In Raya And The Dragon, “binturi” is an insult that basically means “traitor” – hence why it's Raya's preferred term for Namaari. It's part of the Kumandran dialect which was created specifically for the movie by language creator David J.
Namaari arrives just in time to hear Raya call her a binturi. She taunts Raya, calling her dep la (strangely beautiful) and demands to know why Raya is stealing Dragon Gem pieces.
Raya is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, who is Vietnamese American. The film is inspired by diverse Southeast Asian cultures. The screenplay was written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, who both trace their roots back to Southeast Asia.
Kumandra is a fictional land in Raya and the Last Dragon, that's based on Southeast Asian cultures. It is comprised of five separate clans who form the Land of the Dragon together. Now that the dragons are gone, Kumandra was under attack by a "dark sinister force" that only a dragon can defeat.
The fictional kingdom Fang draws on geometric architecture from Indonesia, while Talon is made up of floating markets reminiscent of those in Thailand. The titular last dragon, Sisu (voiced by Awkwafina), is modeled after naga, serpent-like creatures from Southeast Asian folklore.
Of course, the kingdom – which is made up of five different areas that together form the shape of a dragon – is not actually a real place, but it does take inspiration from a number of different countries in Southeast Asia, including Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
Noi is from Talon, a floating market. Noi is an adorable baby, who can fool anyone with her smarts and wit. She's a tough infant who will do anything to stop anyone in her way. She initially grew up with monkey-like creatures, the Ongis, and defends them as they did so with her.
Nicknames: Aya, Rae, Ray, Ya-Ya. Variations: Raia, Raija, Rayko, Rayna. Namesakes: Raya Carmona, internet personality. Raya, the fictional character from the 2021 film Raya and the Last Dragon.
Therefore, Raya and the Last Dragon is the first Walt Disney Animation Feature to have a transgender character. If the protocol at Disney remains in the way it has been presented, it may not be the last time.
Tuk Tuk is a character in Raya and the Last Dragon. He is a third-pill bug, third-armadillo and third-pug hybrid, he is Raya's pet, with the ability to roll into a ball as a means of transportation. When he was younger, he was quite small.
Although Raya is driven by her responsibility and the fantastical plot is a little stiff, the periphery is crammed with the standard helping of wacky Disney sidekicks and the culture-rich art direction (an amalgamation of several southeast Asian influences) is breathtaking.
The city of Talon was inspired by the famous floating markets found along waterways like the Mekong River in Vietnam and Thailand as well as the night markets of Thailand and Laos; its central location on Kumandra's Dragon River has made it a bustling trading port.
Instead of being grateful for the dragons saving them at great cost, the people of the land become divided and are separated into five tribes, based on their placement along a giant, dragon-shaped river: Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail.
So in spite of all the effort the dragons pored into saving Kumandra, the people divided into Five Kingdoms. The kingdoms were named, Heart, Fang, Talon, Spine, and Tail.
Raya is a baby girl name of mixed origins. Meaning “friend” in Hebrew, the name Raya can symbolize a beautiful bond between you and your new baby girl.
The story of Raya and the Last Dragon isn't taken from any specific legend or myth. But, as co-screenwriter Adele Lim, who is Malaysian, told IGN, Raya is symbolic of the Southeast Asian women she grew up with.
The film became the third-most-streamed film of 2021, and, excluding its Disney+ Premier Access revenue, grossed $130.4 million worldwide. Raya and the Last Dragon received generally positive reviews; critics praised the imagery and depth, but criticized the story and limited Southeast Asian representation.
While fans may mean no offense in drawing these comparisons, they actually do more harm than good; yes, the movie and the show are similar because they are based off of the same cultures. One is not a ripoff. They are not the same exact stories.
Raya and the Last Dragon is a fantasy film set in the fictional land of Kumandra, but that world is inspired by the beautiful cultures of Southeast Asia.
