Kelly Marie Tran’s Raya of Raya and the Last Dragon made history by becoming the first Southeast Asian Princess in the Disney canon. This development is overdue, but it finally happening is still welcome, especially with Raya’s surprising tenacity and resilience that defies both the typical Disney Princess iconography and how Asian protagonists are often depicted by Hollywood movies.
When we spoke with Raya and the Last Dragon co-writer Qui Nguyen in January, he told us, “When characters who look like me or Adele [Lim] or my kids show up in action movies, we’re always depicted in one certain way. Stoic, serious, oddly obsessed with ‘bringing honor to our family.’”
Hence what a breath of fresh air Raya can be, both as a film and as a new corner of the larger Disney Princess brand it now joins. Even so, several of the filmmakers we spoke to on the film—directors Don Hall,...
When we spoke with Raya and the Last Dragon co-writer Qui Nguyen in January, he told us, “When characters who look like me or Adele [Lim] or my kids show up in action movies, we’re always depicted in one certain way. Stoic, serious, oddly obsessed with ‘bringing honor to our family.’”
Hence what a breath of fresh air Raya can be, both as a film and as a new corner of the larger Disney Princess brand it now joins. Even so, several of the filmmakers we spoke to on the film—directors Don Hall,...
- 3/8/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
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