'Raya And The Last Dragon' International Trailer Unveils New Footage From The Animated Fantasy Adventure

Raya and the Last Dragon, the latest movie from Walt Disney Animation, just premiered a brief new TV spot during the Super Bowl this past weekend. But that was only 30 seconds long, and Disney knows it's going to need to showcase more than that if the company wants this film to be a bonafide hit. So they've followed it up with an international trailer that shows off a bunch of new footage, introduces the key players, and sets up the quest component of the story in two-and-a-half minutes. Check it out below.

This will be only the second film to use the "Premier Access" tactic on Disney+, in which Disney will charge viewers an extra fee to see the film in addition to their monthly subscription price. But honestly, that sounds preferable to venturing out into a movie theater during a raging pandemic. And for some families, I imagine the pandemic won't factor in at all: it's just way cheaper and easier to pay $20 or $30 to watch the film at home than it is to go through the entire song and dance of gathering up the kids, taking them to the theater, buying popcorn, and then hoping they behave themselves in a public space. I remain curious to see how frequently Disney chooses to deploy this tactic (and for which specific films) once enough people have been vaccinated for the pandemic to not be as much of a threat.

The cast includes Kelly Marie Tran as the voice of the intrepid warrior Raya; Awkwafina as the legendary dragon, Sisu; Gemma Chan as Raya's nemesis, Namaari; Daniel Dae Kim as Raya's visionary father, Benja; Sandra Oh as Namaari's powerful mother, Virana; Benedict Wong as Tong, a formidable giant; Izaac Wang as Boun, a 10-year-old entrepreneur; Thalia Tran as the mischievous toddler Little Noi; Alan Tudyk as Tuk Tuk, Raya's best friend and trusty steed; Lucille Soong as Dang Hu, the leader of the land of Talon; Patti Harrison as the chief of the Tail land; and Ross Butler as chief of the Spine land.

Here is the film's official synopsis:

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 arrives in some theaters and will be available for Premier Access through Disney+ on March 5, 2021.