Disney also worked closely with its “Southeast Asia Story Trust”, a coalition of experts in a number of fields, including visual anthropology, linguistics, botany, choreography, architecture, martial artists and more. Producer Osnat Shurer, who had previously worked with a team of Oceanic experts for Moana, described the creation of the Southeast Asia Story Trust as “a truly organic process. We met many people while preparing for research trips and some people on research trips. “
Talon’s night markets, for example, were influenced by the floating markets of Southeast Asia, and the environmental team was concerned with building the visual density of tents, boats, lanterns and delicious foods needed to make the world real and lived. it even included textures like steam coming from tents and representations of humidity in the tropical climate. Modeling environment leader John Aquino also managed to draw on memories of when he was raised in the Philippines.
Of course, at the heart of any world are its main characters. The film centers on Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran), an 18-year-old woman who sets out on a hero’s journey to find the remaining dragons of Kumandra in order to restore security and harmony to the land. She is physically strong and courageous, but emotionally closed, due to the trauma of losing those closest to her at a young age. Writing the film’s central hero, Raya, was a deeply personal experience for screenwriter Adele Lim, who grew up in Malaysia.
“As a Southeast Asian woman, Raya’s character has a special meaning for me,” said Lim. “There is a story of strong women leaders and warriors in the region, and I personally grew up in a family of really amazing women who inspire me and also scare me a little every day. Therefore, it is important that Raya’s actions and attitudes incorporate that same spirit. And you can see it in her leadership and her fearlessness, love for her family, the sense of responsibility she takes on for other people. “
For script co-writer and martial arts consultant Qui Nguyen, Raya’s individuality and characterization were of special importance due to the stereotypes and symbolic representations of Asian American characters in the past. “When characters who look like me appear in action movies, they are always represented in a certain way: stoic, serious, strangely obsessed with bringing honor to our family,” said Nguyen. “Raya is an action star who really looks like us too. It is fun. She’s funny. She is intelligent. “
The team analyzed dozens of possible names for its titular hero in consultation with linguistic experts at the film’s Southeast Asia Story Trust. When Lim first heard the name “Raya”, she had an immediate and emotional response. “In Malay, it means ‘celebration’ and evokes this happy moment when people gather around a lot of food,” she said.
Raya’s costume also went through several iterations – including a sampot, a traditional Cambodian garment made from a rectangular fabric tied at the waist – to ensure the final design suited to her character’s journey and was based on traditional Southeast Asian garments. Rather than putting her in the restrictive clothing styles that animated female stars wore in the past, Raya’s costume, and even her hairstyle, was designed with her fighting prowess in mind. “As a warrior, she really needs to be very agile,” said Amy Smeed, Head of Animation. Throughout the film, Raya is seen fighting with swords, climbing dungeons and avoiding obstacles.
Raya’s hairstyle was kept streamlined and functional, with two braids that keep her line of sight clean. It also helps the audience to see their facial expressions more clearly. The animators also worked with Dr. Steve Arounsack, associate professor of anthropology at California State University, Stanislaus – a visual anthropologist who was part of the Southeast Asia Story Trust and was heavily involved in many design elements of the film – to create the Raya, whose slope resembles a stūpa.
As a martial arts consultant and co-writer, Qui Nguyen worked to ensure that the film’s action scenes had coherent fighting styles, realistically based on real Southeast Asian martial arts. Raya’s fighting style is based mainly on the Indonesian martial art style pencak silat, as well as the popular Thai fighting style of Muay Thai. “Although it is a fantasy, the only thing we didn’t want to do was make our fights fantastic,” said Nguyen. “There is no one running at the top of the trees or throwing fireballs. Each punch, kick and block was based on real-world physics. “
Both screenwriters, Lim and Nguyen, are thrilled to have added a Southeast Asian action star to the Disney canon. “As a writer and father, my goal is to create for my children the superheroes I have never seen,” said Nguyen. “So finally being here, sharing with the world our totally original hero who looks like my family, well, this is an absolute dream that has come true. It is a very powerful thing to know that my two Asian American boys now will always have Raya and her disorganized gang representing them in the big Disney universe. “
Raya and the Last Dragon opens in theaters and Disney + with a premiere on March 5.