Anmol Ahuja
After Pixar releasing ‘Onward’ and ‘Soul’ next year, Disney too isn’t too far behind in bringing their A-rate animation game to the table. While its 2019, and a certain portion of 2020 as well have been crowded by live action remakes and sequels to their previous animated films, it looks like Disney too is all prepped up to invest in some original animated properties, and as I said earlier, 2020 is looking like animation enthusiasts and family oriented audiences are going to have a ball at the cinemas next year.
While it was initially only rumoured, Disney confirmed at the D23 expo that it’s next animated film produced by the Walt Disney Animation Company following this year’s ‘Frozen 2’ would be a fantasy epic adventure with themes inspired from the mystical lands of Southeast Asia, titled ‘Raya and The Last Dragon’. With little over a year left until the film’s release, we will get more information and a teaser trailer soon as we move along. However, as of now, read on to find out everything we know about the fantasy drama and Disney Animation Studios’ next.
Raya and The Last Dragon Plot: What Is It About?
Travel, soul searching, discovery and bonding along the journey have been successful characteristics of a number of Disney films, especially in the recent years when Disney has really expanded the scope for its animated projects, including massive hits like ‘Big Hero 6’, ‘Frozen’, ‘Moana’ and ‘Zootopia’, and both audiences and critics have responded to the tunes of hundreds of millions of dollars, entailing a few Oscar wins as well.
Currently too, Disney, even sans Pixar, has an unparalleled hold on the global market, with its three live action releases and two MCU smash hits helping them claim roughly 42% of all worldwide gross in the summer season. If 2020 is any indication, they don’t seem to be stopping any time soon, with projects such as ‘Gigantic’, an animated adaptation of the popular Jack and the Beanstalk story, ‘Artemis Fowl’, ‘Mulan’, ‘Soul’, ‘Onward’ and this one, followed by ‘Secret Society of Second Born Royals’ along with ‘Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made’ for its premium online streaming service, Disney+.
As for the film itself, the official synopsis of the film from the D23 expo where an exclusive three minute footage from the film was shown states as follows: “a lone warrior from the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra who teams up with a crew of misfits in her quest to find the Last Dragon and bring light and unity back to their world”. Too early to predict otherwise, but this film is already giving me the same vibes as ‘Moana’, another Disney adventure that I love. The makers have also promised that we will get a fair glimpse into the vibrant culture of southeast Asia through the eyes and tribe of Kumandra and our protagonist, Raya.
Raya and The Last Dragon Cast: Who Is In It?
The full cast for the film hasn’t been revealed yet, but Disney did reveal the two main players in the film, Raya, the lone warrior and lead character, and Sisu, the last dragon that she has set out to search, will be voiced by Cassie Steele and Awkwafina, respectively. We will update this section as soon as new cast details emerge.
Raya and The Last Dragon Crew: Who Is Behind It?
The film will mark the directorial debut of Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins, who have earlier worked as animation and story artists on ‘Big Hero 6’ and ‘Frozen’. ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ writer Adele Lim will be writing the screenplay for the film based on a story by Kiel Murray. The film will be produced by Osnat Shurer from Disney, who has earlier also produced the Disney hit ‘Moana’. ‘Raya and The Last Dragon’ will ofcourse be distributed worldwide by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Raya and The Last Dragon Release Date: When Will It Premiere?
Roughly more than a year from now, November 25, 2020 will see the release of Disney’s ‘Raya and The Last Dragon’.
Raya and The Last Dragon Trailer
Disney hasn’t released any trailer of the film yet, but as soon as they do, we will update this section.
Read More in Previews: Pixar’s Soul | Pixar’s Onward
