If you haven’t heard by now Disney is coming out with a new and beautiful animated movie called “Raya and the Last Dragon.” It’s the latest movie to come from Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Raya is the first Southeastern Asain princess to grace our screen and I couldn’t be more excited.
It’s a blend of magic, dragons, babies and epic battles. It’s always nice to see characters of all backgrounds getting a chance to shine on the big screen to break up the constants of white leads. Disney seems to be taking many steps in the right direction. “Encanto” a Columbian story is also spiking excitement. Which they have been doing with other films like “Moana,” “Princess and the Frog” and even an argument can be made for “Big Hero 6.”
Ever so in true Disney fashion, the news of “Raya and the Last Dragon” still sparked controversy.
For a bit of background, the movie pulls from the cultures of Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Making “Raya and the Last Dragon” a culture smash instead of descending from one country. Disney can’t just blend cultures together. Each county in Southeast Asia has its own culture and that should be respected. I mean if Belle can represent France, Ariel can represent Denmark, Elsa can represent Norway and even Rapunzel can represent Germany each has a specific country. Why can’t Southeast Asia be the same?
This is just one problem people had. The other complaint, the major one, was the cast list. If Disney is going to do a Southeastern Asian story then shouldn’t the cast reflect that?
According to Disney: no, unless it’s the main character.
Raya is voiced by American actress Kelly Marie Tran, daughter of Vietnamese refugees. Tran is one of the few Southeastern Asian actors. The others are Izaac Wang, Patti Harrison, Qui Nguyen and Adele Lin (Lin and Nguyen are the writers). The other main actors are East Asian.
Overall, is Disney showing its audience diverse stories? Yes. Are they still flawed in their approach? Also yes. Hopefully, though with enough rallying of fans the big company will listen and give the people what they want: true representation.
