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I was already super-excited for this, and I was BLOWN AWAY by the trailer! I thought that Noi and Sisu were both funny (especially Sisu - both times I watched the trailer, her "school" reference made me laugh).

Sotiris wrote:I agree with both of you there. The beginning with Noi and the Ongis felt very off and DreamWorks-like to me too. It was like something out of the Boss Baby.

My husband mentioned the Boss Baby similarities and said a lot of people online said the same thing.

From the We Live Entertainment article:

“Awkwafina as Sisu was incredible,” co-director Don Hall continued. “We obviously knew that she could do both drama and comedy. But it was extraordinary working with her, and her ability to improvise was like another world. We got so much material, but we could only keep a little bit of it in the film. But every recording session with Awkwafina was just a party. It was just so much fun. She was having fun, and we were having fun. And, with what she brought to that character, I think Sisu’s going to have a special place in the Disney pantheon of characters. I can’t say enough good things about Awkwafina.”

Finally, Hall addressed similarities between Awkwafina’s voice performance as Sisu and the iconic voice performance of the late Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin. “I think the Robin Williams comparison is not a bad one, actually,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine another actor performing the role of the Genie in the original Aladdin. It was sort of tailor-made for Robin Williams’ specific gifts. I feel like we did the same thing with Sisu. She was written with Awkwafina in mind, and I can’t imagine somebody else as Sisu. Awkwafina is Sisu, and Sisu is Awkwafina!”

I wonder if outtakes will be a bonus feature. I was going to write that it reminds me of Robin as Genie, but the article said it for me!

I think Sisu's digestion line isn't in sync, so maybe it was just added for the trailer?

Sotiris wrote:I like how Raya looks in the first one. It's about time they gave us new clip-art of hers. It got tiresome seeing the same two pictures of hers over and over again in merchandise.

Agreed.

Minor spoilers; Fandom interview with some of the filmmakers:

https://www.fandom.com/articles/raya-dr ... isney-naga

DisneyFan09 wrote:What did you otherwise think about the trailer, Sotiris?

My biggest turnoff was the sequence at the beginning with Noi. I wasn't fond of Sisu's butt joke either. Other than that, I liked it. The fighting sequences look cool and well-choreographed, Namaari seems interesting and full of potential as a character, Raya's relationship with her dad is endearing and will no doubt be the heart of the film, and in general I liked the scale of it, the epic-ness, and the high stakes.

blackcauldron85 wrote:Minor spoilers; Fandom interview with some of the filmmakers:
https://www.fandom.com/articles/raya-dr ... isney-naga

I find interesting that the powers Sisu gains with each fragment is not really her own, but the collective power of her fallen dragon brethren. It reminds me of the Heart of Atlantis, conceptually-speaking.

Trailer reaction with Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ghiq1azhTw

Good to know the Druun have not been cut.

Sotiris wrote:It's interesting that person found similarities to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I didn't make the connection at first, but I do see some similarities there. I doubt they were intentional though.

I see some of those similarities as well.

This worries me. There's so much mythology and exposition to cover that I fear the pacing will feel rushed and frantic. I hope that's not the case.

I imagine Disney tells their filmmakers to go all-out with the world-building because they'd like every film to become a long-running franchise. I can definitely see Raya becoming one of those.

The last time I recall a skeleton being in a WDAS movie was Hunchback.

Treasure Planet had one when they find Flint's body where all the treasure is hidden.

Oh, yeah. I mean, if they're shipping Elsa and Honeymaren who shared like 2 minutes of screen time together, they're definitely shipping Raya and Namaari. The question is will there be any subtext in the actual film?

I think so. By that, I don't mean it'll be something in the film, but that there will be a great deal of chemistry between them which will fuel shipping. At least it seemed that way to me just from this trailer. *shrug* It's a shame Disney's still not in a place that they would go there though. I mean, they're pretty hated for their PC and diversity choices as it is in regards to Disney+, the remakes, their female characters, etc. You'd think they'd just accept they're going to be hated by that crowd and go all the way, and finally portray some LGBT characters in their animated films.

