Disney has released a brand new featurette that takes a behind-the-scenes look atRaya and the Last Dragon. Titled “Crafting Raya,” it offers a glimpse into what it took to bring the movie to life. Walt Disney Animation Studios' latest is set to arrive both in theaters and on Disney+ through Premier Access in March.
The video offers a new look at the upcoming epic fantasy-adventure. It features stars Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and Awkwafina (Ocean’s 8), as well as the filmmakers. They discuss what inspired the story, characters andmartial arts in the movie, in addition to how it was crafted by the artists, talent and filmmakers who were all working from home, given that it was finished during the shutdown Hollywood faced in 2020. Tran had this to say in the video.
“It is so exciting to be the firstSoutheast Asian Disney Princess. It is a big deal. Raya is one of the fiercest characters.”
Kelly Marie Tran was not originally set to play the movie’s lead. In August of last year,Disneyannounced that Tran had taken the place of Cassie Steele, who had originally been tapped to voice Raya. The movie was significant, as Tran became the first actor of Southeast Asian descent to lead a Disney animated movie. In addition to offering some details on the movie, the featurette contains a good deal of footage, giving a strong sense of the world that has been crafted to tell this tale.
Raya and the Last Dragontakes place in thefantasy world of Kumandra. It centers on Raya, a lone warrior who must track down the legendary last dragon. They must try and stop an evil force that has returned after 500 years to once again threaten her homeworld.
The cast also includes Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Jona Xiao, Sandra Oh, Thalia Tran, Lucille Soong, Alan Tudyk, Gordon Ip, Dichen Lachman, Patti Harrison, Jon “Dumbfoundead” Park, Sung Kang, Sierra Katow, Ross Butler, François Chau and Paul Yen. Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada are directing, with Paul Briggs and John Ripa co-directing. Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho are on board as producers. Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim wrote the screenplay.
