Some Filipinos are wondering if they can watch Disney’s latest fantasy film “Raya and the Last Dragon” due to limited accessibility.
The movie is scheduled to premiere in theaters worldwide this March 5. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Disney Studios only offers it through its platform Disney Plus or Disney+, which is not available in the country yet.
Disney+ works similar to other digital streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, among others, wherein customers can access its massive database of films and series using an account for a fee.
However, unlike its competitors, the service is only available to viewers in the following countries:
- US
- Canada
- Netherlands
- Austria
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- Switzerland
- France
- India
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Finland
- Norway
- Portugal
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Monaco
- Wallis and Futuna
- French West Indies
- French Guiana
- New Caledonia
- Japan
- Indonesia
- Latin America
- Réunion
- Mayotte
- Mauritius
- Singapore
The streaming service was only made available to Singapore residents last February 23.
The limited access was discussed on Reddit Philippines wherein users pointed out that the story of the new Disney princess is based on the cultures of the region where the streaming platform cannot be accessed.
The animated feature “Raya and the Last Dragon” follows the adventures of Raya, a warrior from the fictional world of Kumandra.
READ: Disney’s ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ takes audience on an Asian-inspired adventure
It was promoted to have various cultural references and elements from Southeast Asia.
Moreover, celebrated Filipino singer KZ Tandingan, also considered “Asia’s Soul Supreme,” sung Disney’s first Filipino language track titled “Gabay.”
READ: Mimiyuuuh congratulates KZ Tandingan for Disney Filipino song with this joke
On Thursday, a Reddit user re-posted another user’s post which featured a screenshot of a tweet, saying: “Why is nobody talking about the newest Disney princess Raya?”
In the screenshot, a user responded: “The movie about an SEA story isn’t even accessible to Southeast Asiana because we don’t have Disney+.”
And they wonder why piracy is still alive in 2021. *Sad trombone noises from r/Philippines
Filipino Reddit users quipped that they will have to resort to pirating the movie again.
“I will just wait for it to be posted on torrent sites in a few hours from now,” a Reddit user said.
“A big thank you to our sponsor for today, Nord VPN,” another said.
A report from Esquire Philippines stated that should Disney+ be accessible to Filipinos, it could cost P359 per month.
Reports earlier said “Raya and the Last Dragon” will hit the cinemas this month but it was not certain whether the film was already released in areas under modified general community quarantine in the Philippines, where cinemas are already open.
