That’s the pretty obvious message from some who have delved into a debate about Disney’s upcoming film, Raya and the Last Dragon.
The animated film is about a young girl named Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, or KMT) on her quest to find the last dragon in order to unite a village.
It features stars of Asian descent, including Golden Globe-winning actress Sandra Oh, Awkwafina and Gemma Chan.
But the casting has led to conversations as the film’s story has a Southeast Asian origin and many of the actors in the cast are of East Asian descent.
“A friendly reminder that real Southeast Asians are not excited about Raya and the Last Dragon,” one person tweeted. “They basically threw the whole region in a blender and hired so few Southeast Asian actors for the roles. It sucks, it looks like Disney didn’t want to respect us.”
Another tweeted, “I’m actually very conflicted about the new cast of Raya and the Last Dragon. I love all the cast. But basically everyone except the KMT is East Asian. Imagine how great it would be if Southeast Asian actors were cast. Southeast Asian actors are very rare in Hollywood.”
CNN has contacted Disney for comment.
Representation in Hollywood has been a hot topic for years, and there was excitement in 2018 when “Crazy Rich Asians” became the first major studio film since “The Joy Luck Club” decades earlier to feature a predominantly Asian cast.
That same year, Tran wrote a commentary for The New York Times after she was harassed online and targeted for racist comments.
“You may know me as Kelly. I am the first woman of color to have a starring role in a ‘Star Wars’ movie,” she wrote. “I am the first Asian woman to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair. My real name is Loan. And I’m just getting started.”
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