Raya and the Last Dragon features a journey to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where Raya, a lone warrior, must track down the legendary last dragon to stop an evil force that has returned after 500 years to once again threaten her homeworld. The movie is an important one for Disney, inspired by Southeastern Asian cultures in a groundbreaking representation like we’ve never seen in film.

Shadow and Act was present for the film’s recent global press conference ahead of its premiere. Moderated by The Real co-host Jeannie Mai, the panel featured screenwriters Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, producer Osnat Shurer, directors Carlos López Estrada and Don Hall and stars Thalia Tran, Izaac Wang, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh, Daniel Dae Kim, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, and Kelly Marie Tran.

For the cast, it was important to have this Asian representation for not only this film, but Hollywood overall.

“Well, you know what’s exciting is looking at this Zoom screen,” said Oh during the conference. “That’s really the most exciting thing for me because it was difficult as we made this in the COVID times. And also how animation is made, you don’t get to really meet everyone. All the directors do. I think it’s really seeing how animation has moved on. For someone like myself, growing up in the ’70s and the ’80s, I didn’t see anything. And I feel like that has been the same way, representation-wise, for a very long time. I’m actually just glad that I’m still alive to be a part of this type of screen where you see the people who have made it. So in that way, it’s very exciting.”

It is something that the directors and producers were aware of as well, with Hall explaining, “[T]here were certainly moments during the-the making of the film where we were very aware of how this film, which was meant to be timeless, was unbelievably timely. And I think it emboldened us to continue forward because we felt like we had something to say. And if this film can just teach one person to be brave enough to trust somebody, then we feel like we’ve done what we set out to do.”

Tran, who stars in the lead role of Raya, says the relationship between and her father, Benja (played by Kim), is reminiscent of the bond she has with her own father.

“But Benja and Raya and their relationship is so, for me, reminiscent of my relationship with my own father,” she said. “[J]ust the idea of that reverence for your elders, and how important family is. And just the way that he bestows upon Raya all of these really incredible ideas at such a young age. I cried in so many scenes with Benja.” 

The film also includes some awe-worthy animation that was striking even for its stars.

“I saw the first clip that was put together at D-23, and I was a little confused because I was like, “Is this a live-action movie? And let me get my agent on the phone,'” said Awkwafina. “Because it looked so realistic, the rain, and everything. We would come in. We’d do the job. One Croc on, and that’s what we’re doing, but then you realize, all that really goes into this, and we’re recording kind of simultaneously as it’s being animated. So when I first saw the human version of Sisu, I was like, ‘Okay, all right, that’s me.’ I’m, like, not even like to show off or anything like that. That looks like me. Those nuances are very, very trippy and very, very mind-blowing.”

Raya and the Last Dragon is in select theaters and is also available on Disney+ via Premier Access.