The trailer for 20th Century Studiosâ âQuiz Lady,â a hilarious and heartfelt comedy starring Awkwafina and Canadaâs own Sandra Oh about a dysfunctional family and the game show which just might be the key to their salvation, is now available. âQuiz Ladyâ will premiere November 3, 2023, exclusively on Disney+ in Canada.Â
The original film will premiere at the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, on Saturday, September 9.
In âQuiz Lady,â a brilliant but tightly wound, gameshow-obsessed young woman, Anne (Awkwafina), and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister Jenny (Sandra Oh), must work together to help cover their motherâs gambling debts. When Anneâs beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild, cross-country trek to get the cash the only way they know how: by turning Anne into a bona-fide gameshow champion. The movie, which also stars Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale, and Will Ferrell, is directed by Jessica Yu, written by Jen DâAngelo, and produced by Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Maggie Haskins, Itay Reiss, Jen DâAngelo, Awkwafina, and Sandra Oh, with Alex Brown and Erika Hampson serving as executive producers.
20th Century Studiosâ âQuiz Lady,â a hilarious and heartfelt comedy starring Awkwafina and Sandra Oh about a dysfunctional family and the game show which just might be the key to their salvation, will premiere November 3, 2023, exclusively on Disney+ in Canada.
In the film, a brilliant but tightly wound, gameshow-obsessed young woman, Anne (Awkwafina), and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister Jenny (Oh), must work together to help cover their motherâs gambling debts. When Anneâs beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild, cross-country trek to get the cash the only way they know how: by turning Anne into a bona-fide gameshow champion. The movie, which also stars Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale, and Will Ferrell, is directed by Jessica Yu, written by Jen DâAngelo, and produced by Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Maggie Haskins, Itay Reiss, Jen DâAngelo, Awkwafina, and Sandra Oh, with Alex Brown and Erika Hampson serving as executive producers.
By Mr. Will Wong
After its debut in 1989, Disney animated feature THE LITTLE MERMAID would go on to become a global phenomenon, winning Golden Globes and Oscars, in addition to winning the hearts of a generation of fans. Some 34 years later, we get Rob Marshall‘s live-action adaptation of this tale of a mermaid who seeks to carve her own path, finding love with a human prince is about to enchant a new generation once again.
We were delighted to join a global press conference with the Director, Composer and Producer of Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID. In-attendance were:
Two-time Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy plays Sea Witch Ursula. She talks about the excitement of people finally seeing this labour of love, which began production five years ago. She and her castmates attended last nightâs Hollywood Premiere, which was a grand street-shutting affair.
McCarthy: âItâs really exciting. It doesnât matter how many times youâve done it, youâre like âDo they really shut it down? Is the whole street blue?â. This is why I love movies, making them and everything got kind of exciting. Itâs been such a long labour of love. Itâs taken a while to make this beautiful thing. Itâs like sending the kids off on a bus.â.
âThis is the first time my kids have wanted to come to a premiere. I was nervous, but also excited they were there. They loved the Movie so much. It was fun seeing them be excited about seeing people and meeting them. They were like, âOh my God, Halle is sitting behind us!ââ.
Halle Bailey who stars in the plum role of Ariel, talks about her sister Chloe, who happens to be other half of their duo Chloe x Halle, finally seeing her breakthrough performance on-screen last night.
Bailey: âMy sister is my best friend, sheâs my rock and so yesterday was her first time seeing the Film! She cried. She was squeezing my hand so tight the whole time. Iâm just so happy she loved it. And I can pat myself on the back that my big sister loved it.â.
Bailey also recalls the moment she learned she got the call from Director Rob Marshall.
Bailey: âMy first reaction was sobbing. I think we had just celebrated my sisterâs birthday, before renting an Airbnb and I got this call from Rob. I donât answer unknown numbers. And my baby brother said. âAnswer your phone!â and I was like okay. It was Rob and he said, âHello, Iâm looking for Ariel!â. I was just crying the whole day.â.
Jonah Hauer-King is a real revelation as Prince Eric in this live-action adaptation and he talks about the warm reception the Film has gotten already.
Hauer-King: âItâs horrendous having to sing on-screen with a Grammy-nominated Artist in a film. Thatâs not fun for anyone. It was an amazing night and I think the reaction from the audience to the music was incredible. It felt like such a warm reaction, so much great energy in the room. It was quite special.â.
Hamilton star Daveed Diggs plays lovable crab Sebastian and though his castmates had seen the Film prior, it was his first time seeing it. He compares the experience working on The Little Mermaid to that of his theatre roots.
Diggs: âIt was my first time seeing it and this song came on that I hadnât heard before, and the audible âSING!â in the audience. I was unaware you could do that!â
âItâs big, but the way we worked on it wasnât big. We worked on it like it was a small thing. It felt like Community Theatre, pushing boxes around. We got in this groove and this is how you make Art. We understand something everyone could wrap their arms around and knew it inside and out. When you watch it on this massive screen, we never saw any of that. Itâs really cool to see something you only thought existed in your imagination. I thought we were just building a world inside of our heads.â.
Academy Award-winner Javier Bardem stars as King Triton, Arielâs father and describes taking-in the Film for the first time and also working with on-screen daughter, Bailey.
Bardem: âIâm sorry about my voice. Thatâs why I donât have a song in the Movie! I loved the energy, it was amazing. People were honestly truly, deeply moved by it. Everybody was cheering and supporting the hard work a lot of people have done with this Movie.â.
âRight in the moment I met her (Bailey), I fell for her. She has this thing where you canât help but love her unconditionally. That was the first day. The rest of the Movie we just had fun and enjoyed the process. It was easy for us to connect. I was mesmerized by the quality of her performance – as an Actress and how much courage she had going to places she had to go.â.
Canadaâs Jacob Tremblay continues to make us proud and he voices Flounder, one of Arielâs three confidantes on her journey. He talks about the experience voicing his role in-person. And despite being born long after the timeless 1989 predecessor of this new version, it still was a part of his growing-up.
Tremblay: âWe were all together for quite some time in-studio in England and got to know each other so well. That helped with the voicework. I preferred it more than being in a booth or on Zoom like during Covid. It was a privilege to be together and to do our scenes together.â.
âI think just because it came out quite some time before I was born, I donât remember not knowing the characters. It was still a big part of my childhood. I watched it quite a few times before going-in to film. I had to embody Flounterâs anxiety, but at the same time make sure I made it my own. It was great with everyone there, being able to riff off each other.â.
Awkwafina is a real scene-stealer as Scuttle, the seagull who joins forces with Sebastian and Flounder. Like Tremblay, she describes the unique experience of collaborating in-person here. She also talks about the importance of diversity on-screen â which feels seamless here – and also how she relates to her character.
Awkwafina: âThis is the first time Iâve ever read a scene with other Actors. Usually weâre in a booth, while other Actors or the Director reads with you. It all just happened there and there were other people there too. That one day was where most of our performances came from.â.
âIt really reflects the world we live in and everyone deserves to see themselves on-screen. This Movie also just celebrates really amazing performances. I did enjoy Scuttle and enjoyed watching it. I am Scuttle after like two Margaritas on a Tuesday. Iâm very neurotic. I am Scuttle for sure.â.
Bailey tells us about the kinship between her and her character Ariel.
Bailey: âI tell people all the time that Ariel has helped me find myself and this young woman version of me. This was five years of my life, 18 to 23, those were intense transformative years developing as a young woman. The Filmâs themes of what she had to go through – her passion, drive and speaking up for herself. What might be scary, she went for it. I try to adopt and give to Halle now.â.
Hauer-King talks about how while The Little Mermaid is fantastical, it actually is quite grounded in reality. He also reveals how this Film approaches the love story between Ariel and Prince Eric from a new lens.
Hauer-King: âIt was a great privilege and a huge honour. The whole Film feels grounded in reality. Watching it last night made me realize for all of us even though we were living in a fantasy space, it feels really connected to the real world. Being a Disney Prince is weird, isnât it?â.
