‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Trailer Looks ‘So Good’

Just a day after AMC announced it had raised $917 million to avoid bankruptcy troubles, Walt Disney released a new trailer for Raya and the last dragon. The good news is that the movie will hit theaters on March 5th. The “bad news,” relatively speaking, is that it will also be available on Disney+ for a one-time extra $29.99. Like Warner Bros.’ HBO Max’s plan for their 2021 theatrical releases and Comcast’s “theaters to PVOD in 17 days” deal, Disney is trying to have their cake and eat it too.

We still do not know how much gross income was collected by Niki Caro Mulane when it debuts on Disney+ ($30 to rent the film as long as you subscribe to Disney+) in September. That they never announced concrete figures and left Soul arriving free on the service over Christmas implies that it didn’t exactly break the bank. Ironically, while Mulane has been accused of being earnest, “respectful” and almost comically bowing to Chinese government censorship advice (as opposed to paying Chinese consumers), Raya and the last dragon looks like a kick.

Yes, it’s an anime action-adventure movie and yes, it’s an action fantasy starring Asian protagonists (namely Kelly Marie Tran as Raya, Awkwafina as the Last Dragon and Gemma Chan as the seemingly villainous role of Namaari). But from the get-go, the focus is on goofy humor (“A con baby?!”) and seriously over-the-top spectacle. That’s not to say it’s guaranteed to fare better in China than Mulane, which only grossed $41 million (a miserable total even by Covid recovery standards), but it certainly seems more in line with what audiences (in China and America) are looking for.

Simplistically, certainly feels closer in tone to Do Zha (a bonkers animated action-comedy that grossed $720 million in 2019) that Jiang Ziya (the most serious and conventional follow-up to Fengshen’s cinematic universe which grossed “only” $244 million last year). The most important thing about its theatrical release is that it hits theaters. It’s both the first biggie of the new year (same day as Tom Holland/Daisy Ridley Lionsgate’s YA fantasy chaotic walk) and one of the last biggies at least until summer (depending if Black Widow Spiral and F9 stick around).

As for the film, it frankly looks brilliant, with striking images, a “comedy but with action” atmosphere that goes well with the likes of Moana and the first half of the animation Mulane and the promise of another viable addition to Disney’s “princess” library (official or otherwise). There’s a certain karmic justice to Kelly Marie Tran, who got the worst out of it. Last Jedi backlash (in terms of being taken offline by racist and sexist trolls and being cut off almost entirely from The Rise of Skywalker), now headlining a big-budget Disney animated actioner.

If this one had opened last Thanksgiving in a non-Covid timeline, it probably would have run the tables. Frozen dropped in late 2013 and early 2014 ($400 million domestic from a $93 million Wednesday-Sunday Thanksgiving start) partly because the big Christmas events (Saving Mr. Banks, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) biased older or fan-specific. Raya and the last dragon could have gone out no time to die and Dunes, both of which would have been skewed older and will be fan-specific properties. In terms of great kid-friendly movies, Raya would have been the only game in town for months.

Raya and the last dragon will be a test in terms of the (presumably) well-received tentpole releasing in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access. If it works, then I could see Disney considering such a release for people like Black Widow, Cruella and or Lucas in May and June. If this happens, and if Universal allows it F9 to open as scheduled on May 29 with the hope that China and other overseas markets are strong enough to offset lower domestic revenues, we may (alongside WB’s offerings) have something approaching a season of summer cinema.

_{Raya and the last dragon features an exceptional voice cast, including Kelly Marie Tran as fearless warrior Raya; Awkwafina as the legendary dragon, Sisu; Gemma Chan as Raya’s nemesis Namaari; Daniel Dae Kim as Raya’s visionary father, Benja; Sandra Oh as Namaari’s powerful mother, Virana; Benedict Wong as Tong, a formidable giant; Izaac Wang as Boun, a 10-year-old entrepreneur; Thalia Tran as the mischievous toddler Little Noi; Alan Tudyk as Tuk Tuk, Raya’s best friend and loyal courier; Lucille Soong as Dang Hu, the leader of Talon Country; Patti Harrison as Tail Country Leader; and Ross Butler as Head of Spine Country.}

_{Raya and the last dragon takes us on an exciting and epic journey into the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together in harmony long ago. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save mankind. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to hunt down the last legendary dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, on her journey, she will learn that it will take more than a dragon to save the world: it will also take trust and teamwork.}

_{Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada are directing, with Paul Briggs and John Ripa co-directing. Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho are the producers, and Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim are the screenwriters for the project. Walt Disney Animation Studios Raya and the last dragon will be available on Disney+ with Premier Access in most Disney+ markets, at the same time as it hits theaters on March 5, 2021. Premier Access for the title will be priced at $29.99.}