Raya and the Last Dragon: 7 Things To Know About Disney Film Breaking Patriarchal Boundaries

The Disney film Raya and The Last Dragon is set in a mystical land called Kumandra, a kingdom divided into five different lands that Raya has to navigate to find the last dragon.

The clans in Kumandra are aptly named after parts of a dragon: Fang, Spine, Heart, Talon, and Tail, with their lands also physically forming a dragon. The lands of Heart are covered with rock formations to secure the sacred Dragon Gem. Raya and The Last Dragon is inspired largely by South-East Asian cultures.

The new animation title will stream on Disney Hotstar+ from June 4.

Here's what we know about Disney film Raya and the Last Dragon:

• The first female Head of Animation at Walt Disney Studios, Amy Lawson Smeed, who has films like Moana and Frozen to her credit, worked on bringing Raya to the audience too.
• The warrior-princess Raya's fighting style is based on Kali, the national martial art of the Philippines.
• The film was rumoured in 2018 and was actually in production for more than 3 years.
• Awkwafina, who would mark her third animated film with this venture, has provided her voice work for Sisu, The Last Dragon.
• Adele Lim, who wrote the screenplay for the award-winning Crazy Rich Asians, has penned that screenplay for Raya and The Last Dragon.
• The animated film is the very first Disney project that features a South-East Asian warrior princess Raya, who is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran. To keep the authenticity of South-East Asian culture in the film, two groups of filmmakers made research trips throughout Southeast Asia.
• Besides the powerful titular female characters, the film also had an all-female technical leadership team off-screen.

Check out the trailer here: