“Raya and the Last Dragon travels to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together in harmony long ago. But when evil threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned – and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and unite its divided people.”

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from this movie. I have been not really supporting billionaire corporations lately but the internet said some interesting things about the story, the characters, and the amount of effort put into this movie. You can be an artist and tell a wonderful story even if you work in less-than-stellar conditions. I found it unexpectedly when I was running errands today and watched it as soon as I got home.

First of all, I absolutely have to comment on the beyond gorgeous animation and the beautiful soundtrack. The world-building was amazing. Desert lands, a giant pill-bug with a fuzzy interior, insects called “toot and booms”, giant ride-able hunting cats, clothes for each different areas, and a different take on dragons instead of the fire-breathing, western-style ones often portrayed in other modern media. The distinct colors and styles of each area added immense depth to the story. I also think I need to find the soundtrack, as the score to this movie is very good.

I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this movie, which was unexpected. And not something I’m going to go into in depth tonight for a variety of reasons. At the current time, I’m going to say this movie is a 4 on my rating scale. I’m very glad I bought it and have already started watching it for the second time since I bought it several hours ago.