Disney has just released the second trailer for its upcoming film, Raya and the Last Dragon. Directed by Carlos López Estrada and Don Hall, Raya and the Last Dragon will have a more diverse cast than the majority of Disney movies that have preceded it. But what is particularly unique about this film is that it is also written by Asian American people, Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim. Nguyen is a playwright who has worked on projects for the likes of PBS, Netflix, and Marvel Studios to name a few. Lim’s most notable work has been the screenplay of Crazy Rich Asians and has also worked on various television shows prior to that.
Despite all that is unique and new about Raya and the Last Dragon, it seems that a good deal of discussion regarding the film is not based on the film’s own merit, but rather in direct comparison to Disney’s Mulan. Arguably, it seems as though there is virtually no reason to compare the films to one another, other than the fact they both feature an Asian woman as the lead, and both take place in Asia. But even then, Mulan takes place in a more historical China, whereas Raya and the Last Dragon takes place in fictional Kumandra, inspired by a variety of different southeastern Asian countries.
The premise of the film is that of a young warrior princess, called Raya, who is on a quest to find the last living dragon. The story takes place in the fantasy land of Kumandra. In Kumandra, at one time, humans and dragons lived alongside one another, but in the face of threats from monsters known as the Druun, the dragons had to sacrifice themselves to save humanity. However, the Druun have now returned, and Raya’s must find the last dragon to help her save the human race yet again.
Raya (in Malay, meaning ‘celebration’) is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, known for her role as Rose Tico in the recent Star Wars films. In the entirety of the franchise, Rose is the first Asian American woman to have a prominent role. The last dragon, Sisu, is voiced by Awkwafina, known for her roles in The Farewell, and Crazy Rich Asians. The setting for Raya and the Last Dragon is fictional, but the animators were taken on research trips to places such as Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam in order to draw inspiration.
Kumandra is split into different regions, each one with its own style and personality. It is clear that the animation team put a huge amount of research into the aesthetics of the film. From the released trailers, it is clear to see the detail and care put into the different settings, particularly the night market. It is densely packed with food, lights, boats, and people. There is even steam rising up from the different stalls, depicting the humidity that would be present in a tropical climate such as this.
Mulan, at its core, is a film about a woman who is trying to prove her value as a warrior in a country where women’s values are perceived to exist only in the domestic sense. Raya, however, is a woman who is already a respected warrior, who is now putting together a team of con artists to work together in order to seek out an elusive creature, in an attempt to preserve and reconcile a disconnected society. Reasonably, one could argue that the film bears a greater resemblance in its plot to Ocean’s 11.
Awkwafina’s character, Sisu, certainly will be compared to Mulan’s Mushu, voiced by Eddie Murphy. The two actors are both also comedians and they do both play dragons, but do they really bear more resemblance to one another than they do to virtually every other Disney sidekick? Lumière from Beauty and the Beast and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid have a striking resemblance to one another, both in how they act in their respective films towards their respective princesses, as well as their primary role in both films, serving essentially just as comedic relief. Mushu has a similar role to these two sidekicks in Mulan, whereas Sisu, has her own value, being the last living dragon. Although she will certainly bring comedy to the film, she is important to the plot beyond only that aspect.
In fact, when taking into account how similar the majority of Disney princess movies are, the comparisons between Raya and Mulan seem particularly unfounded. Raya appears to be more comparable to the protagonists of the films Frozen, Moana, or even Brave more so than she is to Mulan. To be fair, all four films are concerned with female empowerment, and the ability for a woman to save herself, instead of ultimately relying on a prince. The trailer for Raya and the Last Dragon gives no indication of any romantic interest, and similarly, Elsa, Moana, and Merida, all remain independent women throughout the entirety in their films. But even Mulan ends up with a prince by the end of hers.
Ultimately, there is no real way to gauge how similar Raya and the Last Dragon will be to Mulan, until the film is released and can be watched in full. But, the question as to if there is even a point to compare the two is still present, particularly in the face of such different plots and premises. If one takes into consideration the obvious similarities in plot and structure between films such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, the similarities between Raya and the Last Dragon and Mulan seem almost negligible.
Raya and the Last Dragon is projected to be released on March 5, 2021, in theatres and on Disney Plus with Premier Access.