Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Raya and the Last Dragon is nominated for a Best Animated Film Oscar at the upcoming 94th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27th, and a new video from the Oscars YouTube page has one of the film’s directors, Carlos Lopez-Estrada and Head of Story Fawn Veerasunthorn breaking down a scene.
What’s Happening:
- As we approach the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27th, the official Oscars YouTube Channel has posted a video featuring Raya and the Last Dragon director Carlos Lopez-Estrada and the film’s head of story, Fawn Veerasunthorn breaking down a scene from the Oscar nominated film.
- Together they take a look at an early scene in the film where Raya is talking with her father about the five kingdoms, and the use of Southeast Asia cuisine as a perfect metaphor for things that shouldn’t go well together, being put together.
- The concept and theme of trust and unity is very prominent in Raya and the Last Dragon, and together Carlos and Fawn elaborate on that, though not with a cup of soup like Carlos originally wanted.
- They also talk a bit technically, sharing that the matte paintings and scene extensions in the film are some of the most elaborate and advanced ever seen in a film from the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
- Raya and the Last Dragon takes us on an exciting, epic journey to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force 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 its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well.
- Raya and the Last Dragon is nominated this year for Best Animated Film alongside Encanto, also from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar’s Luca. Sony’s The Mitchells Vs. The Machines and the independent Flee, round out the nominations.
- The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT and in more than 200 territories worldwide. American Sign Language (ASL) provided by Certified Deaf Interpreters, live closed-captioning and audio description will be available during the live broadcast.
- Raya and the Last Dragon is available for streaming on Disney+.
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