Disney did it again. They created a queer story more explicit than the last in their newest film Raya and the Last Dragon. Raya is a typical Disney product: exemplary in craftsmanship, emotionally potent and surprisingly subversive.
With a star turn by Kelly Marie Tran, the female-centered episodic adventure evokes Moana for a Marvel audience — high-octane fight sequences and chase scenes contrasted against ethereal visuals of water dragons in flight, calling back to Elsa’s cryokinetic prowess extravaganza.
The Southeast Asian influence in the film is compelling following the zeitgeist of Crazy Rich Asians, and the sleeping dragon of the East finally is awakening to its economic potential.