âDisney romances are always filled with instinctive attraction to one another. What was fun about this was that it came from our off-screen selves. Looking at Ariel and Eric as two people who were kindred spirits, restless and behind four walls of their respective castles looking outward and not in. Their relationship feels earned, teaching each other things, excited and fascinated by each otherâs worlds and didnât know it till the end. Thatâs what makes it last and special â the friendship tied to it.â.
Laurence Olivier Award-winning Thespian Noma Dumezweni stars as Prince Ericâs mother Queen Selina in the Film. She attributes the Filmâs perfection to Director Rob Marshall.
Dumezweni: âItâs the spectacle and herding cats of it. Itâs about making extraordinary people feel comfortable with what theyâre doing. Rob and Jon (DeLuca, Producer) are theatre babies. Having a rehearsal on-set is such a rare thing in the TV and Film world. This is what weâre aiming for and we can be free when weâre doing it.â.
McCarthy also talks about the supportive space that Marshall created for her and her castmates.
McCarthy: âI remember the crazy 60-foot clamshell and trying not to cry every time I sang a melody. Rob sets-up this world like it is and this is why I fell in love with plays. It feels so small and you know itâs this enormous thing. If we all do our best, maybe we can make a show and it becomes so personal and everyoneâs doing their best. And heâs swaddled in cashmere, quietly cheering everyone on from Actors to gorgeous camera moves and the Sound Departmentâs killing it. I have an appreciation of all the moving parts it takes to make a movie work. Having a cheerleader like that â weâre just so fortunate. The world wouldnât be so mad if it had such a soft, gentle cheerleader.â.
Legendary Composer Alan Menken gets to see his compositions for The Little Mermaid take on a second life here in this new adaptation. He sings high praise for Bailey.
Menken: âSheâs adorable, so talented and you canât take your eyes off her. The emotion is on her face and in her voice, sheâs Halle Bailey, a delicious person and amazing Ariel. You see it in levels.â.
Rob Marshall recalls Bailey being the first person he had seen for the role of Ariel and she set the benchmark with her audition off the bat.
Marshall: âThe first Actor we saw for role was Halle. The first thing she did was sing for us and sang that song. She shut her eyes and sang that song. I couldnât believe what I was hearing. Sheâs so deeply connected to what sheâs singing about, so emotional and beautiful. How is it that weâve been doing it for five minutes and already have found Ariel? We saw hundreds of Actors, every ethnicity, but she claimed the role for her.â.
Walt Disney Studios Canada release THE LITTLE MERMAID May 26, 2023.
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
Today it was announced that John Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu are set to star in Prime Videoâs action-comedy Grand Death Lotto, from director Paul Feig. Feig is directing the film from a script penned by Rob Yescombe (Outside the Wire). The film, which hails from Amazon Studios, will be produced by Roth/Kirschenbaum Filmsâ Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Feigco Entertainmentâs Laura Fischer and Paul Feig. John Cena, Zack Roth, and Rob Yescombe will executive produce.
In the very near future, the Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize. New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (John Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while dealing with Noelâs protection rival Louis Lewis (Simu Liu), who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission.
The Amazon Original Movie will be available to stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Production begins next week.
âGrand Death Lotto is the kind of original idea audiences have been craving, and thereâs no one better than the endlessly talented Paul Feig to steer the ship,â said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon and MGM Studios. âWe canât wait to watch John Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu bring this fun, action-packed script to life for our Prime Video customers around the world.â
âI love action comedy and extreme physical comedy and this movie has both in abundance, as well as a boatload of heart and hilarity,â said director Paul Feig. âThis lotto will make winners of us all.â
John Cena recently starred as Peacemaker in the No. 1 HBO Max Original series of the same name. His upcoming credits include the tenth main installment in the Fast & Furious franchise Fast X, Matthew Vaughn-helmed spy thriller Argylle, Prime Videoâs Ricky Stanicky, and the sequel to Vacation Friends.
