“We have so many different people in this culture space,” she says. She cites her home country of Malaysia, specifically the food, as a testament to that particular fusion. But as screenwriter Adele Lim points out, there are places in Southeast Asia where multiple cultures do come together in a melting pot. That’s a valid viewpoint, especially considering how little screen time and nuance is given to Southeast Asia in Hollywood. Some reviewers have expressed frustration with seeing Southeast Asia portrayed as a monolithic culture, saying that while Raya has specific details from different cultures, it reductively paints them as one blended entity. These martial arts, food, and architecture are all real.” Image: Disney If I love this movie, I can go out and study these martial arts that are real. But if I loved Star Wars, I couldn’t go out and study being a Jedi.
“I grew up on action movies, and sci-fi movies. “I really wanted to make sure that the martial arts that were in the film were very distinctly Southeast Asian,” says Nguyen. Four martial arts are specifically highlighted in Raya: Pencack silat, which is Indonesian and Malaysian Muay Thai from Thailand traditional Indonesian wrestling and Arnis, from the Philippines. Raya marks another step forward while Moana was written by three white men drawing on consultants for authenticity, both of Raya’s screenwriters come from Southeast Asia, and were able to bring their specific cultural identities into the movie.Ī longtime lover of action movies, Nguyen specifically felt it was pertinent to incorporate martial arts from the real world. Nowadays, the filmmakers regularly consult with a diverse group of representatives from the cultures they’re using as settings, as they did with Moana back in 2016.
Disney has come a long way from the days of Mulan’s culturally inaccurate haircut. Raya and the Last Dragon is set in the fantasy world of Kumandra, but it was important to the Southeast Asian filmmakers and cast members that the fantasy world brush against real-life cultural elements. We wanted to make sure she didn’t just look like an animal.” “We pulled it a little bit more away from the reptilian. We didn’t want a dragon that came in to empower Raya to hit people more we wanted one that would inspire her to open up and trust.” Image: DisneyĪs for why Sisu looks less serpent-like and more fluffy and sparkly in the final design than traditional depictions of Nāga ( leading some on the Internet to compare her to Elsa of Frozen fame), director Don Hall ( Big Hero 6) says that has to do with approachability. “And the Nāga, because it’s water, it’s life and hope. “The difference between an Eastern or Chinese dragon versus the Nāga is that a Chinese dragon is based on luck and power,” explains screenwriter Qui Nguyen. The aesthetic choice is also one subtly steeped in symbolism. Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina in the film, was inspired by the Nāga of Southeast Asia, serpent-like creatures associated with water. That’s because the filmmakers behind Raya and the Last Dragon looked beyond Western dragons, or even East Asian ones. She’s snake-like and blue-tinted, more furry than scaly, and more interested in making friends than overwhelming enemies. Sisu, the dragon in Disney’s newest animated feature, Raya and the Last Dragon, doesn’t breathe fire.