Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

Since Disney Animation Studios has given up on traditional animation, I’ve had a hard time really feeling the magic in their feature films. Maybe it’s just a matter of me being old and unreceptive to change, but visually many of these films don’t have much spark. Raya and the Last Dragon tries (there are some beautiful individual settings), but somehow it simultaneously doesn’t spend enough time world building and takes too much time getting to the actual adventure. There is little that makes Raya as a character unique or interesting and no real reason to care about her plight. Every character other than her is more interesting, including everyone stuck in stone through the entire film.

Oscar Nomination: Best Animated Feature Film