Awkwafina will next be seen in Universal’s Renfield opposite Nicolas Cage and Disneyâs The Little Mermaid. Additionally, she will star opposite Sandra Oh in an upcoming Untitled Sister Comedy Project for Hulu and the third season of Comedy Central’s Nora from Queens.
Simu Liuâs credits include Disneyâs Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and Warner Bros.â upcoming feature Barbie.
Paul Feig is a DGA-winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker, writer, producer, and author who most recently served as the director, producer, and co-writer of The School for Good and Evil, which debuted as the #1 film on Netflix in 88 countries worldwide upon release. In television, he is a writer, executive producer, and director of FOXâs Welcome to Flatch, which is currently airing its second season, and an executive producer of Minx, which will premiere its second season on Starz later this year. He has a proven track record of films that have grossed over one billion dollars worldwide including Bridesmaids, Last Christmas, The Heat, Ghostbusters, Spy, and A Simple Favor, the latter of which Feig will direct and produce a sequel.
Cena is represented by WME, Intenta Media, and JSSK. Awkwafina is represented by UTA, Artists First, Schreck Rose & Kovert Creative. Liu is represented by CAA, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Feig is represented by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Yescombe is represented by A3 Artists Agency and Curtis Brown.
A star-studded Cast including Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Marc Maron, Lilly Singh, Alex Borstein and more star in BAD GUYS. This is the new Trailer.
Synopsis:
Nobody has ever failed so hard at trying to be good as The Bad Guys.
In the new action comedy from DreamWorks Animation, based on the New York Times best-selling book series, a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws are about to attempt their most challenging con yetâbecoming model citizens.
Never have there been five friends as infamous as The Bad Guysâdashing pickpocket Mr. Wolf (Academy AwardÂź winner Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), seen-it-all safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron, GLOW), chill master-of-disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine franchise), short-fused âmuscleâ Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos, In the Heights) and sharp-tongued expert hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians), aka âWebs.â
But when, after years of countless heists and being the worldâs most-wanted villains, the gang is finally caught, Mr. Wolf brokers a deal (that he has no intention of keeping) to save them all from prison: The Bad Guys will go good.
Under the tutelage of their mentor Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade, Paddington 2), an arrogant (but adorable!) guinea pig, The Bad Guys set out to fool the world that theyâve been transformed. Along the way, though, Mr. Wolf begins to suspect that doing good for real may give him what heâs always secretly longed for: acceptance. So when a new villain threatens the city, can Mr. Wolf persuade the rest of the gang to become ⊠The Good Guys?
The film co-stars Zazie Beetz (Joker), Lilly Singh (Bad Moms) and Emmy winner Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).
Universal Pictures Canada release The Bad Guys in theaters April 22, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)
Disney+ has all the GOATs in this new TV Spot which aired during tonight’s Big Game! Join Awkwafina as she walks through Disney+’s head office and is greeted by all the goats!
Fans will discover a special surprise when they tweet about their favourite Disney+ GOATs using one of the following hashtags: #DisneyPlusGOATs, #DisneyGOATs, #PixarGOATs, #MarvelGOATs, #StarWarsGOATs, #NatGeoGOATs, #TheSimpsonsGOATs
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
We’re thrilled to give our Readers in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary a chance to attend and Advance Screening of Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS on September 1, 2021.
Synopsis:
Marvel Studiosâ âShang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Ringsâ stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chiâs friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Mengâer Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng. âShang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Ringsâ is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz, with Louis DâEsposito, Victoria Alonso and Charles Newirth serving as executive producers.
To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. In the comments there, please indicate your City. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet for an extra chance.
Enter for a chance to #win Advance Passes to see Marvel Studios’ #ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!
â MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) August 20, 2021
How: https://t.co/BaqYY72eIl pic.twitter.com/dEhET6im0K
Rules and regulations here.
Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS is in theatres Friday, September 3, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Marvel)
The buzz is feverish for Marvel Studios’ SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS! Starring Toronto’s own Simu Liu, the Action-Fantasy takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Shang-Chi (Liu) was trained at a young age to be an Assassin and after living a normal life in San Francisco, he’s draw-in to the Ten Rings organization, having to face again a part of his life he left behind. The Film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) and stars a notable Cast including Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Sir Ben Kingsley, Meng’er Zhang and Ronny Chieng.
