Disney’s first Southeast Asian Princess is a Warrior

Joeseph Velasquez in Entertainment

Oct 25, 2020 • 1 min Read

Walt Disney Animation Studios has finally given us a Southeast Asian princess – or warrior.

The first trailer for Raya and the Last Dragon shows the lead character Raya brandishing arnis sticks, having a pangolin as a sidekick, and wearing a straw hat. The animated fantasy movie showcases brown-skinned tribes in different costumes that seem to have been inspired by different cultures from Southeast Asia. Her pangolin sidekick is named Tuktuk—yes, that three-wheeled motorcycle taxi in Bangkok (still Southeast Asian).

What makes the movie more endearing is that Raya is armed with arnis (sometimes called kali or escrima) sticks. This screams of Philippine culture because arnis is the country’s national martial arts. Also, one of the four Asian pangolins (specifically the Manis culionensis) is endemic to the Philippines. Two points for Philippine culture! Make that three if we add the salakot.

*Photo Source:* *©Walt Disney Animation Studios*

The plot is quite simple and familiar. Raya the warrior princess is the guardian of the dragon gem. She must find the last dragon to restore peace among the warring tribes in her land.

The warrior princess is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran who is of Vietnamese descent, while Sisu the last dragon is voiced by Awkwafina who is Chinese and Korean.