With Disneys Raya and the Last Dragon, I feel seen
Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, seeks the help of the legendary dragon Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina. | Image: Disney
Raya and the Last Dragon is so much more than just the latest Disney flick, at least for me. Admittedly, I’m not even a huge Disney fan. But somehow because of Raya, there’s a little girl in me who finally feels seen.
Growing up in America, I hardly ever saw Asians in movies or television. And if I did, they were rarely brown and Southeast Asian like me. Finally, that’s changing.
Raya is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, who is Vietnamese American. The film is inspired by diverse Southeast Asian cultures. The screenplay was written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, who both trace their roots back to Southeast Asia. That’s one reason why there are so many cool cultural easter...
The Verge is an ambitious multimedia effort founded in 2011