Raya and the Last Dragon Introduces Disney’s First Southeast Asian Princess. Advocates Say Hollywood Representation Shouldn’t Stop There
The arrival of
Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney’s latest animated movie, brings cause for celebration among many in Asian and Asian-American communities. The film is a landmark moment for Southeast Asian representation in Hollywood: Raya is Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess, and is voiced by
Kelly Marie Tran, the first Southeast Asian actor to lead an animated feature from the studio.
Set in the fantasy land of Kumandra, which
Disney has said is inspired by the cultures of Southeast Asia, the story follows the quest of the eponymous heroine as she searches for the fabled dragon Sisu in order to restore a broken world.
The film—which is available on Disney+
with Premier Access and in select theaters on March 5— was co-written by Vietnamese-American screenwriter Qui Nguyen and Malaysian screenwriter Adele Lim, the latter of whom is best known for co-writing
Crazy Rich Asians. Fawn Veerasunthorn, who is Thai-American, led the artistic direction as Head of Story.
Raya is Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess. Advocates say representation in Hollywood shouldn’t stop there
time.com
The song is sung by Raisa Andriana an Indonesian female singer and other three singers from Thailand, Malaysia, Philippine.
PS: Raya in Indonesian/Malay means Great and Indonesia national anthem is Indonesia Raya
