Overall, Raya and the Last Dragon is enjoyable & entertaining, and will manage to satisfy most but there isn't anything new or different about it. And the voice cast play their roles responsibly as well. The background score by James Newton Howard is also a plus. Its richness, colour depth, lighting & rendering is almost immaculate. The emotional moments pack a punch but isn't allowed to stay afloat for long enough to deliver the goods. Humour also falls flat, for the film tries too hard.

While some characters are interesting, others are annoying.

There are familiar beats & predictable subplots here, plus it plays safe instead of risking anything.

Add to that, it expects the viewers to be invested in Raya's journey without putting in the effort that would compel us to do the same. Directed by Don Hall & Carlos López Estrada, the story hurries us through its own mythology and doesn't spend enough time to strengthen the foundations before the main plot surfaces. Taking the usual Disney story template, applying the same rinse n repeat formula to it, then slapping the added representation tag on the package just for the sake of it, and marketing it as something fresh when it's not, Raya and the Last Dragon marks the arrival of a new princess in the Disney kingdom, and is truly astounding to look at but the film as a whole has no original voice of its own.

Raya and the last dragon movie time