The warrior princess fights to save humanity in the trailer for Raya and the last dragon

Disney released the full official trailer for their upcoming animated film, Raya and the Last Dragon, with Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina giving voice to the main characters. It has the distinction of being the first Disney animated film to be developed remotely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working with household equipment and mainly communicating via Zoom. The pandemic also caused the film’s release date to change several times. It is now scheduled for a March 5 release, both in theaters and at Disney + with premium access.

Disney first announced the film during its D23 Expo 2019 and introduced co-directors Don Hall (Big Hero 6, Moana) and Carlos Lopez Estrada (Frozen II, Blindspotting) on the D23 of the following year. The fictional fantasy land of Kumandra was inspired by several different cultures in Southeast Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos and the Philippines – and the production team traveled extensively to most of these countries to research the film. A visual anthropologist from Laos also reviewed the final designs.

According to the official synopsis:

Raya and the Last Dragon takes us on an exciting and epic journey to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together in harmony for a long time. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, the same evil has returned and it is up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, throughout her journey, she will learn that it will take more than one dragon to save the world – it will take trust and teamwork as well.

In addition to Tran (The Last Jedi, Rise of Skywalker) and Awkwafina (Wealthy Asians, Farewell) like Sisu, the water dragon, the star cast includes Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien, Firefly) as Raya’s best friend and faithful “steed”, Tuk Tuk, whom Hall described as a cross between a furry bear and “an insect version of an armadillo” by Entertainment Weekly. Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians) voices the nemesis of Raya, Namaari; Sandra Oh (Laterally, killing Eva) speaks Namaari’s mother, Virana; Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hawaii Five-O) plays Raya’s father, Chief Benja; Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange) plays a giant called Tong; Izaac Wang plays a 10-year-old “businessman” named Boun; and Thalia Tran pays a baby crook named Little Noi.

The trailer begins with Raya finding Little Noi, apparently abandoned in an alley, only to discover that the little con man has some formidable acrobatic skills and martial arts. She recruits the tot for her quest to find the last dragon, along with Tong and Boun. But they are not the only ones hunting for Sisu, and when Raya finally finds her, Namaari and his followers are on the prowl. “You and the dragon are coming with me,” says Namaari, but Raya does not accept. “My sword here says that we are not.” We can probably expect an epic confrontation between these two at the end of the film.

Raya and the Last Dragon opens on March 5, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and Disney + (with premier access) because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

List image by YouTube / Disney