We got to sit-in on on the global Press Conference for the Film and joining us were:
Destin Daniel Cretton is asked what drew him to take on directing SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS.
Cretton: I feel the stories I am drawn to are a combination of humour and optimism, but also not shying away from the very real darkness and pain that we all experience as humans. I think this Movie really does encapsulate a lot of the things that I believe in.
Sir Ben Kingsley talks about cultural conversation and social impact of his Oscar-winning role in Gandhi and whether Shang-Chi in terms of storytelling and society will have similar impact.
Cretton: When you hear Destin‘s intentions behind this story, they are crystal-clear, lucid, pure motives. They are life-enhancing and not patronizing, because they do introduce in a beautiful way, memory, ancestry, loss and families torn apart, reunited and reconfigured. All of this is from Destin‘s heart, Kevin‘s heart and the Writers’ hearts. And if your motives are pure as a storyteller, the angels will come to assist you with that story.
This story ultimately will be healing because it’s not propaganda, it’s just a really beautiful story. I as an Actor, Trevor (reprising his Iron Man 3 character) of course is a Shakespearean actor and he finds himself transported into a completely exotic environment, but he survives. And thanks to the welcome Kevin, Destin and my beautiful colleagues gave me. I have done 17 out of Shakespeare‘s whole canon of plays, so I’m sort of a Shakespearean actor. As soon as I arrived on-set, the fact that my colleagues were of a different culture was immaterial and irrelevant. We are Actors together and we live on empathy and transformation and this is our currency. All the rest is irrelevant. If we can demonstrate that energy, ultimately it will be healing and soothing.
Meng’er Zhang talks about stage acting and film acting, playing Shang-Chi‘s estranged sister, Xialing.
Zhang: Oh, it was so different because this was my very first film experience and I am so lucky to work with all of them. Sir Ben, I asked him a lot of questions on-set. As he said so beautifully, when we are on-stage, we are landscape artists and when we are in front of camera, we are portrait artists. And I felt that gave me a very clear image. I literally took notes!
Kingsley: I thought you were just correcting my spelling!
Zhang: I also remember when we were doing some stunts, it was so different from stage acting. I remember the makeup team doing the final touch-up on my fringe to make sure everything was perfect. Someone came to tell me ‘Meng’er, there’s going to be a bit of wind and water’, so I said ‘Okay!’ and I was ready. Then, 3-2-1, action! And then the wind was like… (making aggressive wind sounds). And then okay, reset! (laughing).
Awkwafina talks about physicality of her character Katy, a close friend to Shang-Chi.
Awkwafina: I’d say this was slightly more physically demanding. But not physically-demanding as in like wind, but more like I was falling as a team with gravity. When I fall, my neck kinda gives out. It’s kind of a ‘me issue’ as I don’t have the will power to lift it up.
I actually went to a race track and learned how to drift, which was really fun but probably not practical in any scenario. And I learned how to shoot a bow and arrow.
Simu Liu comments on working with some of the Film’s heavy hitters.
Liu: It was like Impostor Syndrome every single day. Truly, it was such a treat. I did all I could do not to mess it up. When I was first cast, I did my final screen test with Nora (Awkwafina) and she did such a wonderful job putting me at ease. My nerves were sky-high. I was an Actor from Toronto and never had ever allowed myself to imagine being part of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). I mean, it’s the craziest dream someone could possibly dream. Nora did a great job putting me at ease. And just being in the moment with me. We had such a beautiful chemistry. This bickery, old couple chemistry right from the get-go. As I met more members of the Cast like Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh and Sir Ben, every day it was like waking-up to another dream. And then having Meng’er come join us too when we were all in Sydney, it was fantastic. She was great. I can’t wait for people to watch the Movie because who you are in real life and in the Movie, they are really parts of you, but really so polar opposite.
Ronny, you were fine. We were shut down for four months during the pandemic. Ronny, was living a couple floors above me.
