Bring home ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's

Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is a pure delight. It is now available on Blu-ray and DVD as well as 4K. This story is entertaining for all ages as it is fun for kids as well as adults.

The main lesson in the film is that teamwork and trust go a long way in solving discourse. Raya’s father, Chief Benja, has a dream to unify the separated regions of the once-thriving land of Kumandra. Unfortunately, things do not go according to his plan and things get even worse than before. It is up to Raya to find Sisu, the last dragon, and get help in restoring peace to the people and all the lands.

Once Raya locates Sisu, their journey just begins. Along the way they interact with several interesting characters, including an adorable little baby named Noi, who is a conniving little thief, but an adorable one nonetheless. There are others who come to Raya’s aid, like a cute little street smart boy named Boun, and more, while she tries to retrieve a special item from each of the regions (Heart, Spine, Tail, Fang, and Talon), to unite them and get the magical power to vanquish the evil force and bring harmony back to the land.

The Blu-ray includes many bonus features. First of all, there is a new short titled Us Again. This enforces the thought that youth is a state of mind. There is no talking in this film but the characters are able to express their thoughts and feelings through expressions. Plus, there is plenty of dancing. As a matter of fact, the filmmakers use dancing as the force of the story.

Another bonus is called “Taste of Raya.” In the movie there are plenty of scenes involving food. The filmmakers and Kelly Marie Tran (the voice of Raya) virtually reminisce about making the movie while eating some of the food that is represented in the film. The papaya salad will make viewers want to run out and get some for themselves. It looks delicious. Anyway, the pandemic forced the filmmakers to move the production to their individual homes, but they managed to do so and create a wonderful new Disney movie.  That is the focus of another bonus titled “Bringing it Home.” The process of making the film from hundreds of individual locations was a challenge however they did it!

The martial arts scenes were choreographed then animated and a bonus feature looks at this aspect. They made sure the fight scenes were correctly presented.

“We are Kumandra” is an interesting look at how the film represents the Southeast Asia countries. This is a diverse are of the world and the cultures as well as the scenery were diligently examined to embody this area. Like they do when setting a story in a specific location or area, the filmmakers and animators took research trips to the countries to correctly and honorably represent the region.

Over 450 people worked on this movie. The story behind making the film with all aspects of storyboarding is examined. This is a bonus that will definitely be interesting to viewers who love animation and filmmaking.

Outtakes and deleted scenes round out the bonus features.

Raya and the Last Dragon is yet another instant Disney classic. It is rated PG for some violence, action, and thematic elements.

There are plenty of products to enjoy as well. Go to the shopDisney.com website to check them out.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.