Raya and the Last Dragon

 2.5/4

Starring (voices): Kellie Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Isaac Wang, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh

Rated PG for Some Violence, Action and Thematic Elements

I get the impression that "Raya and the Last Dragon" started out with a strong screenplay and then it was diluted by the studio executives to increase merchandising, feeling that kids would be lost, or to appeal to a world audience.  In other words, what always happens when too many people get their hands on a single movie.  "Raya and the Last Dragon" is by no means a bad movie, but it feels feeble when it should soar.

A thousand years ago, the land of Kumadra was a prosperous land.  Everyone lived together in piece with the dragons as their caretakers.  Then the Druun showed up; evil entities that turned people to stone and then split themselves in two.  The dragons did what they could, but it was a losing battle.  They used the last of their magic to create an orb that wards off the evil.  500 years later, Humadra has been divided into five kingdoms after civil war.  Now the orb is hidden in secret.

Chief Benja (Kim) believes that if everyone can trust one another, Kumandra can be rebuilt.  His daughter Raya (Tran) isn't so sure.  Banja is not deterred Byrne her misgivings, and he invites those from the other kingdoms as the first step towards peace.  Raya makes friends with Namarri, the daughter of a rival.  But the olive branch Raya extends to her new friend leads to betrayal, and the orb is broken.  Each kingdom takes a peace while escaping from the Druun.  In the ensuing chaos, Chief Benja is turned to stone.  The only way to save her father and everyone else is to find the mythical last dragon who can use her magic to defeat the Druun and save the land.  But first, Raya will have to gather the pieces from each kingdom, and even with the chatty Sisu (Awkwafina) by her side, it's going to be a challenge.

The problem with "Raya and the Last Dragon" is not that its predictable.  To one degree or another, the wide majority of Disney movies follow a specific formula.  But the best ones such as "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast" use strong writing and beautiful animation to tell their stories.  That's not true of "Raya and the Last Dragon."  The screenplay is weak, the characters are flat, and the animation is so so.  There isn't anything bad about this movie.  But there isn't anything good.

The movie steals from everywhere in the Disney canon.  "Moana," "Frozen" and "Brave" are obvious influences, and this feels like a copy of a copy.  Raya is your prototypical Disney Princess, but she doesn't have much of a personality.  There's nothing that distinguishes her from what has become a cliche over the past thirty years.  That goes for the other characters too.  Sisu is the smart aleck comic relief, the cook/boat captain Boun (Wang) is the vulnerable kid, Tong (Wong) is the tough guy with a heart.  And so on.  The baby pickpocket is new though.

The film is about trust and forgiveness.  Only during the film's second half are they given their due, however.  The screenplay shortchanges itself by waiting too long to raise the stakes.  Emotionally, there's nothing to grab onto until the film shows its hand.  Once that happens, it begins to gain some dramatic energy.  The film still suffers from bland characters and flat humor, but at least it is no longer boring.

But it's too little, too late.

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