Last night I received an exclusive scoop that I later verified – Disney is actively considering continuing the story of Raya and the Last Dragon. Specifically, they are looking to see if there is consumer interest in another movie set in Raya’s world. This could result in a Raya 2 a spinoff, or a prequel.
While we don’t have much info right now, we can say with confidence that this isn’t being thrown around lightly. Kelly Marie Tran starred as Raya in this beautiful romp through a world named Kumandra, which is heavily inspired by Southeast Asian culture. It’s a real girl-power movie alongside a cast of predominantly Asian heritage which also included Awkafina (Sisu), Gemma Chan (Namaari), and Sandra Oh (Virana).
Despite this, there was criticism that there was not enough Southeast Asian representation – the threestars mentioned above are Asian-American, British Asian, and Asian-Canadian. In a sequel Disney could aim to improve this. Kelly Marie Tran has also gone on record that she’d like to explore a lesbian relationship between Namaari and Raya, but this being Disney we must temper our expectations. Remember #GiveElsaAGirlfriend? Regardless, a world of magic and mystery drawing from myths and lore of real Southeast Asian lands is ripe for a sequel.
Raya Trailer:
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Drew Ryan is a film, TV, and Disney geek. He has degrees in English, Student Personnel Administration, and Library & Information Science from Lawrence University, Concordia University-Wisconsin, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Interested in the minutia and licensing of streaming service content, he is always publishing lists, suggestions, and advocating for Disney’s missing library to be added to Disney+. Drew subscribes to Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, and Paramount+. You can find him waxing nostalgic over classic Disney Channel or geeking out over Marvel, CW shows, & Disney on Twitter.