Awkwafina: Ronny, would come with me and sneak into the gym and say ‘I’ve been working out with Simu!’
Chieng: I’m trying to get that free Marvel workout. You know what? I’m going to use this pandemic to get super-ripped and I end up doing 10% of the weights Simu was doing every day!
Simu Liu talks about on his casting. Is it true he Tweeted at Marvel and got the role of Shang-Chi?
Liu: When you Tweet at Marvel, you’re thinking it’s going to some 19-year-old intern and nobody’s gonna ready that or care what I have to say! Maybe they did!
Feige: I did not see that! Unfortunately Simu, it was not your Tweeting. It was your acting ability and constant professionalism and multiple reads and meetings that you did. Now did Sarah Finn our Casting Director see that, that I don’t know! That’s a cosmic wonder!
Daniel Destin Cretton comments on the use of Mandarin-Chinese in scenes in the Film.
Cretton: The conversation behind which language they should be speaking was always rooted in the logic of the character and who would naturally be speaking what language. So that started in the Writers’ Room and once our Actors came in, it was always a dialogue. These are bilingual, trilingual, quadrilingual characters who could speak whatever made sense at the time. So we were constantly having the conversation what made sense for the scene.
Feige: One moment I particularly like is where Simu‘s character speaks to Awkwafina‘s character and says ‘Oh no, my Chinese isn’t good’ and Simu’s character says, ‘Don’t worry, I speak ABC!’.
Awkwafina: That was really a big moment. Culturally, you just never see that.
Liu: ABC means American-born Chinese but it’s the first time in a Movie where someone just calls it out!
Marvel Studios Canada release SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS Friday, September 3, 2021.
We’ve waited so long for it! We proudly present the Trailer for Marvel‘s SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS!
Synopsis:
Marvel Studiosâ âShang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Ringsâ stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film also stars Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chiâs friend Katy and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Mengâer Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng.
âShang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Ringsâ is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz, with Louis DâEsposito, Victoria Alonso and Charles Newirth serving as executive producers. David Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton & Andrew Lanham wrote the screenplay for the film.
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is in theatres on September 3, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Marvel Studios)
By Mr. Will Wong
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON is the latest Feature Film from Walt Disney Animation Studios and this astonishing-looking Fantasy Adventure is set in the world of Kumandra, a place where dragons and humans once co-existed together. After monsters known as the Druun surfaced, dragons sacrificed their lives almost becoming extinct. A young warrior named Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) is tasked with locating the last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina) to stop the Druun from destroying humanity. However, zany Sisu alone might not be enough and Raya and her enemies, including Namaari (Gemma Chan), must learn to overcome their differences and trust one another to accomplish this.
With production taking place over the Pandemic, its Cast and Crew of 450 people – many who worked from home – RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON is a mystical journey that explores division and the importance of trust and community. Featuring a predominantly Asian Principal Voice Cast, the Film arrives at a time where some of its sentiments echo what the Asian community is be experiencing as we heal from a divide in the aftermath of the Pandemic.
See the Trailer:
We were thrilled to join the Global Press Conference for RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON and joining us were:
Moderating was Television Personality Jeannie Mai.
The symbology of dragons are very present in the Film and we learn that the Eastern Dragon is very different from common perception.
Lim: “It was so exciting to celebrate the Eastern Dragon and we realized this was something most of the world was not familiar with. In East Asia they are referred to as NÄgas , they’re water deities who bring auspiciousness, so it’s very different from the Western Dragon who’s winged and fire-breathing, something you have to destroy and take-down. We love this symbology in our Movie because Raya thinks she’s bringing forth this Water Dragon thinking she can just snap her fingers and solve all the problems in the world. Instead, what she finds is this crazy, zany creature voiced by Awkwafina, and she’s vulnerable and needs to be protected. She’s just quirky and always sees the good in people and Raya as a warrior, thinks this is nuts. It’s so rare we get a Hollywood movie with a special female friendship at the heart of it. The humour here comes from seeing the best in people, people who Raya thought were her enemies, people who’ve let you down. It was the Dragon who could see that potential and it inspires everyone to come together and get past it.”.
