‘Raya And The Last Dragon’ Directors Don Hall And Carlos López Estrada & Writer Qui Nguyen On Creating Kumandra And Creating A Southeast Asian Hero
For Raya and the Last Dragon, the influences of a multitude of Southeast Asian cultures are apparent. For directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, and writer Qui Nguyen, it was important to bring to light a culture that is often unseen at on a large scale. From the use of Thai martial arts to Filipino weapons such as the Arnis, the inclusion of specific aspects of Southeast Asian culture helped to bond the amalgamation that was Kumandra.