Credit: Unsplash

A new Disney adventure with some southeast Asian flavor.

You know what everyone likes? Dragons. You show me something with a dragon in it, western-style or eastern-style, and it’ll probably be at least passable. People like dragons, and if dragons could serve as a medium through which moviegoers could be immersed in a culture besides their own, then all the better! That’s why I’m looking forward to some draconic action in Disney’s next big animated blockbuster, Raya and the Last Dragon.

Disney released a trailer for this new film today, showing a southeast Asia-inspired world torn by cultural differences and the threat of war. In order to end this ancient stand-off, young Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) is on a journey to discover the last dragon in the world, a mildly awkward dragoness named Sisu (voiced by Awkwafina). To find the dragon, as well as dodge the pursuing forces of rival nations, Raya will assemble a crew of slightly unscrupulous thugs, including a child, a big dude, and as revealed in the trailer, a pint-sized thief. It’s almost like a hybrid between a traditional Disney fantasy adventure and a heist movie, and I’m all for it.

On March 5, join Raya on her quest to find the last dragon. See Raya and the Last Dragon in theaters or order it on @DisneyPlus with Premier Access on March 5. Learn more: https://t.co/0m16yWYW4I pic.twitter.com/qvyzhutzAt

— Disney (@Disney) January 26, 2021

Back when this movie was first teased in October, its producer, Osnat Schurer, spoke about all of the traveling the crew did to get properly inspired. In no particular order, the crew paid visits to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, all while absorbing culture, taking in the sights, and even trying their hands at martial arts and local instruments.

Raya and the Last Dragon is slated for release on March 5. It will be releasing in theaters, but in the event the world is still, y’know, coronavirus-y, it’ll be simultaneously releasing on Disney+ Premier Access. Disney hasn’t specified how much it’ll cost to rent it through their service, though analysts are ballparking a price tag of around $30.