Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is an action-packed adventure that is filled with heart — here are its most emotional moments.
Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is an extremely powerful movie that brings the feels time and time again. There were so many moments that had my daughters and I crying, but also moments that had us cheering Raya and her crew on, and moments that had us cracking up!
Here is my list of the 10 most emotional moments of Raya and the Last Dragon. Be warned, there are MASSIVE spoilers ahead so if you have not yet seen the movie, come back after you have.
Warning: Massive Spoilers for Raya and the Last Dragon
Most Emotional Moments In Raya and the Last Dragon
As always, these moments are all kinds of emotional moments — happy, sad, funny. Enjoy!
Namaari’s Betrayal
Raya goes out on a limb to trust Namaari, a member of Fang, after her father asks her to. They bond over their similarities and the fact that they are both dragon nerds. After gifting her with a Sisu necklace, Namaari literally kicks Raya in the back and betrays her, trying to steal the dragon gem for her tribe.
Chief Benja Turns To Stone
As the Drune quickly takes over Heart, Chief Benja sacrifices himself to protect his daughter, Raya. He throws her off the bridge and into the water since the Drune are afraid of water. The last thing he says to her is to not give up on the others, and to trust them. She then has to watch her father turn to stone, right in front of her, and there is nothing she can do about it.
When Sisu Forms
This whole scene is absolutely stunning. Raya makes an offering to Sisu and then she is formed out of water droplets. The animation is so well done here, and the fact that Awkwafina, who voices Sisu, immediately starts cracking the jokes, makes this one of my favorite scenes of the movie.
Raya Gifts Namaari the Sisu Necklace Back
This is quite a jump into the movie and it isn’t that there are not any emotional moments in the middle of the film, it just that the final thirty minutes are just so powerful. In this moment Raya knows the best peace offering she has is to gift Namaari back the Sisu necklace that she had given her when they were little girls. This is the best way to show her that she is willing to trust her. Plus, the way Baby Noi delivers the necklace is quite hilarious!
Sisu Is Killed
Probably one of the hardest scenes to watch in Raya and the Last Dragon is when Sisu is killed. She is trying to talk to Namaari and tell her that she trusts her, and knows that she wants to fix the world too. Raya cannot trust Namaari after being betrayed again, but in doing so she ends up causing an arrow to shoot and kill Sisu.
Raya, Namaari, Boun, Tong, & Noi Work Together To Get People Safe
As the Drune aggressively takes over the land, this unlikely group of characters use their pieces of the dragon gem to help get others to safety. In that moment it did not matter that they were from the Fang nation, it just mattered that they were other humans in trouble. When Namaari shows up to help, that was very heartwarming and emotional.
Raya Turns To Stone
The five of them are all cornered and do not know what to do to stop the Drune. Raya remembers what Sisu told her, that it is all about trust. She knows what she must do and she gives her fragment of the dragon gem to Namaari and backs into the Drune, allowing herself to be turned into stone.
The rest follow suite and Namaari almost takes off with all the pieces, but decides to be trustworthy and puts the gem back together, then turning to stone herself.
Everyone Comes Back
If takes a moment but the magic of the dragon gem works! Those who have been turned to stone return to normal — which we see happen across the nation. As Tong, Noi, and Boun are reunited with their families, the emotion is overwhelming. Especially when Raya returns to her father.
Sisu Comes Back
The dragons return and they bring Sisu back to life. She is once again formed out of water, and the dragons all rejoice and run on the rain together.
The Lands Unite
Chief Benja’s dream was realized — Kumandra is united once again — all thanks to his daughter Raya, who learned to trust again. Such a powerful lesson in Raya and the Last Dragon.
About Raya and the Last Dragon
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Raya and the Last Dragon” travels to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together in harmony long ago. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people.
However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well. “Raya and the Last Dragon” features the voices of Kelly Marie Tran as Raya, a warrior whose wit is as sharp as her blade, and Awkwafina as the magical, mythical, self-deprecating dragon named Sisu. Characters also include a street-savvy 10-year-old entrepreneur named Boun, the formidable giant Tong and a thieving toddler Noi with her band of Ongis.
Raya and the Last Dragon is in theaters and
on Disney+ with Premier Access now!
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.