Disney is finally doing a Southeast Asian story with ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

MANILA, Philippines – Among the upcoming animations on Disney’s lineup in the next few years is Raya and The Last Dragon, a film that will take viewers to this side of the world as it takes inspiration from Southeast Asian culture.

The film is set in the fictional kingdom of Kumandra, and tells the story of a bad-ass warrior named Raya who tries to save their kingdom by going on a quest for the last dragon.

In concept art released by Disney on Twitter, the scene shows Raya in the middle of a lush green jungle.

Just Announced: Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, starring @cassandrasteele (Raya) and @Awkwafina (Sisu, the Last Dragon). Check out all-new concept art, and see the film in theaters November 2020. #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/V40bv64IIp

— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) August 24, 2019

Voicing Raya is Filipino-Canadian actress Cassandra Steele, who previously appeared in Degrassi: The Next Generation. Voicing Sisu the dragon is Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina. Both Cassandra and Awkwafina were at D23 expo, where Disney announced the film. (LIST: Disney’s big announcements at the D23 expo 2019)

View this post on Instagram

So excited to work with this powerhouse @cassandrasteele in #rayaandthelastdragon – here’s us at #d23expo this wknd ! My team: @kirinstagram @marcusrfrancis @ecduzit Wearing @thombrowneny

A post shared by AWKWAFINA (@awkwafina) on Aug 26, 2019 at 6:38am PDT

The film is directed by Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins who have worked on Frozen and Big Hero 6, produced by Moana‘s Osnat Shurer, and was written by Adele Lim, who also penned Crazy Rich Asians.

Raya and the Last Dragon is set to hit theaters in November 2020. – Rappler.com