Raya and the Last Dragon review – a gorgeous but formulaic adventure

These days, every new addition to the Disney Princess movie canon arrives with the approximation of “doing better.” Better, more progressive female characters; better representation of people of colour; a better understanding of how to translate elements from other cultures to the animated form. Less hackneyed cultural appropriation, more authentic inspiration. At least, that's the idea.

With its distinct south-east Asian setting, taking influence from countries as diverse as Thailand, Burma, and Indonesia, with Asian writers (Qui Nguyen, Adele Kim) and a voice cast of predominately Asian descent (Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan), Disney is clearly looking to redefine their relationship with other cultures with their fifty-ninth film, Raya and the Last Dragon. To top it off, we have a strong, independent female character who never loses her agency, but is empowered as a hero right from the very start without any pandering or talking down. Great!

Raya is also gorgeously rendered, packed with what at times feels like an impossible amount of detail displaying the studio’s intricate, intimate, and well-publicised research process; the fictional land of Kumandra absorbs elements of Thailand's night markets, architecture from Cambodia's Angkor Wat, a river based on the Mekong. Whether the idea of a fictional south-east Asia-like world is actually better than a film set plainly in the real region will depend on the viewer, but there's no denying Kumandra is an evocative and magical place – even if the names of its divided lands, named after dragon parts, are not (“Tail”? Come on!).

Where Raya and the Dragon feels less inspired, though, is the story itself. How many times do we really need to watch a vague mass of “badness” – this one called “the Druun” – as it sets out to consume the landscape? At least once more, Raya argues. Shouldn't these faceless, abstract entities be a last resort for any blockbuster movie baddie, though? Surely any actual, breathing villain is better than the anonymous force of darkness that Hollywood filmmakers continually fall back on, time and time again?

This quest, we’ve seen, and Raya sorely misses an interesting narrative to match its visual invention and intimate research. We should ask why. Disney is operating at a point where they can afford to experiment and innovate and redefine what an animated film means in 2021. Here the narrative – essentially a two-hour fetch quest – has Raya moving from land-to-land collecting crystal shards in hope that she can bring back a population of people who have been tuned to stone, restore some dragons, and banish an ancient evil. But there are too many familiar elements at play, the plot unnecessarily convoluted and quickly leaning on an overcomplicated narration to untangle itself right from the word go. In Frozen, now eight years old, the story ideas at work felt fresh and progressive; like a studio coming to terms with its own complicated legacy. Raya’s sense of independence is undoubtably modern, but the events she’s dealing with feel as old as time itself.

The movie is excessive in its number of characters, too, as a ragtag crew – including a “Con Baby” and a giant armadillo – take to a river boat, like in Apocalypse Now, encountering obstacles along the way. But the toy-ready nature of these characters has never seemed so transparent. They’re affable enough – but somehow less memorable than Moana’s lone chicken. Where this movie really thrives is in the voice work, especially in lead Kelly Marie Tran, who was shortchanged by Disney in Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker but takes to voice acting like a pro – her tone feels perfectly weighed, balancing gusto and empathy with a real likeability. She's a natural. Awkwafina, too, makes a compelling sidekick as talking dragon Sisu, a sort of composite of Aladdin’s Genie and Mulan’s Mushu – but with less effective (or funny) material at her disposal. This is, undoubtedly, a movie that could have done with a few more good jokes.

Many will likely find that the biggest draw is the action itself. The fight scenes, fast-paced and intricate, most of them relying on the clashing of swords or edged weapons, unfold with a clear influence of Chinese wuxia cinema, and have a kind of compulsive, kinetic energy that is unquestionably thrilling to watch. These moments are standout, and make for the most original sections in what amounts to a very watchable but ultimately formulaic animation. Raya and the Last Dragon is one hell of a looker – it's just a shame the story isn’t as fine-tuned as its heroine's intricate swordplay.

Raya and the Last Dragon is now streaming on Disney+ and costs £19.99 as a Premier Access rental.