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It also gives us strong Southeastern Asian characters, and its central message of setting aside differences for the common good couldn’t be more timely. It might be too intense for the very young, but it is one of the most fun and exciting fantasy films - live action or animated - in a long time.
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The animation is stunning, the screenplay from Qui Nguyen and Peter Del Vecho is clever and the direction from Don Hall (“Big Hero 6”) and Carlos Lopez Estrada (“Blindspotting”) never allows the action or laughs to lag. The duo set off on a mission that could unify their disharmonious world. Enter the spitfire Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), an orphaned (Disney just can’t help itself) martial arts expert who reactivates a goofy water dragon Sisu (Awkwafina, hitting all the best comic notes). “Raya” invites us into the mystical world of Kumandra, a land plagued by a 500-year-old curse that’s turned dragons and some people into stone and divided the populous. “Raya and the Last Dragon”: Disney taps into the rich YA market with this action-packed Southeast Asian adventure that is one of their very best animated features. Here’s a rundown of your best bets for new movies this weekend. There’s a treasure trove of animated features coming out this month aimed at tykes, the YA market and those who are just young at heart.
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