Oh, and I just wanted to say I'm happy about the Daniel Dae Kim casting, too. He was great on Lost.

blackcauldron85 wrote:I was already super-excited for this, and I was BLOWN AWAY by the trailer! I thought that Noi and Sisu were both funny (especially Sisu - both times I watched the trailer, her "school" reference made me laugh).

I felt the same, although I understand why some might have had reservations about the comedy. I think the only part that I didn't laugh at was the part with the old guy with the eye patch (I haven't got all these names down yet) talking about buttkicking. It might be funnier in context, but we'll see.

More articles:

Go Behind the Magic with the Raya and the Last Dragon Filmmakers
https://d23.com/go-behind-the-magic-wit ... ilmmakers/

Raya and the Last Dragon: Creating Disney's First Southeast Asian-Centered Movie
https://www.ign.com/articles/raya-and-t ... ered-movie

Why Kelly Marie Tran Replaced The Original Raya And The Last Dragon Voice Actress
https://www.cinemablend.com/news/256191 ... ce-actress

Raya And The Last Dragon Producer Shares The Secret Origins of Tuk Tuk
https://screenrant.com/raya-last-dragon ... -sidekick/

Adele Lim & Osnat Shurer Interview: Raya and the Last Dragon
https://screenrant.com/raya-last-dragon ... at-shurer/

The ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Team Appreciates Your Comparisons to ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
https://www.slashfilm.com/raya-and-the- ... airbender/

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Directors and Screenwriter on the Melting Pot of Southeast Asian Influences in the New Disney Film [Interview]
https://www.slashfilm.com/raya-and-the- ... interview/

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is About Finding Trust in a Broken World
https://www.slashfilm.com/raya-and-the- ... gon-trust/

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Wants to Redefine How We Talk About “Strong Female Characters”
https://www.slashfilm.com/raya-and-the- ... gon-women/

Why Disney’s ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Blends an Epic Fantasy World with Contemporary Filmmaking Elements
https://collider.com/raya-and-the-last- ... en-disney/

Why Raya From Raya And The Last Dragon Is A Different Kind Of Disney Princess
https://www.looper.com/319855/why-raya- ... -princess/

The Big MCU Actors You Didn't Know Were In Raya And The Last Dragon
https://www.looper.com/319705/the-big-m ... st-dragon/

Creating Kumandra: How the World from Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” Was Inspired by South Asian Cultures
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/article ... st-dragon/

Early Press Day for “Raya and the Last Dragon”
https://allears.net/2021/01/26/early-pr ... st-dragon/

UmbrellaFish wrote:I noticed the phrasing “order on Disney+ with Premiere Access” which is, I think different from the wording used with Mulan. I would hope “Premiere Access” is a little more consumer friendly this go around, but for now I’m going to assume that nothing will change.

This article confirms it'll cost the same as Mulan.

Sotiris wrote:New poster.

I didn't like this poster as much as the previous ones. The poses are cool, but in my opinion, they don't work with the background. It looks as if Raya and Sisu were just jogging on the grass.

Disney's Divinity wrote:Dang, this looks so amazing.And they couldn't have made a better film for the times either.... A divided country that needs to unify. "The world's broken." Hmm. A lot of things I'd been wondering about seemed to have clicked in place. I remember saying I was skeptical of Sisu's dragon design until we could see it in action more, and it looks great here~! I've also been skeptical about how much I'd like Namaari or not, but I think it's very likely I'm going to enjoy that character. Her adult design is so much better than the child one... So far the dynamic is reminding me a bit of Cassandra and Rapunzel in the Tangled TV series (second time I've mentioned it this morning! ). Something about Namaari's face when she's snarling looks a bit OTT with the eyebrows and everything, but when she's just talking and looks more serene, the design is really nice.

