Warrior Princess fights to save humanity in Raya and the Last Dragon trailer

Disney has released the full official trailer for their upcoming animated film, Raya and the last dragon, with Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina voicing the titular characters. It has the distinction of being the first Disney animated feature film to be developed remotely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, operating with domestic equipment and communicating mainly via Zoom. The pandemic has also resulted in several changes to the film’s release date. It’s now slated for a March 5 release, both in theaters and on Disney + with special access.

Disney first announced the film at its Expo D23 2019 and featured co-directors Don Hall (Big Hero 6, Moana) and Carlos Lopez Estrada (Frozen II, blind spot) to D23 the following year. Kumandra’s fictional fantasy land was inspired by several Southeast Asian cultures – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, and the Philippines – and the production team traveled extensively to most of these countries for search the movie. A Laotian visual anthropologist also reviewed the final designs.

According to the official synopsis:

Raya and the last dragon takes us on an exciting and epic journey into the fantastic world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the earth, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it is up to a lone warrior, Raya, to find the last legendary dragon to restore the fractured earth and its divided people. However, throughout her journey, she will learn that it will take more than a dragon to save the world – it will also take trust and teamwork.

In addition to Tran (The Last Jedi, Rise of Skywalker) and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, the farewell) as Sisu, the water dragon, the star cast includes Alan Tudyk (Resident alien, Firefly) as Raya’s best friend and staunch “knight,” Tuk Tuk, whom Hall described as a cross between a fuzzy bear and “an insect version of an armadillo”, per Entertainment Weekly. Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians) expresses the Nemesis of Raya, Namaari; Sandra Oh (To the side, killing Eve) voices Namaari’s mother, Virana; Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hawaii Five-O) plays Raya’s father, Chief Benja; Benoît Wong (Doctor Strange) plays a giant named Tong; Izaac Wang plays a 10-year-old “entrepreneur” named Boun; and Thalia Tran pays a baby crook named Little Noi.

The trailer opens with Raya encountering Little Noi, seemingly abandoned in an alleyway, to discover that the little crook has tremendous acrobatic and martial arts skills. She recruits the toddler for her quest for the last dragon, along with Tong and Boun. But they’re not the only ones chasing Sisu, and when Raya finally finds her, Namaari and his followers wait. “You and the dragon come with me,” Namaari says, but Raya doesn’t. “My sword here says we’re not.” We can probably expect an epic showdown between these two in the film’s finale.

Raya and the last dragon premieres on March 5, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and on Disney + (with privileged access) due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Listing image by YouTube / Disney