Would Raya and the Last Dragon Have Been a Better Fit for Disney's 100th Anniversary Film?

[Winter]

While I was at Disney one of the films I saw while there was Disney's Wish and I don't think it was bad by any stretch (in fact most who I asked said they loved it) but as a 100th Anniversary film I felt it fell short as a celebration of Disney's legacy. However, on the flight to and from Disney I decided to watch Raya and the Last Dragon (it was one of the movies I could watch on the plane) and seeing it both before and after Wish got me thinking, this was a much more interesting examination and reconstruction of Disney's Animated Films.

Raya is the latest Official Disney Princess and her film is kind of a deconstruction of a Disney Princess movie. Unlike most of other Disney Princesses Raya doesn't seek love or something more then the life she's been born into she just wants her father back and to make up for a mistake she made. Unlike most other Disney Princesses, or Disney Protagonists in general, she's more of a cynic with a harsher view of the world. Most Disney Princesses' love interest is usually a dashing rogue or a charming prince, if they want love at all as shown with Merida and Moana, but with Raya the closest thing she has to a love interest is her most personal enemy who is another girl who is neither a charming princess or a dashing rogue but a ruthless warrior who is also seeking redemption.

On top of that Raya is right now the only Disney Princess who is not given a song as even Merida is given a song (Touch the Sky). In fact outside of the closing credits RATLD has no songs just a prayer that Raya chants which doesn't count because that's a prayer. In fact this is one of Disney's quietest films with several scenes being completely devoid of dialogue and just letting the characters expressions, body language and the environment tell the story.

The film is also a deconstruction and reexamination of the Disney Villain Trope both with the Twist Villain that Disney was... kind of obsessed with for a few years and the classic Disney Villain. In the twist compartment normally we would get the twist in the last act of the film and even then only during the last half of the last act. But with Namaari we get to the twist before the first act is to over and are given her motivation right out the gate. And on the Classic Disney Villain side of things her motives are the complete opposite of the CDV or most other Disney Villains in general, Namaari is doing what she is doing, because she wants to save her homeland.

And unlike other Disney villains (at least in the animated films) Namaari is redeemed at the end of the film partly due to her relationship with Raya. It's a bit more complex then that but her feelings for the hero shape her actions in the last act of the film. Even before that Namaari, as I mentioned earlier, is actively seeking redemption for her actions unlike other villains who usually stick to their selfish and evil ways and die or are imprisoned for their wickedness.

The story it tells is also not a typical Disney film as, well, it's post-apocalypses film which is a far cry from your standard Fairy Tale story.

There's also the Where's Walt concept of both Raya vs. Wish. In Wish there really isn't any character who represents Walt Disney himself. It's not Asha (the main character of Wish's) 100 year old Grandfather because he's just some guy who sat around on his ass for 100 years waiting for someone to give him his dream while Walt was someone who went out to achieve his dreams. I guess it could be King Magnifico as a dark reflection of Walt but 1 that would be odd given this is meant to be celebrating the company that he and his brother started so why make an evil version of the guy and 2 he doesn't really have anything in common with Walt besides some physical similarities. I guess it could also be Asha as like Walt she wants to spread joy and love to others like Walt was often said to do but outside of that the two have nothing in common.

By contrast Raya could be argued to have a Walt Disney Expy within the film; Raya's father, Chief Benja.

Benja actually has a lot in common with Walt himself with his personality being very similar to how Walt presented himself to the public and how a lot of his friends and family described him as. A kindly father and a man who truly saw the best in people. Even his idea of wanting to have divided land become Kumandra again has shades of Walt wanting to create Disneyland in it. The two even kinda look similar and the film makes repeated references to Benja's Dream of Kumandra which again has shades of Walt's dream of Disney.

While not perfect (Walt as far as I know had zero combat experience while Benja is a veteran warrior) it's a lot more then what we get for any of the characters in Wish.

So, why do I think that this film that has so little in common with the standard Disney formula would be a better fit for the 100th Anniversary? Because it shows how far Disney has come while still holding onto what made it work to begin with.

The hero isn't some paragons of absolute virtue with no real flaws, she's a person who have had her dreams pulled from them yet still hold onto those dreams and work to make them a reality. The villain is a someone who realizes what she die was wrong and wants to make up for it instead of some mustache twirling villain snaring at the hero for thwarting her plans. And the relationship between hero and villain is more complex with the two possibly even being in love with one another. And the one character at the heart of this all is someone who can be seen as a stand in for the man who started it all and gets to see his dream come to life.

