March 5, Disney released their new movie Raya and the Last Dragon. The storyline follows a girl named Raya and her journey to bring peace to the land of Kumandra. In her land, there used to be dragons that lived among the people, but they all turned to stone when the Druun came through the land and turned everyone they touched to stone. Not only that, but they also duplicated after turning people to stone. The Last Dragon used her magic to destroy all the Druun and turn all the stone people back to normal, but after a turn of events, all the Druun return and Raya has to figure out how to destroy them. 

This is a great movie for kids and parents alike, as the theme revolves around trust. Not only does it have a good theme, but it also is entertaining to watch due to every character’s personality. However, something most people don’t know is that Raya could possibly be an official Disney princess, though Disney hasn’t confirmed it yet. If she is, she will be the first Southeast Asian princess who isn’t stereotyped as strict and wants to bring honor to her family. This movie really showed her kind, playful personality, as well as her strong desire to help her dad and the world. 

Disney is not only exploring stories of princesses with diverse backgrounds, they’re also advancing in visual effects too. The animators did a great job this time around with attention to details, down to the patterns on the clothes and the shading on the dragon necklace Raya was given. The shading on the necklace makes it look old and rusted a little, and the patterns on the clothing are very precise, down to the stitch work and fraying on her coat. One of my favorite things that Disney is advancing in is the characters’ hair. Raya’s hair looks very close to real hair rather than animated compared to other Disney princesses and it shows how much Disney is advancing is fabricating the details in animated movies. Even the details in the water are so alluring, especially when the water is moving upwards and when the dragon Sisu uses the raindrops in the air to climb up into the sky.

Personally, I really enjoyed this movie as it was filled with adventure and mystery and I wouldn’t mind a second movie to follow this one. I would recommend this movie to any Disney lovers and would rate this movie a 4/5 stars.