I don't know if I mentioned it, but for a dozen or so years I have not been a fan of Disney full-length animations anymore. I stopped being one for the same reason I stopped being Marvel movies - I grew out of them. Not because they're weak, or I don't like CGI animations or are too similar to each other (unlike MCU movies). Yes, I think a few of them are poor, but my assessment is because I did not like them. A dozen years ago I couldn't name it and I probably used silly arguments that today I would laugh at, or at least build a solid argument around it. Currently, I treat Disney cartoons mainly as entertainment that I play for the kids in my family (or the children of my friends, whom I sometimes look after ... But for some time now they prefer to play with PS4, which is absolutely no surprise to me) or watch with my girlfriend. Asia, like girls or women, likes Mickey Mouse fairy tales more than an average guy. As for my brief assessment, I love fairy tales from Disney's golden age, or whatever it is called. I mean "Aladdin", "The Lion King" etc. I used to go to the movies, then I got a VHS tape from my father, and then a DVD. It was the same with the sequels that went directly to home readers - although they presented a lower level, sometimes even disgustingly copying the previous parts (especially "The Lion King 2", which had great potential for something good), I did not care about it, just I watched with great pleasure. Later, I stopped watching them, and if I had to, I only did so with the children I was caring for. Now it will probably change, but maybe I won't be as bored as with the acting "Mulan". "Soul" has been a success + has won the recognition of critics and reviewers, so I hope that the Disney-Pixar duo will serve us these better productions more often. What category does "Raya and the Last Dragon" fall into?
Well, it wasn't a Soul level, but I'm far from being disappointed. Overall it was good, in some respects even very good (music, heroines, usually animation and graphics), probably in no way it was average. The plot is not too complicated or original, you have certainly seen it somewhere before, at most in a slightly changed version. In the form of an animated series, books, anime, games, other full-length animation for children or young teenagers. Long ago, a mysterious fog appeared out of nowhere that turned all living things to stone. They managed to stop her once, but the evil returned. Raya, the daughter of the ruler of Kumandra, must find the last dragon in order to defeat the mysterious and malevolent fog. Along the way, she finds various friends who will help her achieve this goal. As you can see, this is a standard that Disney or other film companies have got used to. It was quite pleasant to watch, however.
To be completely honest, even though I saw the movie recently + praise the main characters, I don't remember much about them. Apart from the dragon I remember quite well, I can't say much about the protagonist and antagonist. However, I remember my positive impressions and the fact that I can definitely attribute them to better than worse outfits. They are not outstanding or distinguishable from other people that I will remember for many years, but I would be a disgusting liar if I criticized them. I usually criticize situations or characters that are brazen copies of previous designs, but in this case, I have to say something completely different - this is an example of positively made copies. It is not very conspicuous, the girls have their own personality, badass moments (this scene, how pissed off Raya is walking through the palace ... Oh, that was wonderful <3!). They are not artificially brought up to the level of men in terms of fighting and physical fitness, nor are they weakened for the sake of the scenario for girls to have easier. They win thanks to strength (in the case of the opponent), cleverness, intelligence, the ability to use the environment (both ladies), greater flexibility of the body, and acrobatic skills (the protagonist, although Namaari is also efficient in this field, which is not difficult because women in this they are superior to men). As for the dragon, it was nice to watch such a clumsy heroine (before the feminists got involved, I'd say the same thing if it were a guy). He loses such a charming one, only in the female edition. One with whom you can easily identify and you feel sympathy for her from the very beginning. I do not know how much she stands out in this respect compared to the other female Disney characters, but judging her from my perspective, I will say that she is original. In "Alladin", "The Lion King", "Beauty and the Beast", "Pocahontas", both parts of "Toy Story" and a few other films, I haven't seen such a heroine. From what I remember, few of the main characters (or the most important of the 2nd set) were so clumsy and withdrawn. Despite the fact that Sisu has its own character, it can be easily put out, so to speak, which is not helped by the lack of self-confidence and uncertainty in your abilities. In general, I have a positive opinion about the most important characters, about the rest ... Even if they piss off, they either don't have much airtime or they don't disturb.
As for the animation, as I said, I have no objection to most of the film. It is nice, colorful, nature looks beautiful, the world is rich in details. It makes you float through this movie. Maybe this is my personal opinion, but I enjoyed watching it as smoothly as "Without Remorse" - I didn't get bored, didn't look at the watch and I was genuinely curious what its creators had come up with. Maybe I was not thrilled, but if I said that I did not care about the fate of the main character, I would be lying. The fights looked good. Their choreography did not impress me, but the technical performance did. The movements were smooth, I could feel the strength and speed of the blows. A little better than correct, nothing bad was noticed during the screening, so for a children's film, it is better than acceptable.
When it comes to styling, Disney has lived up to its promises and announcements. In "Raya and ..." we have a lot of elements that can be associated with some Asian movies or anime (like "Naruto" or "Demon Slayer"). This applies not only to Japan or China (two of the most important countries in that region and the world), but also to other, weaker and smaller countries and markets. There is no need to pretend, the Japanese and the Chinese got the most fan-service due to their power and influence. Nevertheless, if you are a proficient expert on Asian cultures, you will surely see a lot of good from other countries inspired by Disney animators. I know her mostly from anime, partly from games and material about both of these countries (stories and tales of people who lived there), and I can say that the homework was better here than in acting "Mulan", where the work was totally screwed up. Of course, apart from the intrigue and characters that had to be simplified for the sake of universality. After all, I'm not criticizing it, as Disney's moral and message has usually been, is, and will remain so. Also this one, in terms of animation, graphics and style, I have nothing to complain about, except for a few underdeveloped scenes (or maybe it was just because it seemed strange to me?), In which, for example, the characters had strange faces. As for the music, it was very pleasant to listen to during the screening. Especially the song that we could hear for the first time in the trailer - its longer version is probably even better! I also enjoy writing reviews with it. We have good melancholic songs as well as more dynamic ones. The only complaint that bothered me was that there were too few songs taken or at least stylized on those cultures. It does not break the beat during the screening, but if I heard more songs a bit like OSTs from similar anime, the sense of immersion would rather be strengthened. Nevertheless, overall +8/10 on this point me for those few epic songs, especially the song titled Prologue.
All in all, if I had to bet whether this movie would be a cult movie like "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast" or "The Lion King" in a few years, I might have done it, but certainly not for money. However, as I have been saying for a while, it doesn't really matter. "Raya and the Last Dragon" is a good movie for the moment, and it probably won't get old too quickly. It is not a fairy tale like "Soul" that will motivate you to think about certain things, but the production of Disney did not have such ambitions. And good, because it provides good entertainment, and although some time has passed since the screening, I have definitely positive associations. I rate this animated film at 8/10. Soon the movie is coming for free on Disney +, so probably more people will see it.