Now in the end this is kinda pointless as the perfect Disney 100th Anniversary does exist in Once Up A Studio as while it's only 8 minutes it's a wonderful celebration of Disney's long history and is just a fun time.

I guess the reason I'm posting this is because while Wish is by no means bad it just doesn't feel like, well, anything to me while Raya and the Last Dragon, for all it's flaws, does feel like a story that shows how far Disney has come and one that I do have a personal investment in.

But what do you think? Did you enjoy Wish and felt it was a fantastic way to celebrate Disney's 100th Anniversary? What is your favorite Disney film and are there Disney films or shows you're looking forward to?

Let me know and as to paraphrase Walt himself "My only hope is that we never forget one thing. That it all started with a Mouse."

[stryke]

From what I've heard people just wish that Wish was better rather than to chuck it out for something else entirely.

Personally I don't think deconstructions should be used for celebrations so I'm going to say no on principle.

Like I love Enchanted, I had to have my arm properly twisted to watch it, as it sounded dreadful, but I was really impressed by it. Saying that, I still wouldn't use it as a milestone film either as it's very much an exploration of how Disney values clash with with real life values.

Last truly great traditionally animated Disney film was Emperor's New Groove (even if they did cut Snuff out the Light which is such a banger), and before that there was a long gap until you get back to Aladdin and Lion King. Yes, Pocahontas and Hunchback do have one exceptional song each. Shame about the rest of those films. Mulan and Stitch I suspect I'd like a lot more if I'd seen them at closer to the intended audience age as they both have bits that bother me while I acknowledge that they're generally very good films.

[hammerofglass]

Yes, Pocahontas and Hunchback do have one exceptional song each.

Savages and Hellfire?

[stryke]

Spot on.

[CharlesPhipps]

I mean Raya is...okay.

Which is the same problem with Wish.

[Winter]

I mean Raya is...okay.

Which is the same problem with Wish.

I think Raya (both the character and the film) is very underrated and has a lot going for it. I think Raya herself is a breath of fresh air after having so many Disney Protagonists that are so quirky and adorkable that having one that is more serious-minded and cynical is honestly rather interesting. Namaari is easily the best Disney "Villain" we've gotten in a LOOONG time which is helped by her arc and relationship with Raya which I find so much more interesting then what we got with most villains in the Revival Era.

I also like the twist with the ending as it's NOT Raya who saves the day but Namaari fixing her mistake which we've never seen in a Disney film before. Even in Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, Iago's heel-face turn was only done out of selfish reason at first while Namaari already wants to undo her mistake, flatout saying so in the movie at one point.

The action is also a lot of fun, not the best but energetic and engaging. I've always loved sword duels so getting to see one in a Disney Princess film is just great.

And as I said in the main post I love how this film has many quite moments. The best moments of this film is when it says nothing at all and the animation does the storytelling. My favorite moments in the film is the Dragon Graveyard, Namaari seeing Sisu's true form and the ending when everyone is turning to stone after giving Namaari their Dragon Gems.

Sure the execution of the message is poorly done, Namaari's Heel-Face Turn was flawed and Sisu can get a bit annoying during a few scenes but I've seen worse both from the Disney Princess Series and Disney as a whole. I was more interested in Namaari's redemption arc then Alma in Encanto, I was more invested in Raya's relationship with Namaari then most other romances in recent Disney Animation (films only) and it was a big risk for Disney to make a film that was so unlike anything they've made before or since.

[Al-1701]

"Different" doesn't necessarily mean good, though.

Really, what Wish needed was more time in the oven. They could've done with less Easter eggs (half of the seven friends were completely pointless and probably sucked up a lot of time and resources to have them there all the time). Ideas that had been nixed should've been in the final movie. The goat needed to be launched into the sun. And Manifico's villain arc needed to be more fleshed out (taking time wasted on the friends and the goat).

Really, Disney is where it was towards the end of the 70's and beginning of the 80's with the executives not getting out of the way of the creatives. A centennial celebration of Disney should focus less on the products of that time but the spirit behind it. Raya would not fit that bill.