This is the best fairy tale

Heath 2021-12-21 08:01:04

Some commented: "This is just an old-fashioned story of truth, kindness and beauty."

This evaluation is both right and wrong. The crux of the problem is that after Pixar output a large number of greedy-oriented narratives, Disney still paranoidly talks about "truth, goodness and beauty". Doesn't this seem absurd?

There seems to be even more absurd.

The core of "Legend of Dragon Hunting" throughout the text is: "The betrayed chooses to trust again, and the injured first chooses to forgive." How can this be a "truth" shared with children? After all, adults are familiar with "betrayed", "deceived" and "stabbed" in the empirical world of adults. As a result, we quickly withdrew our little trust, upholding the boundary consciousness of "everyone is an island", and then began to enjoy "security" in the closed self-sufficiency.

When we teach children, we always emphasize: "Don't trust anyone except your loved ones." This is the simplest and most convenient way. Although the position of "presumption of guilt" is crude and narrow, it can at least maximize "safety" for children and isolate possible potential harm and threats.

It seems so.

Today, when the self-media is good at inciting emotions and frequently selling "insecure" anxiety to parents, teaching the next generation to "trust others" and "open to others" is particularly old, ignorant or pedantic.

Then, in a dualistic framework of "antagonism between ourselves and the enemy", the picture of the world was reshaped by adults. In this way, the children have acquired a set of life narratives and beliefs in action after being reduced—everything should serve "my safety", "my interests", and "my success"; the established rules of this society are "big "Fish eats small fish", the survival of the fittest, the zero-sum game; if I don't defeat others, they will defeat me.

This is how familiar education classics are. So that we have long forgotten that in the original fairy tale world, people once "naively" believed in a true, good and beautiful life scene.

But now, they are very far away.

Raya said to Shenlong: "Because the world has deteriorated, people will not trust each other."

Shenlong responded: "Because people don't trust each other, the world will go bad."

This is like an unsolvable circular argument.

And when the external crisis that symbolizes evil strikes again, people live in "safe" private plots, and no one is willing to transfer power to fight the enemy together.

As for the reason, it seems so reasonable: "Why should I take the first step?"

No kind of rational calculation or logical deduction can come to a solution in such a stagnant situation.

Until Raya chose to trust the enemy who had betrayed her several times and voluntarily handed over "my power", she just said: "I am willing to take this first step."

Raya, who once chose to trust unconditionally but was harmed, now "naively" choose to trust again and open up again. Doesn't this seem foolish?

But precisely because of this, the "old" and "stupid" golden age once again revealed its dazzling glory.

It turns out that people can still choose to participate, choose to transfer, choose to trust, and choose to connect in addition to the barren “narrative of friend or friend”, but this requires more extraordinary wisdom, courage, and prudence.

It is not an inadequate self-deception, let alone a relativistic cynic, but a more adequate life option beyond utilitarianism and nihilism.

This is the best fairy tale. It allows us to voluntarily put aside the rational judgment of "one piece" in the narrative restoration, and we gradually believe in all this in the interpretation of the plot deep on the screen. Even when he leaves the theater, he is still willing to extend the legacy of this belief for the children——

Willing not to return evil when faced with malice, willing to wisely give in and compromise when hurt, willing to give up on the "survival of the fittest" and "competitive" social vision, willing to embrace failure, willing to trust others, willing to self Overcoming-This is a more difficult attempt, but at the same time it is also a more worthwhile direction.

View more about Raya and the Last Dragon reviews

Extended Reading
  • Rebeka 2021-12-21 08:01:04

    Disney princess stops singing, grandpa Qingjie~

  • Casimer 2022-03-26 09:01:07

    45/100, although it can map and exhort society in any era, emphasizes the reconciliation between parties and nations, it has an idealistic vision of "Utopia". However, the game narrative (running, leveling, leveling up, collecting partners, and BOSS battles) created in gorgeous packaging makes the possibly extended interior seem unnecessary. The whole is completely rigid and kitsch. The only thing I really want to praise is the fusion of electronic music. The world music style OST. In fact, instead of being obsessed with the illusion of five-color auspicious clouds, you might as well look at the world around you, and you will find that such a movie is extremely naive.

Raya and the Last Dragon quotes

  • Raya: [Referring to Benja] You remind me of him.

    Sisu: Oh yeah? Strong? Good looking? With impeccable hair?

    Raya: Hopeful.

  • [first lines]

    Raya: I know what you're thinking. A lone rider. A distopian world. A land that's gone to waste. How did this world get so broken? Well, that all began 500 years ago. Kumandra. This is what we used to be when our land was whole, and we lived harmoniously alongside dragons, magical creatures who brought us water, and rain, and peace. It was paradise. But then, the druun came. A mindless plague that spread like wildfire. Multiplying as they consumed life and turned everyone they touched into stone. The dragons fought for us the best they could, but it wasn't enough. That's when the mighty Sisu Datuu, the last dragon, concentrated all her magic into a gem and blasted the druun away. Everyone that was turned to stone came back... except the dragons. All that was left of Sisu was her gem. It should have been this big inspirational moment where humanity united over her sacrifice, but instead, people being people, they all fought to possess the last remnant of dragon magic. Borders were drawn. Kumandra divided. We all became enemies, and the gem had to be hidden, but that's not how the world broke. That didn't truly happen until 500 years later when I came into the story.