The younger Cast members Isaac Wang and Thalia Tran talk about the Film’s Southeast Asian family values.
Wang: “It’s pretty crazy to think 450 people working on this Movie and they just stuffed a bunch of cultures into this Movie. It’s amazing to see all the things that are included from the food to the weapons that you see. I’ve been centered around only a couple cultures my whole life, so to see all these cultures is really amazing to me.”.
Tran (Thalia): “Playing Noi is like nothing I’ve ever done before. She doesn’t use English words, she speaks in her own language but that connection she has with her gang of Ongis (like catfish-monkeys), Tong, Raya and the whole gang, that sense of camaraderie and the sense of family, that is something I related to. Growing up in a Vietnamese family, I learned that family always comes first, from traditions to every day life, especially now in quarantine where I’m with my family all the time. It’s something that definitely clicked with me as I know what it feels like. For her to be so young and have her family be turned to stone by the Druun, and her to have to raise herself with the Ongis, that sense of strength I feel is something very common in Southeast Asian families, especially because it’s something very valued in terms of independence. There’s a lot about Noi even though she can’t speak words, people still can connect with.”.
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON explores a central theme of female friendship. Gemma Chan and Kelly Marie Tran comment on their characters’ rivalry and love-hate relationship.
Chan: “I love that they have this love-hate dynamic, but at the core they have so much in common. I love that Namaari has this aggressive exterior but underneath it all, she’s got this huge heart. She has this love for dragons that’s really been there since childhood and I really love that first scene where she locks eyes with Sisu. It’s as if she’s become a child again. I love that and that was my way into her really. We’ve all got people in our lives we’ve got a love-hate relationship with and I think it’s such a fine line. I love that Namaari and Raya have had that connection since childhood.”.
“It shows as children when we’re young we don’t inherently hate each other. It’s learned whether it comes through as something that’s parental, a family influence or a particular tribe. Those things are learned, but they can be unlearned. Kids get on and that’s something to take away from the Movie.”.
Tran (Kelly Marie): “Setting-up these characters as kids and seeing how authentically they can connect at a young age, and then cutting-forward and seeing the way they’ve been divided, it’s really incredible. We have this idea that the two characters switch places at one point. When I really think about it in my life when things like that have happened to me, I think about just how difficult it is to get out of your own biases from someone you see as an enemy. Incredibly by the end of the story, Raya and Namaari are willing to step outside of themselves and risk everything for this idea of community and what their relationship could have been all this time. It’s really inspiring and something I want to do in my own life. Their relationship in this Movie is one of my favourites because of how complicated it is.”.
Awkwafina comments on her comedic influences for the scene-stealing role of Sisu.
Awkwafina: “Genie was one of my favourite characters from my childhood so maybe there was a subconscious thing. The real beauty here is when I was approached to play Sisu and hear what her vibe was, I think I was given a chance to add my own voice to it and simultaneously build her up with the Directors who were always willing to explore and play. I think she was really born out of that process. The really cool thing about Sisu is that she was part my voice.”.
The Film also explores the father-daughter relationship between Chief Benja and Raya. The former is the Chief of Kumandra‘s heartland and Raya in line to be a ruler next.
Tran (Kelly Marie): “Benja and Raya are so reminiscent of the relationship between me and my own father – that reverence for your elders, how important family is and the way he bestows upon Raya all these incredible ideas at such a young age. Gosh, I cried in so many scenes with Benja.”.
Kim: “I really give a lot of credit to Don, Carlos and the Producing Team because the pitfall of the character is that he can be a Centurion Oratour, the kind of King who’s going to dictate the way everything is. But they kept pushing me to say ‘No, you have a really intimate, loving relationship with your daughter. Take it down, make it more intimate’, and it triggered something different in me and led me to finding that relationship. The second thing is Kelly, I was following you in the news and knew all the things you were about and these were characteristics I could relate to and connect to. It wasn’t just about our roles as characters, but knowing who you were as a person and that I could connect to that. When I watched the Film, I felt that we had that connection even though we weren’t in that booth together. It’s a real testament to your performance.”.
