When I realized it was based on Southeast Asian culture, I sat up and got a bit more excited.Īfter all, I grew up in Malaysia and Singapore - a rich melting pot of Malay-Indonesian, Chinese and Indian heritage. So I figured I’d watch the newest Disney movie to shut her up. She’s since dragged me to events like the Shen Yun show (where we marveled at the spectacular acrobatics and costumes and giggled uncomfortably when we realized it was potentially a cult with some serious propaganda) and Crazy Rich Asians in the theater (where we both embarrassingly bawled during the wedding scene.) I met her at our Chinese martial arts school. Karly is surprisingly my girlfriend who dives into Asian culture locally with me. She thought my kids and I would really like it and said her family was about to watch it again. That wasn’t enough for Karly - she bugged me a couple more times over the weekend, raving about the movie. I quickly looked it up, and realizing it was the newest Disney movie, I assured her that my family would doubtless be forcing me to watch it soon enough. To be honest, I’d never even heard of it.
My white friend Karly texted me over the weekend, asking if I had seen Raya and the Last Dragon.
