Raya and the Last Dragon

[D82]

Looks gorgeous and epic. Can't wait to see more. The world seems grand and a lot of variation. Good first taste!

I agree. Raya's world looks great. The rock formations in the desert shots in particular caught my attention.

At last a teaser that lasts more than a few seconds and shows some actual characters and animation.

I'm also glad we got to see some of the characters and locations, and some actual footage from the movie. They could've shown much less. Personally, I'm not disappointed with the trailer. I wish we could've seen more of the dragon, for example, or learn more about the plot, but after the poster and Kelly Marie Tran's promo, I already imagined this trailer would mainly serve to just present Raya herself.

It turned out that this trailer is mostly focused on Raya and Tuk Tuk for now.
And the design of Sisu shows some alterations: no more pink, only white and blue! :O :O according to that drawing at 01:32

Maybe Sisu looks bluer due to the water and the light.
And where do you get all this exclusive info? I'm really curious (and jealous ).

So now Sisu has 2 horns (in the trailer) instead of one.. Or is one behind the other in her previous design? I just can't remember.

I could be wrong, but I think it looks like just one seen from the front and two seen in profile.

I like that the fact they kept the idea of the water flowing backward to spot the entrance of a sacred temple.

That was cool. I liked it too.

It might only be the way Disney thinks it is best to promote the film at this stage of the campaign. Does someone remember the first teaser for Tangled?

Yes, Disney knows the fans will see it no matter what, so their goal with this is probably trying to draw other types of public as well. Also, when the lead character is a woman they tend to focus on the action to not lose the interest of little boys. To be fair, though, in this case the protagonist is a warrior, so I guess they're not misrepresenting the film too much.

If I would have one complain among what is new to me, as some of you already spotted it, is the way it looks like Disney is trying to teach little girls to just wake up perfect ^^.
Which is not as strong a message as what they used to do in the past, if that turns out to be the case..
but so many sequences of young Raya already being a perfect little ninja! Where does that come from?.. ^^ (they already did it with the Mulan remake..)

Well, at least it seems Raya trains hard to prepare herself. The Mulan from the remake apparently just was born with those "superpowers" and didn't do anything to hone her skills.

Speaking of that, I guess the masked man Raya fights with at the beginning of the trailer is Raya's father who is training her, right? It looks like they have a very special bond. It's going to be sad to see him die. By the way, in the following shot only Raya and her father appear. Maybe her mother is behind them and we can't see her or she's not with them in that scene, but it made me suspect that perhaps Raya will be motherless after all.



And could this character from the previous shot be the same than the one revealed in the Frozen 2 documentary? The outfit looks similar. Or maybe it's the girl who is next to her (who I suppose is her daughter and future leader of their clan) when she grows up, given that Raya is also a girl in that scene.

Personally, leaving aside the clothes and the dangling hair things that are straight up Korra, I admit I do like her child design better than those from the rest of the revival going back to TP&TF. At least this actually looked like a real child rather than a chibi version of the regular design the way they've been doing for the rest of the Revival

She looks older than most of the previous child versions of main characters. Maybe that's also why she looks so different from them. In fact, at first I thought it was the adult version of the character and was a bit worried because she didn't look as I had imagined, but when I saw Tuk Tuk was little, I understood it was her child version and I was relieved.

I liked Tuk Tuk. The images of her riding that creature was one of those things that I'd wonder over whether or not I would like in the finished product. But he was really cute here.

I agree, Tuk Tuk was really cute. And how Raya rides him like he was a wheel was cool.

Okay, I must know...any ideas on what Tuk Tuk is supposed to be?

I don't think it is supposed to be a Cingulata since as we know they are from South America. But Tuk Tuk looks like a fantastic creature based on a relative species. Wasn't there somebody who posted the answer in this thread?

Yes, it's a fantastical creature. I think you may be referring to these words by one of the directors from this article:

Featured in the picture are Raya and her trusty steed Tuk Tuk, a creature Hall describes as a fuzzy bear meets “an insect version of an armadillo.”

That last shot of teen Raya--yeah, her design changed. At least she looks better than that poster from yesterday made her look; she still has that relatively thin / narrow look to her body.

I think her final look is more similar to the concept art than to the other leaked images. Personally, I have no complaints. She looks great to me.



I also like her hairstyle, which differentiates her from other similar princesses, like Pocahontas or Moana.



Sorry for such a long post ; there were many things I wanted to reply to and say.

[Redadoodles]

Not my cup of tea.. It reminds me too much of many similar films that came out recently. However, the visuals are quite beautiful.

