đŹ Raya 2 â The Last Dragon War (2025)

Chaos and Chuckles: Raya 2 Unleashes Don Hallâs Dragon War
Raya 2 â The Last Dragon War, hypothetically released June 20, 2025, by Walt Disney Animation Studios, is a $180 million sequel that mightâve grossed $600 million worldwide, per speculative trends akin to Moana 2âs $1 billion haul. Directed by Don Hall (co-director of the original), with a script by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, it stars Kelly Marie Tran as Raya, now Kumandraâs guardian, facing a rogue dragon clan led by Quynh (Woody Harrelson), threatening the Dragon Gemâs peace. Awkwafinaâs Sisu, Gemma Chanâs Namaari, and new voicesâRon Yuanâs General Yin, Veronica Ngoâs Yangâjoin a 107-minute war shot digitally with Southeast Asian vistas. Imagine a Golden Globe nod chasing Moana 2âs wake.
The chaos ignitesâdragon fire razes Spine, Quynhâs âWe rule the skiesâ vow shatters unity, per a teaserâs ash-strewn skies. Hall escalates Raya 1âs stakesâKumandraâs tribes fracture as dragons turn foe, a How to Train Your Dragon twist with Avatarâs sweep. Chuckles cut throughâSisuâs âIâm not fireproof!â yelp, Rayaâs âTrust me now?â jab at Namaariâbalancing the blaze, per a Variety âepic yet funâ nod. Critics might peg Rotten Tomatoes at 75%, Metacritic 68/100âpraising scale, panning rush. X posts could roar âSisuâs back!â or hiss âToo crowded.â A post-Moana 2 summer slot leverages Disneyâs animation surge, per Forbes trends.
The pacingâs a tempestâRayaâs council scene surges into aerial clashes, Quynhâs lair a fiery crux, per Hollywood Reporter speculation. With a budget dwarfing Raya 1âs $100 million, itâs chaos with soulâchuckles amid war criesâa dragon war that mightâve soared or stumbled in Disneyâs sequel spree.
Woody Harrelsonâs Quynh snarlsââKumandraâs mineââa gravelly menace, per LA Times. Ron Yuanâs Yin and Veronica Ngoâs Yang, Rayaâs generals, bark ordersâIzaac Wangâs Boun, now older, quips âStill cooking!ââwhile Daniel Dae Kimâs Benja advises via spirit, per ScreenRant. Chuckles flareâSisuâs âScales donât bend,â Bounâs âDragon BBQ?ââweaving levity into havoc. The Guardian might laud âTranâs fire,â X split: âWoodyâs epicâ vs. âNamaariâs stale.â Theyâre the warâs wild pulseâfierce, funny, fraught.
Visually and sonically, Raya 2 is a chaotic roar, a Hall spectacle. Eric Warren Singerâs animationâKumandraâs skies swirl, Quynhâs lair glows redâstuns, per Cinematography World. Chaos peaksâdragon wings shred clouds, gem shards pulseâshot with $70 million VFX, per Forbes. Talonâs neon boats, Spineâs ash cliffs dazzleâLetterboxdâs âvisual feastââthough NY Times might jab âCGI gloss.â Hallâs Big Hero 6 flair shinesâevery frame a battle hymn.
James Newton Howardâs scoreâdrums thunder, âDragon Warâ wailsâlifts, per Soundtrack World. Sound designâwings flap, fire cracksâgrips, per Rolling Stoneâs âimmersive.â Chuckles humâSisuâs âOops, wrong dragon!â mid-flightâamid chaos, per BBC vibe. Songs by JhenĂ© Aiko (âTrust the Dragonsâ) falterâVarietyâs âmehââand VFX overreach, per Collider. Still, itâs a sensory clashâwarâs harmony, chuckles in the din.
Raya 2âs strength is its chaotic ambitionâa dragon epic with bite. Tranâs âsteelyâ Raya (Time), Harrelsonâs threat, and Hallâs vision gleam; Roger Ebert might give 3.5/4 for âbold scope.â StakesâKumandraâs fall, dragon kinâpulse, per Empireâs âthrilling.â ChucklesâSisuâs âWarâs bad for my scales,â Yinâs âMove it!ââlift a 2025 summer post-Moana 2, per Box Office Mojo trends. A $600 million haul could top Encantoâs $256 million, X buzzing âRaya slaysââa franchise flare.
Weaknesses claw. The plotâs âbusyâ (Variety), new dragons muddyâLA Timesâs âoverstuffed.â Pacing stumblesâMetacriticâs 68/100 flags ârushedââand heart thins, per NY Timesâs âloud.â Still, its 107 minutes grip; Rolling Stoneâs âsolidâ fits 7.5/10âepic, uneven. Legacy? A Disney gambleâRaya 3 whispersâper The Numbers. For fans or dragon lovers, itâs a must; a war that roars but rarely rests.