WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Raya and the Last Dragon, playing now in theaters and on Disney+.

Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon unfolds in a kingdom threatened by the return of an ancient evil and fractured by suspicion. So it's only fitting that, in the end, the title character and her ragtag band of allies save their world by placing their trust in each other -- and in a rival.

The animated fantasy-adventure unfolds in Kumandra, a fantasy world in which humans once lived in harmony alongside dragons, which sacrificed themselves to save the kingdom from a supernatural force known as the Druun. Five hundred years later, that evil has been unleashed once more, driving Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran), the warrior princess of Heart land, to find the legendary last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina) to vanquish the Druun and restore Kumandra. Along the way, Raya and her pet/steed Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk) make unlikely allies in 10-year-old Tail land entrepreneur Boun (Izaac Wang), Spine land warrior-giant Tong (Benedict Wong), and Talon land toddler-con  artist Noi (Thalia Tran), with her troop of thieving Ongis.

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 Raya and the Last Dragon

The existential threat of the Druun has placed the five lands at odds, and forced their chiefs to become increasingly cutthroat to ensure the survival of their peoples. Although suspicion is the default position in Kumandra, Raya and her newfound allies are united by shared loss -- loved ones turned to stone by the Druun.

Still, even Sisu can't convinced Raya to place her trust in her longtime rival Namaari (Gemma Chan), the warrior princess of Fang land. Just when it seems they can place their trust in Namaari, who has the final piece of the fractured Dragon Gem required to restore Kumandra. However, their clandestine meeting ends with the death of Sisu, because of Namaari's hesitance and Raya's lack of trust. The Druun take advantage of the moment and strike Fang. Raya takes her anger out on her rival as her friends try to save Fang's citizens from their stony fate. Ultimately, they put aside their differences and, with the help of Raya's friends, do what they can to repel the Druun.

As all hope seems lost, Raya sees that the only thing she can do is trust that Namaari can set things right. To convince her friends to do the same, Raya sacrifices herself. That leads to everyone else giving up their pieces of the Dragon Gem to Namaari and sacrificing themselves. The trust they place in her gives Namaari the courage to fix what has been done and save the people from the Druun. It is a brief moment, but speaks to the movie's larger theme of trust.

Raya and the Last Dragon

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Had the viewers not spent as much time as they did with Raya and her friends, their sacrifice or what it meant to Namaari would mean nothing. Each had a personal issue to overcome, and a stake in the journey to make sure that it succeeded. Disney made sure to let the characters convey the importance of trust. Not only did it pay off tremendously, but it also inadvertently showed how the closed-off Raya made the ultimate sacrifice because she believed in her friend.

The film paints a picture of how distrust can tear people apart. Every time that trust is betrayed in the film, foundations crumble, and many suffer for it. While it's a literal representation, it is also just as impactful. What came from the sacrifice of those five heroes was a world reborn. Kumandra returned to the vibrant civilization it once was, and the people within learned to trust one another again as dragons flew through the sky.

Directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada from a script by Paul Briggs and John Ripa, Raya and the Last Dragon stars Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, Izaac Wang, Thalia Tran, Alan Tudyk, Lucille Soong, Patti Harrison and Ross Butler.

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