Raya and The Last Dragon: A revolutionary moment or a sad excuse for feminism?

Leen Ahmed

Disney has continuously branded itself to be a medium through which good values and important aspects of life are highlighted. With millions of viewers ready to scoop up everything they put out, they have made a special effort in recent years to create movies that depict diversity, inclusivity and perhaps most importantly, independent female leads.

It’s safe to say that Raya and The Last Dragon is not an exception to this category of not-your-typical-Disney-princess movie.

However, this long awaited movie was the first of its kind to explore Asian (especially South-Asian) heritage, names and culture. To have solo female leads and display perceptions of beauty ideals that were not simply eurocentric (given the exception of Disney’s Moana in 2016).

So now the real question is- is Raya and The Last Dragon a revolutionary turning point for how little girls perceive themselves, or was it simply an empty vessel for fulfilling the quotas of diversity and feminism?

Raya on her loyal sidekick Tuktuk, with Sisudatu the Dragon in the air

Source: Raya and The Last Dragon promotional material

In a survey conducted with 20 individuals between the ages of 16-25 who have watched this movie, the majority rated the movie a six or seven out of ten.

When asked what they liked about this movie, they said, “the representation”, “the art”, “the culture, “the characters”. Amongst the less common answers were the values the movie tried to shed light on (trust, friendship, family) and the “spirit of unity that can be found in Asian cultures.”

However, when asked about some aspects they disliked about this movie, the overwhelming response was that the plot was too predictable and lacking depth. Some said they felt the creators did not give them the opportunity to emotionally bond with the characters.

When Trivena Muralindran, an avid lover of Disney movies, was asked to comment on this point, she said, “I didn’t like that there was a lack of a proper backstory for the antagonist, and it had a bit of a childish tone to it. It is clear that the movie caters to children rather than all audiences.”

So does the audience think that Disney botched up this opportunity of creating a movie that was intricately detailed and emotionally relatable?

The likely answer is, yes.

But by trading off a well-rounded plot by trying to empower independent women of color and changing the notion of beauty standards, did they manage to make Raya and the Last Dragon a success?

Half of the participants agreed that if they had watched this movie growing up, their ideals of beauty would have been much more realistic and different.

Mariyam Raya Saeed, another Disney-lover who also happens to be a namesake of the protagonist comments, “My favorite princesses have always been the black or brown girls (except Ariel) but I've never really known why. But I’m guessing it’s because I relate to them in this way.”

Choosing to simply prioritize representation instead of focusing on all aspects, was a failure to an important cause. If the Frozen franchise can manage to accurately empower girls with a stunningly detailed plot, why did Disney fail to hit the mark with Raya?

Disney’s debut into exploring Asian culture, needlessly came on the throes of just pushing an agenda and trying to get into the good books of diversity.