I’m a little behind on getting this out since Raya premiered 2 weeks ago. But I paid the $30 to watch so you don’t have to! I’ll try to keep it spoiler free.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It featured a strong female warrior who has to heal a world of distrust. Also, it’s not a musical. Also also, great Southeast Asian representation.

The movie opens with exposition. Dragons good, Druun bad. Dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity from being turned into stone statues. Part of the sacrifice was Sisu’s gem which became coveted by all tribes. The once united kingdom of Kumandra became the 5 tribes (Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, Tail). The exposition transitions into young Raya having warrior training with her dad, the King of Heart, to become a guardian of the dragon gem. Can I just add, Raya’s sidekick Tuk Tuk is the CUTEST (also voiced by Alan Tudyk). There is more background into the different tribes as the King announces he invited all the enemies over for dinner. Even I think that’s a bad idea. Raya bonds with the Princess of Fang AND TAKES HER TO SISU’S GEM. There’s trust and then there’s just stupid. Princess of Fang, Namaari, sends up a flare once she locates the gem and bad stuff ensues. Long story short, the gem breaks releasing the evil Druun and each tribe gets away with a piece. The Dragons provided water and the Druun avoid water. The gem pieces can also be used as a shield. Heart is basically petrified in the process.

Flash forward 6 years. Raya has been searching for Sisu, the last dragon. Sisu is voiced by Awkwafina who was perfect for this role. The character is reminiscent of Eddie Murphy’s Mushu and Robin Williams’ Genie. Another side note, but am I the only one that wants to try Jackfruit jerky? Namaari has been tracking Raya to get the scroll Raya has been using as a map. Going forward I will be calling stink bugs “Toot ‘n Boom”. Raya works with Sisu to gather the other pieces of the gem to save the world – again. As they travel, they meet up with shrimp kid, con baby, and lonely warrior. “Fellowship of Druun butt-kickery”. Shenanigans ensue. The world is ending. The world is saved.

The main conflict is Heart versus Fang. Heart wants unity and peace. Fang wants to protect themselves. Raya starts out with her father’s ideals of trust, but once that trust is broken, she has to learn to trust again. Namaari believes she’s doing what is best for her people. She had a harder childhood than Raya and feels resentment. Initially, they think taking Sisu’s stone will help. When the Druun are unleashed, they think possessing the gems and Sisu herself will protect them. Queen of Fang doesn’t even want to help save the world. She thinks everyone will blame Fang for what happened if they come back. If they possess the gems and Sisu herself, they could save the world and more importantly their people will be safe. She has an ends justify the means approach.

Related to the theme of trust, there is also an emphasis on gift giving. Sisu tries to explain to Raya that in order to get trust to have to give trust. Sisu is repeatedly trying to solve their problems by giving their enemies presents, which doesn’t always work out. In another conversation where Raya is again trying explain the modern world, she says the world is broken so you can’t trust anyone. Sisu replies with the world is broken because you can’t trust anyone.

Anyway the real question you all want to know – “Is this worth $30?”. If you’re like me and a huge Disney fan, I say it’s worth a watch. It’s definitely worth the price if you have a family or friend movie night. Still cheaper than a trip to the theater. Otherwise, you can wait until June 4 to watch for free on Disney+.