Disney's 'Raya the Last Dragon' director shares inspiration behind making the movie

Disney's newest animated film, "Raya and the Last Dragon," follows a lone warrior who tries to track down one of the country's legends, the last dragon in Kumandra.

Director Carlos López Estrada joined ABC13 to talk about his inspiration behind making the movie and representing the many cultures of Southeast Asia.

He said that early in the process, the team took trips to different countries in Southeast Asia and from there, they were able to invite several cultural consultants on the journey of making the movie.

"We called them the Southeast Asian Trust. They essentially became key collaborators just making sure that our inspiration was authentically coming across in our movie."

SEE ALSO: 'Raya and the Last Dragon' star Kelly Marie Tran proud to play Disney's 1st Southeast Asian heroine


Estrada also shared how they created the connection to the audience with the characters.
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"What we try to do in all of our meetings whenever we are building these characters and stories is start from a place of truth."



Estrada says that gives you relatability and makes the movie feel universal.
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"Raya and the Last Dragon" is streaming now on Disney+ Premier Access and is also in theaters.