When Lim first heard the name “Raya,” she had an immediate, emotional response. She's clever.” The team went through dozens of possible names for their titular hero in consultation with linguistic experts from the film’s Southeast Asia Story Trust. “Raya is an action star that actually sounds like us, too. “When characters that look like me show up in action movies they’re always depicted in one certain way: stoic, serious, oddly obsessed with bringing honor to our family,” Nguyen said. And you can see it in her leadership and her fearlessness, love of family, the sense of responsibility that she takes for other people.” For script co-writer and martial arts consultant Qui Nguyen, Raya’s individuality and characterization were of special importance, given the stereotyping and tokenizing portrayals of Asian American characters in the past. So it's important that Raya’s actions and attitude embody that same spirit. “There's a history of strong female leaders and warriors in the region, and I personally grew up in a family of really amazing women who inspire me and also scare me a little bit every day.

We met many people as we were preparing for the research trips, and we met some people on the research trips.”Ħ Images “As a Southeast Asian woman, Raya’s character has special significance for me,” Lim said. Producer Osnat Shurer, who had previously worked with a team of Oceanic experts for Moana, described the creation of the Southeast Asia Story Trust as, “a really organic process.

Disney also worked closely with their “Southeast Asia Story Trust,” a coalition of specialists in various fields, including visual anthropology, linguistics, botany, choreography, architecture, martial artists and others.

“We committed ourselves and all of our collaborators to do deep, deep research, community engagement, and constant collaboration with our cultural departments,” said co-director Carlos López Estrada. To bring this world to life, artists took trips throughout Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Each region has its own topography, architecture, and personality, influenced by the countries of Southeast Asia. Raya is set in the fantasy world of Kumandra, which is split into five distinct dragon-inspired regions: Fang, Heart, Talon, Spine, and Tail.

The new raya and the last dragon movie