DVDizzy Forum

Some of the concept sounds a bit like Spirited Away.

Anyway, shouldn't the title for this discussion be renamed Raya and the Last Dragon instead of Dragon Empire?

Precisely

farerb wrote:Somehow I have a feeling this film is going to heavily be compared to Moana.

I personally felt a Ghibli vibe from this one.. (even in the way the characters were introduced in yesterday’s first clip)
Like if it was the first Ghibli movie made in CGI.

farerb wrote:Somehow I have a feeling this film is going to heavily be compared to Moana.

And Mulan, for obvious reasons.

Rumpelstiltskin wrote:Anyway, shouldn't the title for this discussion be renamed Raya and the Last Dragon instead of Dragon Empire?

It should've.

This is the official synopsis:

Written by Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians), Raya and the Last Dragon follows Raya (Steele), "a lone warrior from the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra who teams up with a crew of misfits in her quest to find the Last Dragon and bring light and unity back to their world".

Source: https://screenrant.com/raya-last-dragon ... cast-plot/

Clindor wrote:

disneyprincess11 wrote:A real title and looks like Raya WILL be a princess! Can't wait for more shortly!

https://twitter.com/DisneyTVANews/statu ... 2837702657

She really looks more like a really badass character who rely only on herself. But since we know very little about the story or the other characters, who knows what she might turn out to be..

I don't think she'll be a princess. And I'd rather she wasn't. Not every Disney female lead needs to be a princess.

Clindor wrote:It was also really unclear if this movie was going to be a musical in some way.. Because Jennifer Lee was saying she was really proud to part of the Revival of Disney animated musicals RIGHT before she introduced the movie..

I didn't know the actress who voices Raya before, but according to Wikipedia she's also a singer and a songwriter, so maybe there'll be songs in the movie after all.

I think the Awkwafina dragon in Raya and The Last Dragon will be the genie-type charathaar to Cassie Steele!'s more traditional hero protagonist.

i I predicted Sisu will get most of the funny lines and all of the pop culture jokes while Raya will be more of a straight heroic figure.

DisneyFan97 wrote:I think the Awkwafina dragon in Raya and The Last Dragon will be the genie-type charathaar to Cassie Steele!'s more traditional hero protagonist.

i I predicted Sisu will get most of the funny lines and all of the pop culture jokes while Raya will be more of a straight heroic figure.

Which is exactly what they did in Moana.

D82 wrote:I don't think she'll be a princess. And I'd rather she wasn't. Not every Disney female lead needs to be a princess

She might not have a Princess title, but she will surely enter the Princess franchise.

So do you think this will be the film that will start a new era for Disney animation? Because on the one hand the way the animation is described is something we haven't seen before, on the other the plot sounds really formulaic and the same as previous revival films.

Since the title's been announced btw, will/can this thread be renamed from "Dragon Empire" to "Raya and the Last Dragon"?

farerb wrote:So do you think this will be the film that will start a new era for Disney animation? Because on the one hand the way the animation is described is something we haven't seen before, on the other the plot sounds really formulaic and the same as previous revival films.

I do hope we see something really new regarding animation. Perhaps a more modern Version of the Paperman technology. But we were also promised we would see a new animation style with Moana. While the movie looked good, I didn't notice anything new except from the usual evolution regarding effects and such.

Do you think Raya will have a sassy grandma?

farerb wrote:Do you think Raya will have a sassy grandma?

Wasn’t it supposed to be a Master at some point? (I don’t know if they kept the idea though )

Nonetheless there is apparently a dead father who told Raya about the magic stone that was a gift from the dragons to the humans before they left. And probably her father inspired her to go on a journey to save the dragons.. So those who desperately wish to make the comparison will always have the possibility

But really, rest assured, the atmosphere of this movie seems really different from Moana. It looks more epic!

D82 wrote: I don't think she'll be a princess. And I'd rather she wasn't. Not every Disney female lead needs to be a princess.

I hope she's not a princess either. It doesn't sound like it fits the storyline we've heard so far anyway.

Rumpelstiltskin wrote: I do hope we see something really new regarding animation. Perhaps a more modern Version of the Paperman technology. But we were also promised we would see a new animation style with Moana. While the movie looked good, I didn't notice anything new except from the usual evolution regarding effects and such.

I'm definitely hoping to see that Paperman technology be utilized soon.

farerb wrote:Do you think Raya will have a sassy grandma?

I hope not because that trope has gotten old.

I believe when it came to Gigantic, WDAS got a little too ahead of themselves at the moment. It was 2015, they were coming off back to back Oscar winners Frozen & Big Hero 6. They also had 2 original features coming up in 2016 "Zoo & Moana". And with 2015 being the studios first year without a release since 2006, they were overly confident, & prematurely announced Gigantic at D23, even though, it's release was over 2 years away. They've learned from this, and now will only announce new features 1 year from release.

So far, Raya's announcement is similar to the first Wreck-It Ralph. We knew for years it was rumored "Jump Joe", then at 2011 D23, it was officially announced as Wreck-It Ralph. It opened a little over a year later in early November 2012. This now is how I believe WDAS will officially announce new features for the foreseeable future.

Clindor wrote:

farerb wrote:Do you think Raya will have a sassy grandma?

Wasn’t it supposed to be a Master at some point? (I don’t know if they kept the idea though )

Nonetheless there is apparently a dead father who told Raya about the magic stone that was a gift from the dragons to the humans before they left. And probably her father inspired her to go on a journey to save the dragons.. So those who desperately wish to make the comparison will always have the possibility

But really, rest assured, the atmosphere of this movie seems really different from Moana. It looks more epic!

Forgive me. But i must difffer with the common consensus here. I would like a sassy Grandma in this movie.

I enjoy old lady characters in fiction who still got bite. It's one of my favorite movie archetypes.

Plus it woukd gives a role to an older asian actress and such roles are few in Hollywood at leat in major movies.

I like old ladies in fiction who still are cynical and witty.

In short i enjoy the opposite of the sweet old lady archetype.

^ I agree! Ghibli always has cool old ladies in their films too.

I saw another 2/d artwork of the dragon on Tumblr and I liked her design a bit better there. Despite the film's title I really hope she isn't the only dragon in the film.

Clindor wrote:Awkwafina also introduced a concept art of the human form of her character right after this one. She had white hair and a funny crazy gaze indeed

How old Sisu looks like in her human form please?
Slashfilms mention she looks like an "old woman"...but comparing to Raya whom I guess must be in her twenties, how much old would you think approximatively?
Is she beautiful, or weird, or old like a witch? And does she have the same color scheme as her dragon form?

Also, comparing to the official released concept-art, do you remember how looks like Raya in a close-up face and without her hat please?
Does she look that realistic or more "disneyish" in her final design please?
Well, if you can remember of course...

Thank you ^^

D82 wrote:I don't think she'll be a princess. And I'd rather she wasn't. Not every Disney female lead needs to be a princess.

Of course not, but since Disney is practically stuck with that stereotype more than ever, it's hard for them to not make a female lead a Princess, even though it's shoehorned in, regardless of it's impossibility (*cough, Tiana, cough*). And besides, weren't Disney supposed to stop adding new Princesses to their lineup?