You're right, this film's going to feel very timely. I agree that Sisu looks better in action and also about Namaari. It looks like she could be an interesting character and I like her design too.

DisneyFan09 wrote:True. I know how it`s like, since I was sullen and affected many years later after experiencing a similar trauma.

I remember what you went through. It must've been very hard for you. I guess you never completely overcome something like that, but I'm glad you're not as sullen and affected as before, as you say. And I'm glad the film will show the repercussions of going through a trauma like the one Raya experiences and won't take this issue lightly.

farerb wrote:Some things didn't sit right with me like that con baby, I'm sorry but she just takes me out of it, she doesn't fit, maybe they'll handle herbetter in the film itself, but so far it's just yikes from me, especially this part:

Yeah, that part was a bit too DreamWorks, as others have said.

Sotiris wrote:The horn might look different because of the 2D stylization. Or maybe they were experimenting with horn designs before settling on the final one, and this was one of the options.

I'm more inclined to believe the second option you mention, but I guess the first one is possible too.

Sotiris wrote:There's funny a spelling mistake in this one; it says "never wave" at the bottom instead of "never waver".

Never wave! It's dangerous.

Sotiris wrote:It's interesting that person found similarities to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I didn't make the connection at first, but I do see some similarities there. I doubt they were intentional though.

Actually, the first thing I thought of when I saw the first concept art they released at D23 was Nausicaä. Tuk Tuk reminded me of the giant bug creatures of that film and there are also fantasy-like plants in it like the ones in that image.

Sotiris wrote:

D82 wrote:Here are some more reactions: https://twitter.com/DrewTailored/status ... 0068425728

This worries me. There's so much lore and exposition to cover that I fear the pacing may feel rushed or frantic. I hope that's not the case.

I think it probably felt like that to that person because what they saw was a summary of the first half of the movie or so and the scenes weren't complete, as this other person explains.

Sotiris wrote:

D82 wrote: https://twitter.com/myrcellasear/status ... 1044505605

This comment makes me believe the prologue will be animated a different style than the rest of the film. It will probably look like the papyrus art with the dragons we saw in the teaser.

That's very likely.

Disney's Divinity wrote:

Sotiris wrote:The last time I recall a skeleton being in a WDAS movie was Hunchback.

Treasure Planet had one when they find Flint's body where all the treasure is hidden.

There's also a skeleton in Tangled when Rapunzel and Flynn go through the tunnels.

There were many other things I wanted to reply to, but I'll have to do it at another time.

The movie looks beautiful and epic, but the trailer leaves me cold. There seems to be way too many plot threads and characters, I don't find the con baby humorous in the least (fine for a one-time gag, but it appears it'll have more screentime), but what I really dislike is this mishmash of cultures and influences and vague history, just like in Big Hero 6. I guess they're trying to not offend anyone by using a specific setting, but it just takes me away from the immersion. It might as well be a post-apocalyptic setting.

It is described as a post-apocalyptic world.

Now I remember that I wanted to ask: why does it take Raya 6 years to go on whatever she needs to do?

I thought it was set "a long time ago", which to be fair doesn't exclude it from being post-apocalyptic if we look at previous extinct cultures and civilizations. I meant more along the lines of Mad Max or Waterworld.

Disney's Divinity wrote:I felt the same, although I understand why some might have had reservations about the comedy. I think the only part that I didn't laugh at was the part with the old guy with the eye patch (I haven't got all these names down yet) talking about buttkicking. It might be funnier in context, but we'll see.

I totally get, too, why people wouldn't think the more modern humor is fitting in this film. Tong's "buttkickery" seems expected in a 2021 animated movie, to get the kids laughing. It doesn't bother me, but it didn't make me laugh.

I don't have time now to go through all of the articles that you posted, D82 (thank you!!), but I'm excited to. I'm glad you posted the CinemaBlend article about the change from Cassie Steele to Kelly Marie Tran. I'm not surprised they didn't go into specifics, but I'm okay with "the character changed so we needed a new voice"...

