Drew Taylor & Jim Hill Discuss Raya and the Last Dragon, Animation News, and More

Raya and the Last Dragon Review

• 🌟 Raya and the Last Dragon is described as a wonderful film that cannot be recommended enough, with amazing heart and themes of togetherness and communication.
• 💔 The movie resonates with current times, addressing themes of loss and loneliness due to the pandemic, with many characters dealing with grief.
• 🎬 The action sequences are highlighted as cool, serious, big, and dynamic, making it suitable for a big screen experience, though it also plays well at home.
• 🏠 Impressively, approximately 85% of the animation was done from home over the last year, with voice actors like Kelly Marie Tran recording dialogue in closets.
• 🐉 The film is set in the fictitious world of Kumandra, inspired by Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesian culture, and features unique creature designs and a plot involving different parts of a dragon.
• 🎤 Aquafina's performance as Sisu is singled out as amazing, compared to Robin Williams in Aladdin for her ability to shape-shift and deliver a strong vocal performance.

Animation News and Updates

• 📺 The Television Critics Association winter press tour went virtual this year, with news emerging about upcoming shows.
• 🤖 Marvel's Modok for Hulu, produced by Stupid Buddy Studios, is confirmed with 10 episodes, featuring Patton Oswalt as the voice of the title character.
• 🤣 Animaniacs is getting a third season, with the first season noted for its political commentary and humorous send-ups of Warner Bros. properties and pop culture.
• 🚀 Star Wars: The Bad Batch is set to debut on Disney Plus on May 4th, aligning with the Star Wars holiday.
• 🏢 Monsters at Work is scheduled for a July 2nd release on Disney Plus, featuring original voice cast members like John Goodman and Billy Crystal, and a premise about the shift from scaring to laughing.
• 🐿️ New shorts for Chip 'n Dale Park Life are coming, distinct from the Rescue Rangers movie, focusing on the chipmunks in a city park.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is getting a reboot with redesigned characters and original voice talent returning, maintaining its authentic African-American animated sitcom style.
• 👶 The CG reboot of Rugrats for Paramount Plus is discussed, with a note that it seems to mimic the original look closely, possibly as a safer choice than a departure.
• 🏕️ Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years on Paramount Plus uses computer animation with an organic look, featuring SpongeBob's first time jellyfishing and contributions from Disney animation veteran John Sanford.
• 🚀 Star Trek: Prodigy character designs have been revealed, sparking debate within the Star Trek fan community.
• 🐉 An ambitious expansion of the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe is planned with an animated feature and spin-offs, with the co-creators leaving the Netflix live-action series to focus on these projects.
• 🎬 William Joyce is directing a new animated film based on The Great Gatsby.
• 🎭 Spirited Away is being adapted into a stage play in Japan, with a talented team from the Royal Shakespeare Company involved.
• 🤖 A Terminator anime series is in development for Netflix by Skydance and Production I.G., overseen by Matson Tomlin.
• 🇮🇹 The teaser trailer for Pixar's Luca showcases a charming, post-war Italy setting, with a unique art style and voice cast including Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan.
• ❄️ The Croods: A New Age continues to perform well at the box office, potentially becoming the highest-grossing domestic film released during quarantine.
• 🎶 Tom and Jerry is releasing soon, following a chat with director Tim Story.

Podcast and Personal Updates

• 🎙️ Drew Taylor hosts podcasts like Light the Fuse and Light the Wick, covering the John Wick franchise.
• 📚 He also has upcoming episodes on Light the Fuse featuring Paul Hirs, discussing his near involvement with editing Batman Forever.
• 🎧 Disney Dish with Len Testa features a Band Camp exclusive show with Aaron and Len, recreating a script for The American Adventure with professional voice actors.
• 🌟 Drew Taylor can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @DrewTailored.
• 📰 Jim Hill shares updates on Jim Hill Media on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.