Who could ever relate? Thank God there’s a cute baby to focus on. It’s a movie that takes place in a landscape ravaged by a plague, and one in which, we’re told, the only chance at a future appears to depend on its characters figuring out how to overcome the tribalism that’s splintered their nation. But however intentional the timing, Raya and the Last Dragon is on a level all its own - a dystopian saga that feels disorientingly primed for a release at the tail end of the pandemic, under a president who ran under messages of healing and unity.

Zootopia was an unmistakable if imperfect allegory about racism the Frozen sequel pitted its royal sisters against their own kingdom’s colonialist legacy.

Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon Photo: Courtesy of Disney+Īs Disney enters its ninth decade of animated features, the company’s been making gestures toward sociopolitical relevance in addition to repositioning its princesses as independent heroines and opening its animated universes up to be more inclusive.

Ryan the last dragon movie