Here is the full voice cast

Kelly Marie Tran as Raya, a courageous and kindly warrior princess who has been training to become a Guardian of the Dragon Gem.

Awkwafina as Sisu, a water dragon who can transform into a human and is the last of her kind in existence.

Gemma Chan(Captian Marvel) will plau Namaari, Raya's nemesis with ambitons to conquer the world.

Daniel Dae Kim( Lost,) will voice Chief Benja, Raya's father.

Sandra Oh( Killing Eve) will play Virana, Namaari's mother.

Benedict Wong( Doctor Strange ) will play Tong, a formidable giant.

Izaac Wang will play Boun, the 10-year-old entrepreneur.

Thalia Tran will voice Little Noi, the baby con-artist.

Alan Tudyk(Frozen) will Tuk Tuk, Raya's armadillo-themed best friend and trusty steed.

Lucille Soong(Fresh off the Boat) will voice Dang Hu, the leader of the Talon land.

Patti Harrison(A Simple Favor) will voice the chief of the Tail land

And Ross Butler(13 Reasons Why) will voice the chief of the Spine land.

Disney's Divinity wrote:I think the only part that I didn't laugh at was the part with the old guy with the eye patch (I haven't got all these names down yet) talking about buttkicking. It might be funnier in context, but we'll see.

I didn't like the butt-kickery line either, but I'm not sure it was meant to be funny. I think they just wanted him to sound tough. I bet they wanted him to say badassery instead, but couldn't with the movie being family-friendly and all. Butt-kickery is not even a thing. It just sounds awkward and silly.

D82 wrote:Raya and the Last Dragon: Creating Disney's First Southeast Asian-Centered Movie
https://www.ign.com/articles/raya-and-t ... ered-movie

That drawing of Raya by Shiyoon Kim is gorgeous. She looks much more appealing, proportional, and unique in 2D form. She looks less similar to Mulan or Moana there. It's shame Disney has stopped doing 2D. She would have looked amazing traditionally animated.

D82 wrote:The ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Team Appreciates Your Comparisons to ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
https://www.slashfilm.com/raya-and-the- ... airbender/

That's not true. When the teaser premiered and people pointed out the similarities, artists who worked on the film were very defensive and annoyed by the comparisons. They were quite vocal about how they felt on social media.

D82 wrote:‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Wants to Redefine How We Talk About “Strong Female Characters”
https://www.slashfilm.com/raya-and-the- ... gon-women/

Based on Adele Lim's comments, there's no way they won't redeem Namaari at the end. I thought there was a chance she wouldn't be completely redeemed, but instead show her forging a temporary truce with Raya, but now I think she will be. She has to for Benja's vision of unifying the clans to come true.

D82 wrote:Why Raya From Raya And The Last Dragon Is A Different Kind Of Disney Princess
https://www.looper.com/319855/why-raya- ... -princess/

I'm so tired of articles like these. Every time Disney has a new princess film out, we get the same inane comments about how better and improved their new heroine is and how much she differs from the female characters that came before her. What's also frustrating is they never do that with their male characters. They never make a point to compare characters like Hiro or Ralph to previous male protagonists.

D82 wrote:Creating Kumandra: How the World from Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” Was Inspired by South Asian Cultures
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/article ... st-dragon/

It's neat that the name Raya has different meanings in different Southeast Asian languages. Apparently, it means "celebration" in Malay but "leader" in Thai.

D82 wrote:Early Press Day for “Raya and the Last Dragon”
https://allears.net/2021/01/26/early-pr ... st-dragon/

The part where it says "Kumandra becomes divided into five lands after the mighty dragon Sisu frees the humans from the Druun plague" must be an error, right? Or was the dragon chief 500 years ago also named Sisu? Is Sisu a name or a rank? Also, the article confirms that Noi will only be making baby sounds in the film. Did we get confirmation whether the Ongis will be talking or not? It didn't seem like they could talk in the new trailer. It makes sense for them not to talk when none of the other animals in Kumandra do (except for dragons).

D82 wrote:I didn't like this poster as much as the previous ones. The poses are cool, but in my opinion, they don't work with the background. It looks as if Raya and Sisu were just jogging on the grass.

I like how Raya's face looks there, but I don't care for the poses and the composition in general. It looks awkward and haphazard.

farerb wrote:Now I remember that I wanted to ask: why does it take Raya 6 years to go on whatever she needs to do?

Maybe she had to grow up first. She must have been assigned a guardian of some kind after her father was turned to stone. She wouldn't have been allowed to go on a dangerous mission on her own while being a minor. This article revealed that adult Raya is 18, so it's possible that was the reason.

Mooky wrote:What I really dislike is this mishmash of cultures and influences and vague history, just like in Big Hero 6. I guess they're trying to not offend anyone by using a specific setting, but it just takes me away from the immersion.

The filmmakers justified that by claiming it's the same practice adaptations of the Arthurian legend or generic European fantasy shows employ by taking the elements they like from various neighboring cultures. Even though I've been critical of this practice in the past and still prefer films to be set in a specific country, I get where Disney is coming from. Had they committed to a real, specific location, they would have been scrutinized even further. Decades later, Mulan is still criticized for elements in the film that belong to a different time period or part of the country. Disney making up their own land that's merely inspired by a region or cluster of territories that share a similar culture is their way of avoiding potential backlash, enjoying more creative freedom, and appealing to a broader audience. I find what they did with Raya and Moana different to the case of Big Hero 6. U.S. and Japan have very disparate cultures and their fusion felt less organic and more of an American bastardization of Eastern tradition.

Raya's official site confirms the film's runtime is 90 minutes. Here are also some more articles:

How Raya and the Last Dragon Became the First Disney Movie Made at Home
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/raya-a ... ome-covid/

Raya and the Last Dragon Has a Lot in Common with Biden's Inauguration Speech
https://screenrant.com/raya-last-dragon ... ilarities/

Don Hall, Carlos Lopez Estrada & Qui Nguyen Interview: Raya and the Last Dragon
https://screenrant.com/raya-last-dragon ... interview/

Fawn Veerasunthorn Interview: Raya and the Last Dragon
https://screenrant.com/raya-last-dragon ... interview/

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Producer and Screenwriter on Creating a New Kind of Disney Hero [Interview]
https://www.slashfilm.com/raya-and-the- ... interview/

Sotiris wrote:That drawing of Raya by Shiyoon Kim is gorgeous. She looks much more appealing, proportional, and unique in 2D form. She looks less similar to Mulan or Moana there. It's shame Disney has stopped doing 2D. She would have looked amazing traditionally animated.

I agree, but I'm quite happy with how she looks in the final film. Judging by some of the images of her we have gotten from posters, etc. I feared she could look much worse.

Sotiris wrote:I'm so tired of articles like these. Every time Disney has a new princess film out, we get the same inane comments about how better and improved their new heroine is and how much she differs from the female characters that came before her. What's also frustrating is they never do that with their male characters. They never make a point to compare characters like Hiro or Ralph to previous male protagonists.

That's true. They never do it with their male characters.

Sotiris wrote:It's neat that the name Raya has different meanings in different Southeast Asian languages. Apparently, it means "celebration" in Malay but "leader" in Thai.

"Leader" is more fitting to her than "celebration".

Sotiris wrote:The part where it says "Kumandra becomes divided into five lands after the mighty dragon Sisu frees the humans from the Druun plague" must be an error, right? Or was the dragon chief 500 years ago also named Sisu? Is Sisu a name or a rank?

I think it has to be an error.

Sotiris wrote:Also, the article confirms that Noi will only be making baby sounds in the film. Did we get confirmation whether the Ongis will be talking or not? It didn't seem like they could talk in the new trailer. It makes sense for them not to talk when none of the other animals in Kumandra do (except for dragons).

