Deborah Ross

It’ll please small kids, but they’re never to be trusted: Raya and the Last Dragon reviewed

Disney's latest animation is turgid, clichéd and predictable

Sisu (Awkwafina), who looks like a disturbingly enlongated My Little Pony, and Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. Credit: © 2020 Disney. All Rights Reserved 
issue 06 March 2021

Raya and the Last Dragon has everything you might want nowadays from a major Disney film — feisty kick-ass heroine, non-white representation, a narrative that isn’t hung up on romance — but no one involved appears to have asked themselves: do we have an interesting story? Do we have any fresh ideas? Is it fun? This may please very small kiddies who don’t know any better, and there are plenty of them about, but Raya’s not a classic in the making.

GIF Image

Disagree with half of it, enjoy reading all of it

TRY 3 MONTHS FOR $5
Our magazine articles are for subscribers only. Start your 3-month trial today for just $5 and subscribe to more than one view

Comments

Join the debate for just £1 a month

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.

Already a subscriber? Log in