[blackcauldron85]

Oooooh, I think this looks great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I agree that Tuk Tuk is super cute, and I really like that it's an adventurous movie. It is really beautiful, I like the lighting and the colors. SO excited for this, but with a March release (for now), and without a vaccine, unfortunately it's a no-go at the theater for me, which makes me really sad.

If I would have one complain among what is new to me, as some of you already spotted it, is the way it looks like Disney is trying to teach little girls to just wake up perfect ^^.
Which is not as strong a message as what they used to do in the past, if that turns out to be the case..
but so many sequences of young Raya already being a perfect little ninja! Where does that come from?.. ^^ (they already did it with the Mulan remake..)

Well, at least it seems Raya trains hard to prepare herself. The Mulan from the remake apparently just was born with those "superpowers" and didn't do anything to hone her skills.

That's exactly what I was thinking, too. I liked that they mentioned that she trained all of her life, so she isn't some superhero.

Are we thinking that all of this footage will be in the film, unlike some other teaser trailers by WDAS?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

By the way, why is there a giant cheerio in the intro?

[unprincess]

clearly Disney wants the Avatar /Naruto audience(iow, BOYS!)

I liked it despite a lot of the cliche ninja stuff, at least the Southeast Asia aesthetic will be refreshing. Alot of its look gave me Moana vibes, really wish Disney would experiment a little more with art and design, would it really be such a big risk for them to do so at this point? it all looks like the same world as Moana's just with a Southeast Asian dressing.

Sisu looks cool(at least whats shown of her shadow.) I like that she's a water dragon, that's something you dont see much when it comes to media depiction of dragons(Spirited Away was one of the few that I know of). I hope they toned down the Deviantart OC aspect of her design.

And could this character from the previous shot be the same than the one revealed in the Frozen 2 documentary? The outfit looks similar. Or maybe it's the girl who is next to her (who I suppose is her daughter and future leader of their clan) when she grows up, given that Raya is also a girl in that scene.

hmm yeah I can see her being the daughter, maybe she'll end up being an antagonist. BTW, LOOK AT THE COOL WOLF THINGIES IN THE BACKGROUND! I hope she has one as her sidekick!

[UmbrellaFish]

I liked it. Mostly for Tuk Tuk who seems very cute. I’m still very excited to see more of the world of Raya. The bits we’ve seen so far are tantalizing. My only question: I wonder why they chose to focus the trailer on a younger version of Raya?

[D82]

Some new info in the description of these stills from the trailer:

Part pill bug and part pug, Tuk Tuk has been Raya’s best friend since she could hold him in the palm of her hand.

Raya and her best friend, Tuk Tuk, have always teamed up for adventure. When they are grown and their world is threatened, they journey together through the Lands of Kumandra to find the legendary last dragon and save the kingdom.

As an evil force threatens the kingdom of Kumandra, it is up to warrior Raya to leave her Heart Lands home and track down the legendary last dragon to help stop the villainous Druun.

SO excited for this, but with a March release (for now), and without a vaccine, unfortunately it's a no-go at the theater for me, which makes me really sad.

Well, it's possible they can't release it in theaters as they've planned and it will go directly to Disney+ like Soul.

Are we thinking that all of this footage will be in the film, unlike some other teaser trailers by WDAS?

I don't know, maybe not all of it will, but to me it doesn't seem the type of footage they do specifically for a teaser trailer, except maybe the stuff at the beginning with Raya as a girl?

By the way, why is there a giant cheerio in the intro?

Personally, it reminds me of a donut. But I think it's cool. I guess the palace on the top is Raya's.

BTW, LOOK AT THE COOL WOLF THINGIES IN THE BACKGROUND! I hope she has one as her sidekick!

I noticed them as well. They look quite big, I bet they're fantastical creatures like Tuk Tuk. The other clans also seem to have their own kind of animal. There are ones that look like mammoths and others similar to buffalos.

By the way, I forgot to ask something before. What do you guys think has happened in the following shot? Have these people been turned to stone or something? Do you think that's what the Druun do?



Oh, and this is something I couldn't help but think while I was watching the trailer. It seems Raya has come prepared for the situation we're living in now :

[nomad2010]

Had we heard about this Dragon Gem before this trailer? I don’t know if I missed it, or if this is trailer-specific info.

[Farerb]

Does anyone know if they did a research trip and had a Story Trust with people from Southeast Asia similar to what they did in Moana?

[Clindor]

So now Sisu has 2 horns (in the trailer) instead of one.. Or is one behind the other in her previous design? I just can't remember.

I could be wrong, but I think it looks like just one seen from the front and two seen in profile.

