Thread by @therebeccasun

Now that #RayaAndTheLastDragon has been out for bit, can I talk about what really blew me away about the film?

(SPOILERS)

You think you're watching a typical Hero v Villain story and then Namaari comes face to face with Sisu and you realize... this is not a typical story.

I burst into tears when I saw the look on Namaari's face. The movie turns on its head at that point. What a feat of animation, scoring and direction. Kudos to Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada.

And then when #RayaAndTheLastDragon gets to its climax: I was shocked. I can't recall another mainstream, animated family movie that resolved its story this way:

Courage through trust. Victory through sacrifice.

All hail @adeleBlim and @qui_writes.

Amid all the representation praise and criticism that surrounds films like #RayaAndTheLastDragon and #CrazyRichAsians (whose mahjong climax shares similar themes!), I think the originality and culturally thematic authenticity of story choices like these are often overlooked.

Another refreshing aspect of #RayaAndTheLastDragon: No lampshading of the "girl power" warrior princesses! Raya and Namaari don't struggle with cultural gender expectations; their personalities, tempers and abilities are totally normalized.

Unfortunately @THR's website improperly omitted several photo captions from our Kelly Marie Tran cover story, which means the online version is missing my favorite quote from the interview:

"My favorite part about Raya is that she's allowed to be viscerally, justifiably angry."

Last note: @adeleBlim is batting .1000 in terms of writing movies that open No. 1 at the box office. She should be paid accordingly. #crazyrichasians #RayaAndTheLastDragon