Raya is the story of a society struggling to reunify and a girl struggling to trust in the wake of betrayal A young Raya with her father, before things get dire. But the most disappointing thing about Raya is that Southeast Asian Disney fans may struggle to find any identifiable part of their specific cultures in the film’s gorgeous but messy world-building. Movie buffs may feel like Raya has taken 80 percent of its beats from other animated stories, from The Lion King to The Dark Crystal.
But there is another worry about the use of East Asian actors: The blending of the distinct and varied cultures of Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and half a dozen other nations has left Raya and the Last Dragon feeling indistinct and insensitive.įans of the Airbender/ Korra franchise might be reminded of those series and note that they did much of what Raya is trying to do now, better, 15 years ago.
Voice actors have been fighting to win roles that reflect their ethnicity, a fact that led to early criticism around Raya and its casting. They are respectively Chinese and Korean American, Korean American, and British Chinese. Though the title role went to Kelly Marie Tran, a Disney fan favorite of Vietnamese descent (known for Star Wars), the main cast also includes Awkwafina in the role of the “last dragon,” Daniel Dae Kim as Raya’s father, and Gemma Chan as Raya’s nemesis Namaari.
The dragons in Raya are mainly based on Southeast Asian folklore, and the visuals and settings are mainly drawn from the region’s real geography.īut the film’s production team has drawn criticism from Southeast Asian viewers for casting East Asian actors in many of its most important roles, rather than Southeast Asian actors. The film’s writers, Qui Nguyen ( The Society) and Adele Lim ( Crazy Rich Asians) are, respectively, Vietnamese American and Malaysian American, and copious research has gone into Raya to make the film feel true to Southeast Asian viewers. Vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark
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