Raya and the Last Dragon (My Version)

Raya and the Last Dragon (marketed as Peter Jackson's Raya and the Last Dragon) is a 2021 American-New Zealand computer-animated epic high fantasy action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Legendary Pictures, WingNut Films and Roth/Kirschenbaum Films and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures with the animation provided by Weta Digital. The 59th film produced by the studio, it was directed, written and co-produced by New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson (in his animated directorial debut). Joe Roth, Fran Walsh (Jackson's wife), Carolynne Cunningham, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho served as producers. The film stars Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Andrew Koji, Tadanobu Asano, Benedict Wong, Ross Butler, Thalia Tran, Sung Kang, Izaac Wang, Patti Harrison, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, François Chau, Dichen Lachman, with Ron Yuan, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

The film takes place in the fantasy world of Kumandra, where they live in peace and harmony. On the day for the feast, Princess Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), daughter of Chief Benja of the Heart Tribe (Daniel Dae Kim), befriends Namaaro (Andrew Koji), son of Chief Virana (Sandra Oh), prince of the Fang Tribe, as she receives three blessings from the three chiefs of the tribes. Chief Haruun of the Spine Tribe (Ross Butler), Chief Dang Hai of the Talon Tribe (Sung Kang), and Chief Mona of the Tail Tribe (Patti Harrison). But not before Raya does, the Druun have returned and have become humanoid armies led by the dark dragon named Quynh (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and his trusted conqueror Khan (Tadanobu Asano) to declare war on Kumandra. Six years passed, Raya and her new friends form a group known as the Dragon Searchers who would search for the last dragon, Sisudatu (Awkwafina), who has fallen into deep sleep for over 500 years. It's up to Raya and her new fearless friends to defeat Quynh, Chen and their Druun humanoid army once and for all.

Following the commercial success of Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) and The Hobbit trilogy (2012-2014), Jackson began the script of Raya and the Last Dragon for his own New Zealand production company WingNut Films in 2016. He took his own script to Walt Disney Animation Studios as its CEO Jennifer Lee approved the script as she told Jackson that the plot might sound similar to the Snyder Cut of Justice League.

Raya and the Last Dragon was released in North America by Walt Disney Pictures on March 5, 2021 in theaters and on Disney+ with its Premiere Access subscription, later on May 21, 2021 in New Zealand and it premiered at the Embassy Theater in Wellington on May 28, 2021, in the first major red carpet event since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The film received generally acclaimed reviews from critics who praised its visual effects, animation, Jackson's direction, screenplay, action sequences, musical score, balance of emotional weight and humor, and voice performances, although its lengthy runtime and plot received its criticism. Eventually, it became a critical and commercial success and it grossed $750 million against a $100 million budget with many viewers calling it one of the best computer-animated films of all time as well as one of Jackson's best films since The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The film earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, winning both to Encanto.

Plot
Five hundred years ago, Kumandra has been a peaceful and harmonious paradise land of humans and dragons that can swim and run on raindrops. One day, Quynh, who turned his own heart, created the Druun that can petrify the humans and dragons to stone, but he is foiled by the warriors and vanquished to the underworld along with his army. The Dragon Gem has been created by Sisudatu (Awkwafina), who concentrated all of her magic into it, which the people of Kumandra have been drawn into the five tribes named Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail. In the kingdom of the Heart Tribe, Princess Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) trains to become the guardian of the Dragon Gem in the temple with her father, Chief Benja (Daniel Dae Kim).

One day, Benja decides to hold the feast so the tribes can be united once again. She meets the other four chiefs, Haruun of Spine (Ross Butler), Dang Hai of Talon (Sung Kang), Mona of Tail (Patti Harrison), and Virana of Fang (Sandra Oh). During the feast, she befriends her son, Namaaro (Andrew Koji), the prince of Fang, who gives Raya the dragon pendant as a gift. Raya shows Namaaro the location of the Dragon Gem, but Namaaro betrays Raya as he tries to help his tribe to steal the gem. With his betrayal, the Fang Tribe came along with the other tribes who look at the gem very hungrily. But when Benja tries to compromise, Namaaro stands up to Raya, apologizes to her and has been forgiven of his own sins.

As when the four chiefs of the tribes attempt to give Raya their four blessings, Khan (Tadanobu Asano), the world conqueror arrives from the underground along with the Druun who have become humanoids with wings of a dragonfly, eyes glowing dark purple, and sharp teeth of a shark. The other tribes attack the Druun humanoid army while Raya and Benja escape with the Dragon Gem, but Benja ends up being wounded on the bridge with an arrow from the crossbow of Khan as he accidentally slips the Dragon Gem through his hands and the Dragon Gem has been shattered into five pieces. Raya gives each one piece to Haruun, Dang Hai, Mona, and Virana. When Raya tries to escape with Benja, he was too wounded as he sacrifices himself by throwing her into the river as Haruun, Dang Hai, and Mona dive and swim with Raya to the Tail Tribe and they begin to raise her like benevolent parental figures while they protect their homelands.

