Raya and the Last Dragon, the latest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios that has been released in March 2021, has drawn attention for the elements of Southeast Asia that are featured in the film.
As the film having its home video release on 18 May 2021, Raya’s story gets a short video retelling made in the style of wayang kulit performance. Wayang kulit is a form of shadow puppet play using carved leather figures known in Java and Bali. The shadow puppet video is streamed on the official YouTube account of Disney Movies:
The Raya and the Last Dragon‘s shadow puppet retelling is created by The Digital Dalang Project. The puppet designs are made by Is Yuniarto, a well-known Indonesian comic artist who is famous for a number of comics such as Garudayana to Grand Legend Ramayana, both of which are inspired by Hindu epics that have traditionally been performed as wayang plays. Is Yuniarto is indeed a fan of wayang artform, not only does he make comics inspired from wayang narratives, but he also often creates wayang-style illustrations of a number of world’s pop culture icons.
The Indonesian Anime Times
