JUST in time for a sizeable price hike on their burgeoning streaming service - not quite a year old yet - Disney have wheeled out another would be big gun.

Following Artemis Fowl and Soul before it, Raya and the Last Dragon this week officially skips the multiplex.

Unlike the aforementioned features - the former pants and the latter a triumph - Raya follows Mulan in debuting behind a paywall. Once again, Disney are putting faith into the belief that paying subscribers are willing to add £17.99 to their monthly tab for the right story. It’s a risk that seems to be paying off.

From directors Don Hall (Big Hero 6) and Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting), Raya and the Last Dragon is visual perfection. Every frame a million dollars.

Its story finds magic in the Southeast Asian tradition. Its cast is notable for being predominantly of East Asian descent. Disney once again courts controversy.

An exception to that rule is the film’s leading lady. Star Wars’ Kelly Marie Tran voices Raya. She’s a warrior in a dangerous world, a fighter with only a pill bug called Tuk Tuk for company.

Raya lives in Kumandra, a magical land threatened by monstrous creatures called the Druun. Five centuries prior to the film, the dragons of Kumandra sacrificed their lives to save humanity.

Now, however, they’re back and humanity is on its own.

Except, legend tells of one final dragon and perhaps Kumandra’s only hope. Can Raya and Tuk Tuk track down the last dragon and save the day? It’s no surprise to say they can but there are lessons to be learnt and twists to be faced along the way. Magic, Raya will learn, is not always enough to save the world.

In supporting roles, Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell star Awkwafina voices Sisu, the titular and goofy last dragon, with Daniel Dae Kim and Sandra Oh as Raya’s parents. Gemma Chan is Namaari, a warrior princess of the Fang Land and Raya’s enemy, and Benedict Wong shows up too as a giant by the name of Tong.

Beyond the sterling visuals, Raya and the Last Dragon benefits from a warmly satisfying story and heart-swelling episodes of triumph.

As can be expected from a post-Frozen Disney, this one’s also full of wit and empowering to the nth degree. You can’t ask for more.