last Dragon is a "exhilarating and dynamic" film and a visual marvel

 Critics say Raya and the Last Dragon is a "exhilarating and dynamic" film and a visual marvel

Disney did it again.

On Monday, reviews of the studio's latest animated film "Raya and the Last Dragon" began to emerge, suggesting that House of Mouse has achieved a new success in his hands.

So far, the film, scheduled to be released in cinemas and reaching the premiere of Disney+ on Friday, has received a 96% "new" rating on Rottenes of 89 ratings.

"Raya and the Last Dragon" takes place in Kumaendra, the place where humans and dragons lived together in harmony. However, when the evil monsters known as Druun threatened the earth, the dragons sacrificed themselves, and drew their power to a gemstone, to save humanity.

Five hundred years later, Kumaendra was divided into five provinces - heart, fang, spine, tail, and talon. When one of the five tries to steal gems, it breaks down and weakens its strength and restores Druun. In the process, Raya's father, Benga, the head of Hartland, was transformed into a stone.

This sends Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) on a mission to summon the spirit of Sisu (Awkwafina), another dragon, and reunite the gempieces to save Kumandra and her father.

Walt Disney's latest animated adventure, starring Kelly Marie Tran and O'Kukawa, is a visual pleasure but an equivalent to error.

Like any number of big movies that will mostly end up on PVOD or steaming them instead of being shown in cinemas, Walt Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon lose something when watched on HD TV. It's a wonderful, detailed and colorful adventure film, such as Wonder Woman 1984, Mulan and News of the World and (its presence as the original Netflix version aside) The Midnight Sky, filmed on a giant cinema screen, through large-screen visuals and overwhelming locations, not much paper about story/personal problems, but at least partly a reason for the season.

In the absence of the overwhelming experience of sitting on el Capitan's balcony or the closest possible row of the IMAX Theater, Raya and the Last Dragon feel that Disney's latest version has become so, as was the case with the Katzenberg era model. The demographic representation now defined is an excuse to tell the same story in a perverted way. The long-running animated film No. 59 plays like a loose remake of Moana, with themes and character arcs gently borrowed from the likes of Frozen and Zootopia, including the "No Bad Guys" mentality that frankly plays a sly and harmful role in our current world.    

Kelly Marie Tran plays Rhea, a warrior princess from The Heart Land in Kandra, who finds herself seeking to cancel a catastrophic event around the world into a barren Mad Max-style land. She soon discovers the last surviving dragon (Okwavina, doing her best to be a genie or maui in this story but approaches Moso Eddie Murphy) who may provide essential help in restoring the world to his former glory. From that point (surprisingly early) in a 95-minute story (without credits), it's one short trip to each of the other three divided territories to grab their MacGuffin piece.  

Without going into detail, I was impressed by the film's ability to recount what a post-apocalypse tragedy is without counting the number of bodies stripped of emotional risks through the explicit temporary nature of the massacre. Moreover, the journey to reunite the broken pieces of the Dragon Jewel or whatever it is called is so easy, that it is inexplicable that the people involved did not work together briefly to save the proverbial day, just when the first disaster occurred. The idea that no one trusts each other is somewhat matched by how rational most friends and enemies are on this hero's journey.

The idea of trusting someone who may be your enemy is correct, even if raya is constantly ashamed of being the only person who caused the terrible conditions in the first place. It will be Namari (Gemma Chan), a warrior princess from fang land and a woman who (as seen in the foreground) has forged a friendship with the young Raya and betrayed her with consequences that changed the world. Rhea and Nmari have a flirty runner relationship that inspires thought pieces and melody. However, the extent to which Sisso eavesal shames Oquavina for Raya for not trusting the woman who has shattered the world is frankly skewed.

As befits future sequences or Disney+ spin-offs, Raya meets colorful allies at every step of the journey, each from one of the five separate territories. Along with the dragon and the childhood antagonist, we meet an orphan child turned to crime (Thala Tran), a ten-year-old chef (Isaac Wang) and a desperately lonely, powerful man (Benedict Wong). In the void, these characters offer powerful comedies and examples for those who have been left behind mourning for the "dead" (in fact temporarily turned into a stone), but I can't help but think of each of these people hosting their part of The Attraction of Komada (including Schrempurium Bon).

I'll notice that, regardless of commercial sarcasm, humor often plays a role closer to The Emperor's New Groove (yes, that's a compliment). The most dramatic/adventurous moments at the same time seem like a loose approximation of what was supposed to be a Disney comedy of 2000 when the Kingdom of the Sun was the most serious. Similarly, the procedure works except how to avoid any injury or consequences. There are many conditions for "fierce" animations. However, Disney still seems afraid of making action dramas at least violent, intense and effective in terms of subject matter like Gargoyles, for example, that were safely broadcast on afternoon television 25 years ago.

The kids will enjoy this. My nine-year-old son enjoyed himself while my 13-year-old son echoed moderate complaints. Part of the indifference comes from the extent to which we are demonstrating in terms of stunning animation and relatively serious-minded animations. If you see this in the theater as desired, you're probably a little more tolerant with a commitment to a no-harm/no foul privilege formula. Moreover, in a less monoculture environment, Rhea will be one of the great animations of a 3-star girl who has succeeded in entertaining adults as well. Now it is the default event movie right now and it is expected to be everything for all demographics.

Raya and the Last Dragon finally come to a climax, offering some plot rhythms of "Well, that's different and inspired" and a funky (temporarily) decision that plays in the main features of the gameplay. This temporary nature, not only the need to be "child-friendly" (Disney has never avoided the cruel turns in the plot) but by demanding the introduction of characters that can be monetised forever, makes the film less exciting and attractive than it might otherwise be. . Nor is it the film's fault that the morals of "peace, love and mutual understanding" play a fraudulent role when one of america's two political parties appears to be dressed as Nazis.

If you want a stunningly animated adventure comedy featuring some funny characters, a seemingly authentic Southeast Asian representation (dipped in the list of soup ingredients, lemongrass is my enemy), powerful audio shows, live haunt scenes, injury-free sword fights, look for an open theater or pay $30 to Disney+. There was a time when Disney was distinguishing itself by making a successful and objectively heavy film like Raya and the Last Dragon. That time could also have been one of the times when a) Disney didn't care about the sequences, b) Disney (along with Netflix) wasn't using the desired demographic inclusiveness as a protective shield against criticism as it captured pop culture.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a fun action comedy at the surface level that mostly works as intended in the void. I wasn't as hopeful as it was about the external context and changing form of what Disney now represents, like anything in Don Hall/Carlos Lopez Estrada,. The things that were then worth clapping or acknowledging are now part of a specific business formula and business plan. Away from demographic visuals and disparities, Raya and the Last Dragon pass through movements. This is a rare time when you can see the gears.