Review of Raya and the Last Dragon

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.