Disney+ Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

A new featurette with Kelly Marie Tran:

 

[Robert Crawford]

I can wait until June, but I hope this movie does well because I didn't like the crap that Kelly Marie Tran had to put up with in regard to her role in last few Star Wars movies.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I didn't like the crap that Kelly Marie Tran had to put up with in regard to her role in last few Star Wars movies.

I don't want to relitigate Star Wars here. But regardless of what anybody thought of the last movie, Tran's diminished role in it gave the online trolls who were bullying her reason to think that they "won." I think that's unfortunate.

Incidentally, Tran also had a significant supporting role in The Croods: A New Age. So that's two major studio animated films in a row which featured her. Unless Raya stops The Croods short, it's very possible that she could have two films in the top five next weekend.

She will also be voicing a new character In Monsters at Work, the Monsters, Inc. spinoff show that will be debuting on Disney+ in July. So she's doing voice roles all over the place.

 

[Sam Favate]

I know I am in the minority, but I thought Tran was one of the best things about The Last Jedi.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Slashfilm posted a good interview with Kelly Marie Tran:

'Raya And The Last Dragon' Star Kelly Marie Tran Shares How Her Personal Experiences Changed The Newest Disney Heroine [Interview] - SlashFilm

The Raya and the Last Dragon star talks what its like being the first Southeast Asian Disney Princess. Read our Kelly Marie Tran interview here.

www.slashfilm.com

Edit: Variety just posted a podcast with Tran, too.

Kelly Marie Tran Talks ‘Wonderful’ Dynamic in ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

On the "Just for Variety" podcast, Kelly Marie Tran talks about her role as the newest Disney Princess in "Raya and the Last Dragon."

variety.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

I didn't like the crap that Kelly Marie Tran had to put up with in regard to her role in last few Star Wars movies.

You might want to read this. The Hollywood Reporter gave her their cover story this week, "The Resurrection of Kelly Marie Tran." It sounds like she's doing a lot better now, which is great.

Tran says the whole experience felt like she "fell in love very publicly and then very publicly had an embarrassingly horrible breakup." She leaned on her tight-knit pre-fame circle of friends, including the members of her all-Asian American female improv troupe Number One Son, and went to therapy, where she learned, "If someone doesn't understand me or my experience, it shouldn't be my place to have to internalize their misogyny or racism or all of the above. Maybe they just don't have the imagination to understand that there are different types of people living in the world."

More at the link: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/f...-representation-and-raya-and-the-last-dragon/

It's unfortunate that the online trolls made their voices so loud. I wouldn't want to come back to social media either after that experience if I were her. But if she did, I would tell her how great I think she is and how much I've enjoyed her work.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Kelly Marie Tran appeared on Deadline's podcast to discuss the movie:

New Hollywood Podcast: Kelly Marie Tran Talks How ‘Raya And The Last Dragon’ Can Strengthen Unity In Asian Community

New Hollywood Podcast: Kelly Marie Tran Talks How 'Raya And The Last Dragon' Can Strengthen Unity In Asian Community

deadline.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

Has anyone else seen this yet?

I thought it was great. But if most of you are waiting until June for it to be included with the Disney+ subscription, I don't want to get too much into things and spoil anyone's fun.

I went with the Disney+ route because I fundamentally do not feel comfortable going to a theater right now. I'm glad I don't have to wait for the movie. But boy I wish I did feel comfortable going theatrically; the animation in this film is often jaw-dropping. I am sure it would be a fantastic experience on the big screen.

 

[Jason_V]

Just walked out of the theater and we both really enjoyed it. Beautiful colors, Aquafina is fantastic, funny and action-y, really good relevant story. I was really impressed.

 

[NorgeRunner]

May check it out this summer. Too pricey right now.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I totally understand why people might not want to pay the extra fee to get this on Disney+ now. I think it is reasonable because access is unlimited.

Other movies have been doing $19.99 for a 48-hour window, which is too high for me because I don't want to pay that much and then have the movie taken away.

I watched Raya last night/early this morning when it dropped, and I'll probably watch it again several times before the Blu-ray comes out. I went to see Frozen II in theaters four times back when it still felt safe to do that. I have no doubt that I would have returned to the theater for this one multiple times as well if it we were not in a COVID environment. I'm used to paying over/under $30 for things I really like in the theater because I go back for repeat viewing. So if you look at it that way, $30 is a deal.

But that's just me. Certainly there's no wrong choice here. If you have Disney+ and don't want to pay the surcharge, it's going to drop down into the regular subscription on June 4.

One other thing that I can add right now without spoiling anything is that the score, composed by James Newton Howard, is terrific. I wish they would do a physical CD release for it, but since that's not very likely, I bought the download as soon as I was done watching the movie around 4am last night. He has done good work in a variety of films for a very long time, but this one is a real standout.

 

[Edwin-S]

Well, I decided to spend the 30+ dollars to see the film early. I have mixed feelings about the film. The animation is well done and the visually the film looks great. The story, however, is somewhat of a let down. It's not bad but it was second tier to Pixar's "Moana" which also used a non-White cast and cultural backdrop.

