Local writer pens Disney movie

Nguyen: ‘Raya is that hero I’ve always wanted to see’

Warrior princess Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, seeks the help of Kumandra’s last surviving dragon Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina, in the new Disney film “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which was co-written by El Dorado-native Qui Nguyen. (Courtesy of Disney)
Warrior princess Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, seeks the help of Kumandra’s last surviving dragon Sisu, voiced by Awkwafina, in the new Disney film “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which was co-written by El Dorado-native Qui Nguyen. (Courtesy of Disney)

Those who have lived in El Dorado for a significant period of time are likely familiar with the name Qui Nguyen; maybe you saw his play “Living Dead in Denmark” staged at El Dorado High School a few years ago, or maybe you knew him from the East Main Dairy Diner, which his parents owned and operated for a number of years.

Qui Nguyen
Qui Nguyen

A graduate of El Dorado High School, Nguyen has spent more than a decade making his way in the world of professional theatre. He founded his own theatre company, the Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company, with other EHS grads and has written several well received plays like “Living Dead in Denmark” and “She Kills Monsters,” which was the most-staged play by high schools in 2019, among many others.

He also has several television credits to his name, including work for Marvel Studios, the PBS series “Peg+CAT” and Netflix’s “The Society,” as well as titles for AMC and SyFy.

Nguyen’s latest endeavor took him to the writer’s room at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he penned “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which is currently showing at Stars Theater.

“Disney Animation movies are part of the pop-culture fabric of all our histories. We all grew up with Mickey Mouse and Aladdin and Elsa,” Nguyen said in an email to the News-Times. “To know that something I helped create will now be part of that history is absolutely mind-blowing. I’m still trying to take that in.”

“Raya and the Last Dragon” tells the story of a kingdom divided.

Sisu, the last dragon of Kumandra, and Raya, from the Disney film “Raya and the Last Dragon” are seen in this still image. (Courtesy of Disney)
Sisu, the last dragon of Kumandra, and Raya, from the Disney film “Raya and the Last Dragon” are seen in this still image. (Courtesy of Disney)

Five hundred years after the dragons of Kumandra created a magical orb to ward off the evil Druun that have been stealing people’s life forces, the Kumandran people have split into five tribes. When the orb is broken into five pieces that are taken by members of each of Kumandra’s five tribes, it’s up to warrior princess Raya and her new friend Sisu, the only surviving dragon in the land, to unite the people and reassemble the orb.

“It’s hard not to see the parallels to the world of our movie and the actual world we live in,” Nguyen said. “In our film, the world is divided due to monsters called the Druun. Raya sets out to save her world by trying to find a magic dragon. But she soon learns that it isn’t magic that will save them; it’s only by working together - including with those who she considers her enemy - that the world can truly be saved.”

Nguyen’s parents immigrated to the United States from Vietnam and he said their cultural background, as well as that of Southeast Asia in general, inspired him when he and co-writer Adele Lim wrote “Raya.”

“The people and cultures of Southeast Asia were the inspiration for the film,” Nguyen said. “And personally, being the son of Vietnamese refugees, it was incredible to be able to write a film that celebrates my family’s cultural backgrounds.”

According to IGN, an online entertainment media outlet, the film’s production team traveled to several countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, while doing research for “Raya.” In addition to his role as screenwriter, Nguyen also served as a martial arts consultant for the film; IGN reported the he said Raya’s fighting style is based on the Indonesian martial art style pencak silat, with some influences from Muay Thai.

Nguyen first joined the Disney family when he was recruited to work in the Marvel Studios Writers Program, he said, which is located on the same lot as the Walt Disney Animation Studios. When he decided to explore the neighboring studio one day on a lunch break, he learned about the early production of “Raya and the Last Dragon.” He knew right away it was a project he couldn’t let pass him by, he said.

“I immediately wanted to be involved as it’s always been a huge dream of mine to write and introduce a new superhero to the world that would look like me and my kids,” he said. “Raya is that hero I’ve always wanted to see.”

Qui Nguyen, who co-wrote the new Disney film “Raya and the Last Dragon,” said it has been a long-time dream of his to create a new superhero who shares elements of his family’s culture and characteristics. Warrior princess Raya is seen in this still image from the film. (Courtesy of Disney)
Qui Nguyen, who co-wrote the new Disney film “Raya and the Last Dragon,” said it has been a long-time dream of his to create a new superhero who shares elements of his family’s culture and characteristics. Warrior princess Raya is seen in this still image from the film. (Courtesy of Disney)

Writing for Disney Animation was unlike any previous writing experience, Nguyen, said. Unlike writing for television or the stage, where he would typically hand off his script to a director, Nguyen was involved throughout the entire production process.

“Writing a Disney Animation feature requires the writer to be part of the process not just at the beginning, but throughout the entire filmmaking process including story boards, layout, and animation,” he said. “It’s far more collaborative than any other storytelling medium I’ve ever experienced, and also one of the most artistically satisfying.”

In addition to playing in theaters, “Raya and the Last Dragon” is also available for purchase on Disney+ Premier Access. It is scheduled to become streamable on the service on June 4, and for DVD and Blu-Ray release on May 18.

For Nguyen, seeing his work on the big screen under the Disney brand is still hard to believe.

“This is a huge dream that I still can’t believe came true,” he said.

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