Actually even in the first concept art, if you look closely: Sisu has 2 horns! one smaller in front of the other. I just forgot about this feature and got used to see only one horn with time. Anyway, it has always been a pretty cool looking dragon!

It might only be the way Disney thinks it is best to promote the film at this stage of the campaign. Does someone remember the first teaser for Tangled?

Yes, Disney knows the fans will see it no matter what, so their goal with this is probably trying to draw other types of public as well.

Yes, completely true! Disney has already the fans in its pocket, and the need to advertise the movie for those who are Disney faithful isn’t as crucial.

If I would have one complain among what is new to me, as some of you already spotted it, is the way it looks like Disney is trying to teach little girls to just wake up perfect ^^.
Which is not as strong a message as what they used to do in the past, if that turns out to be the case..
but so many sequences of young Raya already being a perfect little ninja! Where does that come from?.. ^^ (they already did it with the Mulan remake..)

Well, at least it seems Raya trains hard to prepare herself. The Mulan from the remake apparently just was born with those "superpowers" and didn't do anything to hone her skills.

I see your point. But if the film starts with her already being a badass ninja at a very young age… with all due respect, it all sounds pretty similar to me. Yes because of a technicality she acknowledges she had to train and so the message is better, and anyway none should take for granted the way things are presented in a trailer (by all means no ^^) yet I'm curious how her real fight and struggle will be portrayed in the final product. But don’t get me wrong! I’m pretty confident in this film quality

I don't think it is supposed to be a Cingulata since as we know they are from South America. But Tuk Tuk looks like a fantastic creature based on a relative species. Wasn't there somebody who posted the answer in this thread?

Yes, it's a fantastical creature. I think you may be referring to these words by one of the directors from this article:

Featured in the picture are Raya and her trusty steed Tuk Tuk, a creature Hall describes as a fuzzy bear meets “an insect version of an armadillo.”

Oh yeah, that's the one.

[Farerb]

Regarding the question about whether or not what we saw will actually be in the final film:

I watched Frozen II's original teaser and this shots weren't included:
- Kristoff riding Sven with many reindeers around them.
- Elsa and Olaf surrounded by fire.
- Iduna and Agnarr as kids with the wind playing with Agnarr.
- The characters looking at the horizon.
- Anna taking out a sword and slash at the fourth wall.

However, it needs to be taken into consideration that when the Frozen II teaser came out, the film wasn't even close to be finished and they still tried to figure out what the film is about. In contrast, Raya is supposedly close to finish and should be done by the end of the month so what we saw in the teaser is most likely included in the film.

[Farerb]

https://youtu.be/O0vaN579uKg

He talks about what he saw at D23 and compare it to the teaser. Seems like the new directors changed the direction of the film and we might get something different (maybe the plot is similar but the tone is changed? Maybe more comedic?).
This all sounds too similar to what happened with Brave so I hope Raya will turn out to be better than what eventually happened with Brave.

[D82]

Here's Why This Little Detail In The "Raya And The Last Dragon" Trailer Has Filipino Fans So Excited
https://www.buzzfeed.com/kellymartinez/ ... agon-arnis

Netizens React To 'Raya And The Last Dragon' Trailer And They're Super Proud About It
https://says.com/my/entertainment/netiz ... ast-dragon

Raya and the Last Dragon: Filipino influence explained – fans praise details on Twitter!
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/10/22/r ... -filipino/

Had we heard about this Dragon Gem before this trailer? I don’t know if I missed it, or if this is trailer-specific info.

That detail was revealed at the last D23 Expo, but I think they hadn't mentioned it again until now. Here's one report from D23 where they talk about the gem:

In a final clip, Raya’s father tells her that the last dragon gem holds all the powers and magic of the dragons: something that, in the right hands, could change the world. “I wish everyone could see this,” she says, and he responds, “Well, let’s show them.” Lastly, the phrase “Keep the light alive” appeared on screen.

Source: https://www.slashfilm.com/raya-and-the-last-dragon-d23/

Does anyone know if they did a research trip and had a Story Trust with people from Southeast Asia similar to what they did in Moana?

Yes, they did both things. Also, the screenwriter, Adele Lim, and co-writer Qui Nguyen come from that region:

When it comes to representation, the filmmakers say they’re putting in the work to accurately celebrate the cultures that influenced the movie, including Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Producer Osnat Shurer, who was also behind Moana, says the studio sent creative teams on research trips to multiple countries in Southeast Asia and worked with a Southeast Asia Story Trust. They also collaborated with a Lao visual anthropologist who looks at every design before it’s finalized, as well as linguists, dancers, and Gamelan musicians from Indonesia.