"Raya" is more of a straight fantasy world than "Moana" but it's roots in Chinese/Asian culture is still plenty evident. "Moana" just managed to tell a more original and better story than "Raya". In fact, one aspect of "Raya" kept reminding me of "Titan AE" which is not a good thing for a film to do. I also found the "Baby Con" rather annoying and unbelievable which is a strange thing to say considering one of the main characters is a mythical dragon.

All in all, I probably should have waited until the film debuted for free in June on D+; however, I was curious about the film despite my initial reaction to some of the trailers. Now, I'll have to watch a film that had a lukewarm story several times to at least feel like I got my money's worth. Good thing that visually it is beautiful to look at so that is worth something; although, after also rewatching "The Princess and The Frog" I really miss the qualities that Disney's 2D character animation had. I wish Disney would make a traditional 2D feature; however, looking at some of the '2D" work that was done in "Raya" I think Disney animators have lost some of the skills that made Disney 2D films so great.

Edit: Fixed typos and removed extraneous periods. I really hate touch keyboards on phones. The one on Samsung phones is especially bad.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Moana was a straight up Disney production like Raya, not a Pixar movie.

 

[Edwin-S]

Moana was a straight up Disney production like Raya, not a Pixar movie.

My bad. I forgot that.it was a Disney Animation production and said Pixar without checking if I was guessing right. Either way, "Moana" was still a better film than "Raya and The Last Dragon".

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Has anyone else seen this yet?

I thought it was great. But if most of you are waiting until June for it to be included with the Disney+ subscription, I don't want to get too much into things and spoil anyone's fun.

I went with the Disney+ route because I fundamentally do not feel comfortable going to a theater right now, and I'm glad I don't have to wait for the movie. But boy I wish I did feel comfortable going theatrically because the animation in this film is often jaw-dropping and I am sure it would be a fantastic experience on the big screen.

I saw this tonight at the AMC IMAX and liked it a lot.

The movie comes with 87 skillion obvious influences but it still manages to be fun and entertaining and winning.

I think this is the most I've enjoyed a Disney movie theatrically since "Zootopia" 5 years ago!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Incidentally, Tran also had a significant supporting role in The Croods: A New Age. So that's two major studio animated films in a row which featured her. Unless Raya stops The Croods short, it's very possible that she could have two films in the top five next weekend.

I guess I should trust whatever animated movies Tran appears in since I really liked "New Age" and "Raya"!

 

[Jake Lipson]

Well, I decided to spend the 30+ dollars to see the film early

Just a reminder to anyone who sees the film this way: if you are a member of Disney Movie Insiders, they'll give you 300 points for the Premier Access purchase of the film. All you have to do is go to the Insiders web site and submit a screen shot of the Premier Access email receipt from Disney+ the same way that you would submit movie tickets. Their team will review the submission and manually credit the points to your account. I submitted the receipt on Thursday and had the points credited a few hours later. It was super easy. So if you're a member, that's another way to add some extra value to your purchase.

 

[Patrick Sun]

The animation and design in "Raya and the Last Dragon" were solid.

 

[Sam Favate]

We watched this today and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We saw it on Disney+, which was a good option for us, as we're not all vaccinated yet, and it was cheaper than paying for four movie tickets. I thought the film was extremely well done. The animation was really breathtaking - in places it was photo realistic (especially Raya's hair). The writing was solid too; it was a good story and a good quest for the characters. Unlike Mulan and Moana (a movie that's beloved in my house) which are films with which this one is often compared, Raya is not a solo journey. There are a lot of interesting people she meets and their relationships inform the direction of the story. We all enjoyed the action and suspense. In places, it's a bit like Raiders of the Lost Ark. The music is also great. I hope Disney has success with this film and its difficult release schedule because it's a film that deserves to be seen and, given the chance, will find its audience. Four thumbs up over here.

(For those wondering, there is no scene after or during the credits.)

 

[Jake Lipson]

I guess I should trust whatever animated movies Tran appears in since I really liked "New Age" and "Raya"!

She's also going to appear in the Monsters At Work series on Disney+ in July. Let's hope that means it's good too.

I hope Disney has success with this film and its difficult release schedule because it's a film that deserves to be seen and, given the chance, will find its audience.

I read in one of the trades this weekend that one Premier Access purchase is equivalent to about 8 tickets for Disney because they don't have to share any of that revenue with theaters or other distribution partners. Of course, Disney doesn't have to release numbers for the Disney+ run either. We're not going to be looking at a complete picture of the film's financials as we would if this were a purely theatrical title in non-pandemic times. But I think people are going to find it long-term. I know a number of people who aren't going to pay the fee but will watch it in June once it's a non-premium title on Disney+, so the interest in seeing it is there, just not the interest in paying extra. I would guess it's going to reach the hardcore Disney Animation audience now and then will get a big boost over the summer once everyone can see it.

The music is also great.

James Newton Howard is the composer on this and I agree he did a great job. If you want it, the soundtrack is now out digitally. Disney does not appear to be interested in doing a physical CD release. Onward and Soul didn't get CD releases either, and Frozen II only had the songs released physically while its score was a digital exclusive. Based on this disappointing pattern, it appears Disney has decided that new instrumental scores won't sell enough physical copies to justify putting them out. So I went ahead and bought the download. I'd still get a physical copy if Disney surprises me and puts one out later.