And then there are recent events that may have added more fuel to our fire. “Of course there is the indescribable factor of the quarantine, with which everyone briefly lost their minds,” said Adewunmi. “When all you have to do is roll off your bed and onto your laptop, you could say, ‘Do you know what I’m going to get into today? The father of ‘Onward’. “
And if you’re single and still struggling through the pandemic, isn’t it appealing to imagine a generally good-natured, relationship-oriented character who would love to be there for you? After “Raya” was over, I half expected Benja to jump off the screen onto the couch next to me, where he would finally be the supportive partner I have to watch stupid episodes of “The Circle” with. Plus, he looks great in patterned aqua blue tunics, and that can’t be said of every dad.
“You see, I don’t even think I could do it, so in a way he’s way superior to me,” said Daniel Dae Kim. When I called Kim a few weeks ago, Raya and the Last Dragon had just been released and he had started to take in the excitement on the Internet. “And I’ve gotten a lot of comments about how this character looks like me, too,” Kim said. “Well, I think that because of the transitive quality, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
In fact, Kim revealed that Benja got hotter and hotter as it progressed: “The character I originally saw was thinner and slimmer and longer,” he said. “I found that fascinating, and then when I saw a rough cut it was wider, a little more muscular, and I noticed a hairline that looked like mine.”
Still, it all has to be more than just well-rendered computer modeling, right? As Kim pondered Benjamin’s appeal, he wondered if these animated fathers convey a sense of G-rated comfort in a cultural moment he is sorely lacking.
“In a way, I think Benja is the dad we all want,” said Kim. “He’s a warrior, but he’s kind and compassionate to his children and tries to unite people rather than divide them.”
