![]() ![]() But instead of connecting with that audience, it feels like when your dad tries to repeat things he saw on your Instagram feed. Characters talk in today’s lingo with lines like “Here’s the sitch” and “Bling is my thing” to appear relatable and amusing to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. It’s as though every character in this story, set in ancient times, speaks with the modernness of Eddie Murphy’s Mushu from Mulan (1998). Instead, the screen story (credited to eight contributing authors) rests on a theme about the power of trusting the good in people, whereas the dialogue and characters become an assemblage of pop quirkiness that reads as trite. Raya and the Last Dragon has little of that resonance. Take Onward and Soul, Pixar’s two titles from last year that not only entertained children but profoundly confronted emotional dilemmas experienced by adolescents and adults. The major difference between Pixar features and those released by Disney’s animation division is that the latter aims itself at kids, whereas Pixar tends to address the entire audience regardless of age. But for all of its visual beauty, Raya and the Last Dragon is a by-the-numbers story with a script best suited for young children. Directors Don Hall ( Big Hero 6 ) and Carlos López Estrada ( Blindspotting ) guide the animation team to imagine epic sights, situating the material in a tradition of grand adventure and spectacle. Its use of light, too, is evocative and painterly. The movie’s color palette consists of vibrant blues, greens, and purples that occasionally glow like the bioluminescent creatures in Avatar (2009). ![]() When characters express themselves, it’s with convincing, relatable gestures and facial movements that capture a perfect blend of cartoonish and realistic. Photorealistic environments give the story visual dimension, and at times, the viewer finds themselves lost in the splendor of flowing water, cherry blossoms, and the textures of hair and fur. ![]() Disney Animation Studios has created a memorable world of Asian-inspired mythological imagery, starting with the expository prologue that uses a creative shadow puppet style. If animation quality were the only criterion by which to judge Raya and the Last Dragon, this review would be glowing. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |