Raya and the Last Dragon: A Failure To Understand Trauma

Disney lost my respect in the past couple of years, owing to the John Lassetter scandal. They covered up for an abuser, and it was a betrayal. I still will hold their great movies in respect, because they formulated a part of my personality, but watching the new ones is a great effort because I don’t know what will go wrong next or what new coverups will come to light. With that said, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt when a friend invited me to see Raya and the Last Dragon with them virtually. We dove into the film, hoping that it would be fun at least.

On the surface, we have a film with WOC leads and only one white actor. That’s progress, considering the industry. The animation style in the opening credits is great; we get a lovely two-dimensional rendition of the history of Kumandra, the land in which this story takes place, with some breathtaking narration. All of the voice actors put 110 percent into the character roles they have, with Sandra Oh revealing she can be quite serious and scary if given the right part. (Remember her? She was Principal Gupta in The Princess Diaries so this is quite a departure.)

I want to say that I loved this movie, that as an Indian woman it reflected who I was as someone caught between the old and the modern, and wanting a better world. That would be a lie.