Disney’s Raya And The Last Dragon looks like it’s going to be one beautiful movie made under some pretty special circumstances. With production of the film starting in March, much of the film will be made at home by the animators, directors, and actors involved, which is a pretty rare feat!
This approach obviously doesn’t always work for everyone, as the voice of the main character was just recast.
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Kelly Marie Tran is a familiar name for Disney fans.
Kelly is best known for her role as the lovable Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker .
It’s now been announced that she will be the voice of the lead character in Raya And The Last Dragon !
The film is expected to be released on March 21st, 2021.
Actress Cassie Steele was initially cast to voice the lead character, Raya, however, much of the project and the team were “quickly reshuffled” when the pandemic hit and many had to work from home. Director Don Hall says the film is still “the most beautiful animated film I’ve ever seen.”
“They both saw the potential for this film and had a strong vision for the story, especially for our lead character, played by the wonderfully talented Kelly Marie Tran. And no small feat, directors Don and Carlos, writers Qui and Adele, and the entire crew of 400 Disney Animation artists are making this film together, while separated and working from home,” read a statement made to *Entertainment Weekly*.
The casting director said of Kelly that “she is Raya — just her buoyancy and her positivity, but yet there’s a strength as well to Kelly and the character.”
Kelly herself is excited about the part, describing Raya as “She is someone who is technically a princess but I think that what’s really cool about this project, about this character, specifically is that everyone’s trying to flip the narrative on what it means to be a princess.”
“Raya is totally a warrior. When she was a kid, she was excited to get her sword,” Kelly went on.
“And she grows up to be a really badass, gritty warrior and can really take care of herself.”
Are you excited for this latest entry to Disney’s animated canon? Let us know in the comments!