I don't think we have gotten confirmation, but you're right; it makes sense they won't talk. I wonder if Noi and them will be able to communicate among themselves through sounds or gestures.

Sotiris wrote:I like how Raya's face looks there, but I don't care for the poses and the composition in general. It looks awkward and haphazard.

Yeah, it's true. Speaking of the poster, I've now noticed Sisu's pose is different in the banner on the film's Facebook and Twitter accounts:

Sotiris wrote:New poster.


Source: https://www.facebook.com/rayaandthelast ... 0634446269

Various reactions I've seen on the internet:
- People didn't care for the humor, especially the con baby or the jokes from Sisu, said it reminded them of Dreamworks and that the humor isn't as polished as previous Disney films.

- People seem to not care about Sisu's design, especially her human face and that Disney probably designed her that way for marketability (though I see a lot referencing Sisu's previous design that was shown in D23). Also saw comments about "Elsa's fursona" (whatever the hell that means).

- People started shipping Raya and Namaari.

D82 wrote:I remember what you went through. It must've been very hard for you. I guess you never completely overcome something like that, but I'm glad you're not as sullen and affected as before, as you say. And I'm glad the film will show the repercussions of going through a trauma like the one Raya experiences and won't take this issue lightly.

Thanks for your kind words

D82 wrote:How Raya and the Last Dragon Became the First Disney Movie Made at Home
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/raya-a ... ome-covid/

It's interesting how no one asked Paul Briggs about his demotion on the film or in general queried about the director change. The press at least asked about the replacement of Cassie (even though they got a canned response).

D82 wrote:Don Hall, Carlos Lopez Estrada & Qui Nguyen Interview: Raya and the Last Dragon
https://screenrant.com/raya-last-dragon ... interview/

When Carlos López Estrada said the digital sculptors modeled Sisu after Awkwafina, did he mean her dragon or human form? It seems like a recent trend to want to capture a voice actor's likeness into their respective design. Previously, if any likeness seeped through, it was usually unintentional and the product of animators using footage of the actors in the recording booth as live-action reference.

D82 wrote:Fawn Veerasunthorn Interview: Raya and the Last Dragon
https://screenrant.com/raya-last-dragon ... interview/

It's interesting that Namaari also loves and believes in dragons like Raya. It looks like she was fashioned to mirror Raya and show us how she could have turned out if it weren't for her loving relationship with her father or what could she become if she doesn't learn to trust again. This implies that Namaari will have a dysfunctional or emotionally abusive relationship with her mom.

D82 wrote:I'm quite happy with how she looks in the final film. Judging by some of the images of her we have gotten from posters, etc. I feared she could look much worse.

I agree that she looks better in-film than in some promotional and merchandise materials.

D82 wrote:I wonder if Noi and them will be able to communicate among themselves through sounds or gestures.

I believe that how they'll communicate too. I expect more physical comedy and visual gags because of it.

farerb wrote:People seem to not care about Sisu's design, especially her human face and that Disney probably designed her that way for marketability.

The design of her human form doesn't match her dragon form anymore. When you see her as a dragon, you expect her human form to be more impressive and dignified than what we got. She has a more humble and caricatured appearance as a human than what one would expect from a multi-colored, majestic dragon. I understand she's a supporting, comedic character which requires a different type of design than that of a lead, but regardless of that, they should have made her two forms resemble each other more closely.

farerb wrote:Also saw comments about "Elsa's fursona" (whatever the hell that means).

Consider yourself lucky you don't.

Sotiris wrote: When Carlos López Estrada said the digital sculptors modeled Sisu after Awkwafina, did he mean her dragon or human form? It seems like a recent trend to want to capture a voice actor's likeness into their respective design. Previously, if any likeness seeped through, it was usually unintentional and the product of animators using footage of the actors in the recording booth as live-action reference.

PIXAR!Disney likes their movies to be as much like live-action films as possible now. When they cast an actor, they want you to see them in the character rather than making a character and picking an actor that fits the way animated films used to operate.