Meanwhile, Khan builds a new base in the forests of Kumandra as he contacts with Chen (Jason Scott Lee) from the water-like hologram, one of Quynh's servants. Chen explains that Khan had been exiled from the kingdom of the Druun Empire and betrayed by Quynh by slaughtering his own family, but Khan saw his mistake that his family sought Quynh's throne. Chen orders Khan to still owe Quynh the five pieces of the Dragon Gem and then Quynh will hear his plea when he pays his debt. Khan also informs Chen that they would finish what they started and nothing and no one stands in their way for Quynh.

Six years later, Raya grew up to be the princess warrior and the leader of the Dragon Searchers, a group of searching for the last dragon, Sisudatu. She, Haruun, Dang Hai, and Mona discover that Sisu has been dormant in the shipwreck at the last river of Tail. When they recognize a dead Druun humanoid, they realize the Druun humanoids bleed liquid purple. Once they arrive at the shipwreck, Raya awakens Sisu by chanting the song as Sisu appears from the blue smoke. Sisu tells Raya that she was not exactly the best dragon because the Dragon Gem was actually created by her four siblings, Pengu, Jagan, Pranee, and Amba. When Sisu glows, she has Amba's power from the second piece.

Cast

 * Kelly Marie Tran as Raya, the princess of the Heart Tribe who becomes the leader of the Dragon Searchers.
 * Megan Liu as Young Raya
 * Awkwafina as Sisudatu "Sisu", one of the last five dragons.
 * Andrew Koji as Namaaro, the prince of the Fang Tribe who befriends Princess Raya of the Heart Tribe.
 * Ryan Phuong as Young Namaaro
 * Tadanobu Asano as Khan, the trusted conqueror of Quynh of the Druun Empire. Patrick Wilson was rumored to be considered for the role.
 * Benedict Wong as Tong, the big, fearless warrior of the Spine Tribe.
 * Ross Butler as Haruun, Tong's brother-in-law and the chief of the Spine Tribe and the member of the Dragon Searchers.
 * Thalia Tran as Noi, the little con-baby in the Talon Tribe who has been adopted by the trio of monkey-like companions Ongis after her mother had been petrified to stone by the Druun humanoid army.
 * Sung Kang as Dang Hai, the chief of the Talon Tribe and member of the Dragon Searchers.
 * Izaac Wang as Boun, captain of the Shrimporium of the Tail Tribe after his family had been petrified to stone by the Druun humanoid army.
 * Patti Harrison as Mona, the chief of the Tail Tribe and member of the Dragon Searchers.
 * Daniel Dae Kim as Benja, the chief of the Heart Tribe and the father of Raya.
 * Sandra Oh as Virana, the chief of the Tail Tribe and the mother of Prince Namaaro.
 * François Chau as Wahn, Prince Namaari's trusted general of the Fang Tribe.
 * Dichen Lachman as Atitaya, Prince Namaari's trusted general of the Fang Tribe.
 * Ron Yuan as Hing, the chancellor of the Fang Tribe. Hugo Weaving, who had previously worked with Jackson on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies as Lord Elrond, was rumored to be considered for the role.
 * Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Quynh, the dark Druun dragon and the leader of the Druun Empire who had been vanquished from Kumandra to the underworld for over five-hundred years. Manu Bennett, who had previously worked with Jackson on The Hobbit trilogy as Azog the Defiler, was rumored to be considered for the role.
 * Lucille Soong as Dang Hu, the mother of Chief Dang Hai of the Talon Tribe.
 * Alan Tudyk as Tuk Tuk, Raya's pet. He is one-third pug, one-third pill bug, and one-third armadillo. He helps Raya out of trouble, though he would sometimes get distracted.
 * Jason Scott Lee as Chen, one of Quynh's servants.
 * Jessey Meng as Cho, one of Quynh's servants.
 * Jon Park as Chai, the flower man of the Talon Tribe and Dang Hai's friend.
 * Karen Fukuhara as Xian, mother of Noi who had been revived by the rain at the end. Charlize Theron was rumored to be considered for the role.
 * Viggo Mortensen as Pengu, Sisu's elder brother who has magical rain powers. Mortensen had previously worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy as Aragorn.
 * Anthony Ramos as Jagan, Sisu's younger brother who has magical fog powers.
 * Ashleigh Ball as Pranee, Sisu's older sister who has shapeshifting powers.
 * Rosario Dawson as Amba, Sisu's younger sister who has magical light powers.

Music
James Newton Howard was hired to compose the score for Raya and the Last Dragon on November 23, 2020. The film marks The film marks the fourth time he has scored an animated film by Walt Disney Animation Studios, having previously composed for Dinosaur, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Treasure Planet. Howard had previously collaborated with Jackson on the 2005 remake of King Kong. The score was released by Walt Disney Records on February 26, 2021. Jhené Aiko also contributed music for the film, as she wrote and performed a song for the end-credits, titled "Lead the Way" while Neil Finn wrote and performed another song for the end-credits, titled "The Song of Kumandra".