JASON EVANS' 100-WORD REVIEWS: Raya and the Last Dragon

 Simplistic, but fun fairy tale

William Penn once famously said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” So, in an effort not to waste your time, film critic Jason Evans is attempting to pare his movie reviews down to 100 words… not 99, not 101, exactly 100 words. Today he reviews Raya and the Last Dragon.

The Premise – Kumandra is a mythical land where dragons and humans live in harmony. But it is being overrun by the mysterious Drune, who turn everything they touch to stone. The dragons sacrifice themselves and use all their magic to defeat the enemy. 500 years later, the Drune show up again and a young princess named Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) must find a way to bring the dragons back. Along the way, she discovers one last dragon named Sisu (Awkafina) is still alive. But Raya’s plan to win this fight is very different from the way Sisu thinks humanity can come together to defeat an unbeatable enemy.

The 100 Words – Disney Animation is very different from Pixar. These films are not aimed at adults the same way Pixar films are. As a result, Raya and the Last Dragon is more simplistic and predictable than Toy Story or Soul. Still, the animation is gorgeous, the voice work is all strong (especially the always funny Awkafina), and the production team does a nice job of building this world. The story starts out slow and obvious but picks up and should delight children, while keep mom and dad reasonably engaged. Don’t expect another Frozen but this film compares favorably to something like Moana.

Reach out to Jason Evans on Twitter @JasonDukeEvans