I quite enjoyed Raya And The Last Dragon, the 2021 CG animated fantasy film by Disney. Although Raya is set in a fictional fantasy realm known as Kumandra, the visual design of the world is unmistakably informed and influenced by South East Asian cultures, and as someone born and bred in Singapore I’m very happy to see the filmmakers bringing the beautiful visual flourishes of the region to life in animation.

This official art book for the film is an excellent way to explore in detail how the concept artists design the world of Kumandra using the rich culture and heritage of South East Asia as visual inspiration for the five distinct tribes, namely Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail.

The character design sections of the book for the main protaganists like Raya, Sisu the Dragon and TukTuk are all exemplary, but the highlight of the book for me lies in the set, props and overall world designs, and from the huge collection of art work you can certainly tell the concept artists spared no creative expense to create the rich and vibrant world of Kumandra.

(above & below) The last few pages of the book showcases color scripts thumbnails created for numerous sequences in the film. Color scripts ( also called color keys sometimes ) are an invaluable resource for lighting artists like me working on feature animated films, giving us a strong direction on the look and feel of any particular shot. Definitely check out the color scripts of Pixar’s Soul as well.

Raya And The Last Dragon is one of the stand-out animated films of 2021, and with it’s South East Asian inspired designs a comforting touch of home as well. This beautiful hardcover volume features a splendid collection of stunning concept art that will make a viewing of the film even more immersive and enjoyable. Recommended.

“The Art Of Raya And The Last Dragon” book details :

– Dimensions – 9.45 x 0.85 x 11.55 inches
– Hard cover, 168 pages
– Full color, In English Language

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