This is very much a standard Disney Princess movie for our time: not only is Raya self-assertive, a-la-Rapunzel in Tangled, and resisting traditional societal expectations for girls, a-la-Mulan, or Merida in Brave (or even Elsa in Frozen); she seems not to need such resistance at all, but simply walks into a warrior role, leading an action-adventure, a-la-Moana, that, 30 years ago, would normally have been conducted by a boy/man. Raya's main enemy is another warrior-princess and her mother; there is no love interest (a-la-Elsa and Moana), but a strong relationship with her father, which she attempts to restore by turning him back from stone.
Another interesting aspect of this movie is its marketing as Southeast Asian. From what I can tell by reading articles about it, the mythology is not strongly tied to a particular Southeast Asian country, language/tradition, or myth, but draws on many, as is also reflected in the creative team and voice actors. That is very similar to the pan-South American approach found in another animated project released this year, Maya and the Three. And both are very much like Game of Thrones, which draws on a vaguely European mythology, without being closely beholden to any particular aspect of it. And that, I think, is as it should be, even if more faithful representations of myths and traditions should have their place in entertainment too.
Another interesting aspect of this movie is its marketing as Southeast Asian. From what I can tell by reading articles about it, the mythology is not strongly tied to a particular Southeast Asian country, language/tradition, or myth, but draws on many, as is also reflected in the creative team and voice actors. That is very similar to the pan-South American approach found in another animated project released this year, Maya and the Three. And both are very much like Game of Thrones, which draws on a vaguely European mythology, without being closely beholden to any particular aspect of it. And that, I think, is as it should be, even if more faithful representations of myths and traditions should have their place in entertainment too.