Disney’s ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ another well-made animated film from the House of Mouse, debuted in theaters in March of 2021. The fantasy film did well at the box office and with critics as it tells the story of Raya, a warrior princess, and her mythic quest to save her kingdom from evil forces.
So who is the voice of Raya? Let’s look at the film, the character of Raya, and the voice actor portraying her.
In this article
- Raya and the Last Dragon
- Who Is Raya?
- Who Is the Voice of Raya?
- Raya’s Best Quotes
- Commercial Success
- Final Thoughts
Raya and the Last Dragon
The film, set in a fictional kingdom in a place called Kumara, follows Raya as she and her family guard the dragon gem. The gem, infused centuries ago with the power of the dragons that used to roam the world, keeps at bay evil spirits called Druun.
When a new acquaintance of Raya’s attempts to steal the dragon gem, he fails. Others come rushing in to stop the theft, and the dragon gem is broken in the chaos.
The Druun are released, and Raya must find Sisu, the last dragon, who she believes can reassemble the stone and again banish the Druun.
Who Is Raya?
The character of Raya is an 18-year-old princess who seems wise beyond her years. She’s thin and athletic, probably due to her warrior training. She’s funny, but she’s dedicated to her task of protecting the dragon gem and to her father.
She fights with a whip sword, demonstrating that she is an accomplished warrior. The film’s creative team applied that aesthetic to Raya’s clothing. It, too, reflects her warrior background.
Her clothes are inspired by Thai and Laotian clothing and are designed to be functional as she performs her warrior duties.
The tie-downs on some of her clothes reflect her buttoned-up nature, as Raya isn’t very trusting of others and tries to remain emotionally closed off. Her cape looks like a shield, and it serves to cover her with a sense of mystery.
Raya’s hair needed consideration, too. While the animators provide the character with long, dark, flowing hair, that’s impractical for a warrior. So Raya’s hair often gets pulled back into braids so it won’t interfere with her vision during the action.
Who Is the Voice of Raya?
Kelly Marie Tran, a California woman of Vietnamese descent, serves as the voice actor for the role of Raya. Tran is a relative newcomer to voice acting, having started an acting career in 2011 but landing precious few parts before getting cast as Rose Tico in two of the ‘Star Wars’ sequel films.
Before becoming the voice of Raya, Tran turned in a voice acting performance as Dawn Betterman in ‘The Croods: A New Age’ in 2020.
The voice acting experience must have been a good one, as she then signed up for ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’, working alongside Awkwafina, who voices Sisu and imbues the dragon with her own level of self-deprecation and sass.
While Tran shares her makeshift recording booth in the clip above, a glimpse via split screen shows several voice actors at work so you can also see the animated character in action.
Raya’s Best Quotes
Every voice actor needs a good script, and Tran had one in her hands when performing for ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’. Here are some of the character’s best quotes:
- “People, being people, they all fought to possess the last remnant of dragon magic.”
- “Anyone hoping to steal the dragon gem now has to face the fury of the two baddest blades in all the lands.”
- “I might be a bit of a dragon nerd.”
- “Only a monster would choose to wear this outfit on the regular.”
- “Maybe we really could be Kumandra again.”
- “I saw people lose their minds over a dragon gem. Can you imagine what they’d do over an actual dragon?”
- “Wanna know why other dragons didn’t come back? It’s because people don’t deserve them.”
- “I am done trying. Kumandra is a fairytale.”
- “Note to self – don’t die.”
- “You’re not the only dragon nerd here.”
Commercial Success
‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ won the box office race on its opening weekend, scoring an $8.5 million gross. While the film was first released in theaters, within two months, it was streaming on Disney Plus, where it also did well.
Critics wrote glowingly about it, too, for the most part, pointing out the beautiful animation we’ve all come to expect from a Disney enterprise and the female empowerment themes that run through the animated feature.
Final Thoughts
Kelly Marie Tran turns in a nuanced and well-executed performance as Raya, the warrior princess who seeks Sisu, the titular last dragon. Alongside other cast members Awkwafina, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, and even Sandra Oh, among others, Tran shines as the main character.
Her voice acting conveys everything we need to know about Raya’s character. Even though we can see a lot about her from her clothes and actions, the words spoken in Tran’s voice do much to flesh out Raya’s character.
Delivering the voice of Raya, Tran infuses the character with wisdom and humor without sacrificing the serious nature of some of the film’s themes.
Have you seen ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ yet? Who is your favorite character? Let us know in the comment section below.
Leave a Reply