Raya and the Last Dragon releases trailer, reveals all-star voice cast

Last year was very strange for movie releases, with some making it to the big screen, some splitting their time between there and streaming services, and some getting pushed back again and again. Hopefully things will be more predictable in 2021, starting with films like Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.

Disney dropped a new trailer for its animated epic earlier today. Take a look at the latest breathtaking work from Disney Animation Studios:

The cast of Raya and the Last Dragon

Perhaps even more exciting than the trailer is the all-star voice cast. Alongside Awkwafina and Kelly Marie Tran, we’ll be hearing the voices of Gemma Chan, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh, Daniel Dae Kim, Alan Tudyk, Izaac Wang and Thalia Tran. They’ll be part of Raya’s journey to mend her broken land and protect it from a centuries-old group of monsters that has returned to wreak havoc.

As a Disney Animation veteran, Alan Tudyk is lending his voice to TukTuk, the most adorable, huggable bear/bug creature you’ll ever see. He just might give Baby Yoda a run for his money!

At the start of the film, TukTuk is but a tiny little creature, but as time goes on, he’ll grow into Raya’s trusty steed.

Gemma Chan will play Namaari, who was once close to Raya but betrayed her trust when they were children. And Sandra Oh will play Namaari’s mother.

Daniel Dae Kim plays Raya’s father Benja, who is ” the guardian of the last vestiges of the dragons’ healing power.”

Benedict Wong is voicing a lone warrior named Tong, a gentle giant.

Last but not least, the movie’s youngest cast members, Izaac Wang and Thalia Tran, are playing Boun and Noi, respectively.

Raya and the Last Dragon is carving out a place for itself in the history of Disney animation as the first Disney movie to have a Southeast Asian princess. Not to mention, the story dives deep into Southeast Asian culture and mythologies.

Screenwriter Adele Lim elaborated on the movie’s cultural roots while speaking with SYFY Wire:

"I just wanted to echo what [producer Osnat Shurer] said in terms of community. It’s an easy term to say, but I feel like with a lot of cultures in Southeast Asia, it’s really feeling that someone else’s child is your child. That you are responsible for the people in your community as if they are your own family. When that’s broken, it really breaks you individually as a person. And we really wanted to feel that within the movie."

The movie follows Tran’s character Raya, a warrior in the fantastical kingdom of Kumandra who attempts to track down the last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), after her loved ones are transformed to stone by a plague called the “Drunn.”

Be sure to check out where Raya’s journey takes her when Raya and the Last Dragon releases in theaters and on Disney+ on Friday, March 5. If you’re looking to watch it on Disney+, the film will be available with premier access, which requires an extra fee of $29.99.

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