Review of Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) by Lunnara — 19 Mar 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 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.