Aside from stunning lifelike animation, the Martial Arts in RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON is phenomenal. The Film’s two Directors Don Hall and Carlos LĂłpez Estrada speak to this.
Hall: “We were fortunate the Martial Arts Coordinator also happened to be one of the Writers. We leaned on Qui quite a bit. There was one day he brought into the studio – how he got it past Security I don’t know – he brought a giant bag of weapons in to show us he was a legit Martial Arts Choreographer, which we didn’t doubt. But I think after seeing that bag of weapons, we probably treated him a little better after that too!
Estrada: “Just so that this doesn’t become a headline, I will back you up and say that they were stage weapons. The entire Crew, it was really special for them to have Qui down the hall. The Story Artists, the Animators, the vista of people, could just knock on his door and just say ‘Hey, check this move out, does this make sense?’ and Qui would give them links and bring them movies, do some in-office demonstrations. To have that direct access to someone who’s so knowledgeable in that region is invaluable and you really see that in the fights, they feel so different and so unique.”.
Nguyen: “A lot of credit goes to Maggie Macdonald who choreographed a lot of our reference fights and it was important for me to bring on a female Fight Choreographer. She brought on a female team of fighters to do the references because of our two leads are Raya and Namaari. The way a female body moves is just different and we had something that was really utilizing speed, strength and agility. You often see in movies like this Kung-Fu or Karate. It’s nice to see Southeast Asian Martial Arts shown in this way.”.
A point this Film is making is one about representation. The Cast is asked about the importance of this.
Oh: “It’s difficult because this was made in COVID times and the way Animation is made, you don’t get to meet everyone all the Directors do. I think it’s really seeing how Animation has moved on for someone like myself growing-up in the ’70s and ’80s and we didn’t really see anything. I feel like that has been the same way representation wise for a really long time. I actually am glad I’m still alive to be a part of this type of screen (she refers to the grid of predominantly Asian faces on the Zoom call grid) where you get to see the type of people who have made it. In that way it’s very exciting. It’s exciting to hear what Isaac and Thalia have to say and give them an opportunity to have their voices heard. Especially for the much younger generation for them to have a space to be heard. It’s an exhilarating change for someone like me to be a part of and witness.
Tran (Thalia): “We owe it all to people like you”.
We are faced with news of some horrific treatment the Asian community has faced subsequent to the Pandemic. The Cast talks about RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON‘s place in the world today.
Oh: “I was moved by the theme and ending of the story, which ultimately is about trust and how I myself am struggling with that. Art is here to pose questions and to potentially suggest possibility. And I think even if we start with that question in one’s self, ‘Who do I trust? How can I trust? Can I trust that other side? Can I trust that other side when it seems it’s very proof-positive that this is what has been done to me?’. As the theme of the story goes, we cannot continue without this open-heartedness. And the truth I think Raya learns is that you just have to keep having your heart broken again and again just to keep it open. Hate is not finished by hate, it is only won over by love. We have to each individually and as a large community – societally – move towards this because all of us are on the same boat. 2020 in all its destructiveness, if one can see opportunity to somehow it also has broken all our hearts open. So what can we do with all of that?”.
Hall: There were certainly moments during the making of the Film where we were very aware of how this Film which was meant to be timeless was unbelievably timely. I think it emboldened us to continue forward as I felt we had something to say. If this Film can just teach one person to be brave enough to trust someone, then we’ve done what we set-out to do.
Benedict Wong, who came dressed like his fumbling giant character, Tong, tells us about his experience watching the Film with his son.
Wong: “It was the first time we actually sat down and watched the Film entirely all the way through. Afterwards, he turned, gave me a hug and said ‘I trust you, Daddy’. We need this to unite. We are living through remnants of hate that have permeated through the world and again it’s very timely with our beautiful Film that shows that love can lead the way.”.
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON arrives on Disney+ with Premier Access and in theatres Friday, March 5, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
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