'Raya and the Last Dragon' exclusive: 'Crafting Raya'
Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina and the "Raya and the Last Dragon" filmmakers on creating Disney's next animated warrior princess movie.
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- Why are you here, divine water dragon?
- Isn't that obvious, big guy? My girl Raya and I are gonna fix the world.
- Let's catch you up.
KELLY MARIE TRAN: It is so exciting to be the first Southeast Asian Disney Princess. And it is a big deal. Raya is one of the fiercest characters.
QUI NGUYEN: In Raya and the Last Dragon, we were inspired by things about Southeast Asia to create a wholly original story and fantasy world called Kumandra.
ADELE LIM: This land used to be inhabited by mystical dragons, which brought magic and harmony. But over time, the land split apart.
RAYA: Our lands have been at war for as long as we can remember.
ADELE LIM: And now she's on this mission to bring this world back together with this ragtag group of misfits.
- I wish to join this fellowship of butt-kickery.
AWKWAFINA: The animation on this movie is on a totally different level, and it's amazing, when you think that this movie was animated from home.
CARLOS LOPEZ ESTRADA: It's incredible. We have a crew of 400 plus people.
- We were animating, lighting, having story meetings. All of that was done from everyone's home, with dogs and cats and babies.
DON HALL: It could only have happened because everybody is passionate about the films we make, and they brought that. I mean the movie is, I think, one of our most beautiful films.
- You and the Dragon are coming with me.
- Hmm. My sword here says we're not.
QUI NGUYEN: I have the honor of being one of the martial arts consultants on the film. I got to incorporate the knowledge I had from Southeast Asian martial arts into those fight sequences. You see weapons get pulled out from Raya, that are Eskrima, that come from the Philippines. When you see Raya fall into a fight stance, you can go, that's Arnis, that's Muay Thai, that's Krabi-krabong.
AWKWAFINA: The level of action in this movie, it's pretty tight. It's pretty tight.
RAYA: The world is broken. You can't trust anyone.
KELLY MARIE TRAN: I think the themes of this movie are so relevant.
- Maybe it's broken because you don't trust anyone.
KELLY MARIE TRAN: Learning how to find the goodness in the world, I think, is such a beautiful, important message. I really just can't wait for people to see it.
