Blu-Ray Review: “Raya and the Last Dragon” Comes with Tons of Bonus Features, Plus the Short “Us Again”

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 59th animated feature is now available on home video to add to your Disney movie collection. Released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital, Raya and the Last Dragon can now be yours to watch anytime you’d like, regardless of your internet connection. And with hours of bonus features, you’ll get to dive deeper into the world of Kumandra.

Long ago, a great evil was born known as the Druun and all of the dragons had to unite their magic to save Kumandra, entrusting Sisu to use the dragon gem, which caused all of the dragons to disappear. When that gem gets destroyed and young Raya loses everything, she sets out on a mission to find Sisu and restore dragon magic. But it’s going to take learning to trust again if Raya ever hopes to bring back the prosperous times Kumandra once knew.

Full of action and heartwarming moments, Raya and the Last Dragon is the kind of film that reveals more layers and hidden details each time you watch it. It’s a highly imaginative film, on par with recent Disney animated blockbusters like Big Hero 6 and Moana. Plus, the home release matches the way the film was seen in theaters with the brand-new short Us Again.

With over an hour of behind the scenes bonus features, fans of the film will learn a lot about the Southeast Asian cultures that inspired the film. Since the film was animated almost entirely from the artist’s homes, a lot of the supplemental content deals with the new challenges they faced to pull that off. In the end, it makes you appreciate the final film that much more.

Bonus Features

  • Us Again Theatrical Short (6:49) – An elderly couple rediscors their youthful joy in this musical choreographed short.
  • Us Again Introduction (1:21) – Director Zach Parrish explains what inspired him to direct the short that premiered in theaters with Raya.
  • Taste of Raya (22:09) – Kelly Marie Tran hosts this virtual dinner with the filmmakers and creative team, who talk about the making of the film during this substantial bonus feature.
  • Raya: Bringing It Home (14:35) – Members of the Raya crew reflect on moving production out of the animation studio and into their homes and talk about the technological challenges.
  • Martial Artists (5:49) – Qui Nguyen (Writer) discusses the different styles of Southeast Asian martial arts are included in the film.
  • We Are Kumandra (9:09) – Meet members of the Southeast Asian Story Trust who helped create Kumandra.
  • Outtakes (2:23) – The voice cast deal with some unique challenges while recording their lines from home.
  • Fun Facts & Easter Eggs (4:16) – A narrator points out some fun facts about the real-world inspirations that found their way into the film, including a few hidden Disney characters and Hidden Mickeys.
  • The Story Behind the Storyboard with John Ripa (5:02) – Co-Director John Ripa shows how the story is written for animated films.
  • Deleted Scenes (19:00) – Fawn Veerasunthorn and John Ripa introduce 5 deleted scenes in storyboard form.
    • The Bridge
    • Escaping Namaari
    • Dragon Blade
    • Meet Boun
    • The Heart of the Dragon

Packaging & Design

Raya and the Last Dragon comes in a standard Blu-Ray case with disc holders on both sides. There is no slipcover (O-sleeve) for the Blu-Ray release, but there is one for the 4K edition. Inserts include a flier with a digital copy code through Movies Anywhere, which also comes with Disney Movie Insiders points, and a flier for Disney Movie Club. The discs open with ads for Luca and Disney+. The menu features Raya holding her sword with her hat covering her eyes as rain falls, set to ambient sounds.

 

Final Thoughts

If you’re a longtime collector of Disney animated films and love watching bonus features, you won’t want to miss this home video release of Raya and the Last Dragon. The bonus features make it easy to justify the purchase if you’re a Disney+ subscriber and they come with the added benefit of having the option to watch the movie whenever you want, even if your internet connection goes out.

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Raya and the Last Dragon Blu-ray Multi-Screen Edition | shopDisney

Amazon.com: RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON [Blu-ray]

Alex Reif
Alex joined the Laughing Place team in 2014 and has been a lifelong Disney fan. His main beats for LP are Disney-branded movies, TV shows, books, music and toys. He recently became a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA).