Disney releases the new movie on Disney+

By Lakshmi Katravulapalli

Staff Reporter

Raya and the Last Dragon, a new Disney movie, was released on Disney+ on March 5 with Premium Access but will be released on June 4 for free on Disney+. In addition to movies like  Mulan and Soul, this movie was directly released on Disney+ as well as into theaters due to the pandemic. Although in addition to Mulan, Raya and the Last Dragon requires a payment fee known as a premium subscription in order to watch it on Disney+ until June 4 when the fee is taken away. 

  Raya is the main character in Raya and the Last Dragon who is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran and Sisu, who is the comedic water dragon in the story who is voiced by Awkwafina. The directors of the film are Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada. Don Hall also directed Disney Movies Big Hero 6 and Moana. Some of the minor characters in the story are played by famous actors, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, and Thalia Tran. The script was written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim.

   Even though Raya and the Last Dragon was released during the pandemic it grossed $90 million all over the world. It was also said to be the sixth highest-grossing film this year. It got a rating of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and had very high reviews from critics after release.  Disney started producing the film on May 24, 2018. The film was officially announced by the directors in August 2020. The design and ideas for the movie were said to be drawn from the Southeast Asian region. It was said that the filmmakers and directors traveled to many countries in the Southeast Asian region to get an idea of their culture and traditions. 

   This movie is about a character named Raya, who has to find the last dragon to save her home and kill a devastating plague. Raya must travel through different kingdoms with a group of misfits. While traveling, Raya has to defeat her enemy, Namaari. It is said one of the main characters, the last dragon by the name Sisu comes from a serpentine dragon race from the Southeast Asian culture known as the Naga. In order to pay respect to their culture, Disney created a Southeast Asiacultural preservation society that helps sustain the culture and heritage. 

  Raya and the Last Dragon was set to be released on November 25, 2020 but the release date for the movie got delayed because of the pandemic. Even though the pandemic hit, Disney was still able to work on the movie on release this year despite the problems that were caused due to COVID-19.