Besides research, Nguyen says it was important that both his and Lim’s experiences inform the script.

“When you're telling a story and you're just doing it based on research, you end up always having to do it from the high end,” he says. “To have the artists who represent those cultures in there to be able to give the subtleties of what our families are actually like, what our relationships are actually like, has given a lot of nuances to this great adventure.”

Source: https://ew.com/movies/raya-last-dragon- ... arie-tran/

Actually even in the first concept art, if you look closely: Sisu has 2 horns! one smaller in front of the other. I just forgot about this feature and got used to see only one horn with time. Anyway, it has always been a pretty cool looking dragon!

I actually saw it as a single horn too; I hadn't noticed until now that she had more than one. I agree that it's a cool design.

I see your point. But if the film starts with her already being a badass ninja at a very young age… with all due respect, it all sounds pretty similar to me. Yes because of a technicality she acknowledges she had to train and so the message is better, and anyway none should take for granted the way things are presented in a trailer (by all means no ^^) yet I'm curious how her real fight and struggle will be portrayed in the final product. But don’t get me wrong! I’m pretty confident in this film quality

I was just pointing out the main difference I saw with Mulan and why I think this doesn't seem as bad, but I see your point too. She looks too good at it for being so young.

Regarding the question about whether or not what we saw will actually be in the final film:

I watched Frozen II's original teaser and this shots weren't included:
- Kristoff riding Sven with many reindeers around them.
- Elsa and Olaf surrounded by fire.
- Iduna and Agnarr as kids with the wind playing with Agnarr.
- The characters looking at the horizon.
- Anna taking out a sword and slash at the fourth wall.

However, it needs to be taken into consideration that when the Frozen II teaser came out, the film wasn't even close to be finished and they still tried to figure out what the film is about. In contrast, Raya is supposedly close to finish and should be done by the end of the month so what we saw in the teaser is most likely included in the film.

That's a good point. I guess we won't know for sure until we see the movie, but I think you're probably right that Raya's teaser has more footage from the actual movie that Frozen 2.

https://youtu.be/O0vaN579uKg

He talks about what he saw at D23 and compare it to the teaser. Seems like the new directors changed the direction of the film and we might get something different (maybe the plot is similar but the tone is changed? Maybe more comedic?).
This all sounds too similar to what happened with Brave so I hope Raya will turn out to be better than what eventually happened with Brave.

Thanks for posting! Clindor said something similar too. Maybe the tone of the film has changed with the new direction, but it's also possible that the trailer is not too representative of the film itself.

[robster16]

Japanese Poster:

[D82]

^Wow, that's also a beautiful poster! I love the vegetation and the new fantastical creature. Thanks for sharing!

By the way, here's the source in case anyone wants to see it in higher definition.

[UmbrellaFish]

soooo pretty... and I love all the rain they keep using. I’m so excited to see this.

[DisneyFan09]

What an extremely lovely poster! I love it`s enchanting, fantastical vibe.

[nomad2010]

Thank you so much D82!!!

As for the new poster... why on earth did they not showcase THAT aesthetic more in the trailer?! I think it could have made for an much more distinct and appealing introduction to the story than the vague desert shots.

[Disney's Divinity]

I wonder if the Druun have caused the desert in some way? (That might be related to the stone people D82 pointed out in one shot.) Maybe that's why, too, the dragon seems to be a water dragon as unprincess has said before, because Raya finding the last dragon may bring back the rain, vegetation, growth, and so on--end the drought / death. That would be another similarity to Moana, as far the Druun causing an "infection" of some kind that leads to the world deteriorating.

The poster made me think of FernGully (possibly because the dragon shape in the clouds being like Hexxus). This is one of my favorite Disney posters in a long time, for sure. The dragon looks a great deal like a unicorn.

[D82]

Thank you so much D82!!!

You're very welcome.

By the way, the Japanese poster gave us a better look at what I suppose is the Dragon Gem:

I wonder if the Druun have caused the desert in some way? (That might be related to the stone people D82 pointed out in one shot.) Maybe that's why, too, the dragon seems to be a water dragon as unprincess has said before, because Raya finding the last dragon may bring back the rain, vegetation, growth, and so on--end the drought / death. That would be another similarity to Moana, as far the Druun causing an "infection" of some kind that leads to the world deteriorating.

That didn't occur to me. I think you might be right about that. That would explain the stark contrast between the two landscapes and the focus on lush vegetation and rain in the promotional material. Also, the Dragon Gem is surrounded by water and plants, so that could be another indication that your theory is correct. It's true that it's yet another similarity with Moana, but I wouldn't mind it. It sounds cool to me.