Rowan’s notes
Most dragons in this catalogue breathe fire and eat people. Sisu does neither. She’s a water dragon inspired by the serpentine nāga of Southeast Asian myth, and the film treats her as a spirit of hope rather than a monster.
Raya’s world, Kumandra, is split into five lands that don’t trust each other, and the trailer does a great job of showing how different each one looks. Awkwafina gives Sisu a nervous, chatty energy that makes her one of the most likeable dragons in animation.
I added this one partly as a palate cleanser after a run of very serious trailers. It’s warm and gorgeous, and the dragon flies as if she’s swimming — which is exactly how a water dragon should move.
Stills from the trailer
What to watch for
- Sisu’s movement: she swims through the air.
- How the colour palette changes from one land to the next.
- Raya’s fight choreography.
