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(It probably doesn’t hurt that many real-life babies do, in fact, look like Joe Pesci.) When she genuinely laughs, there’s nary a wrinkle on her face, but when she’s scheming, creases form around her eyes and nose that suggest a mischievousness beyond her years.
#Little noi png movie
The way she’s animated, she is in equal parts the most adorable character in the movie and the most ornery, veering between Gerber baby and mini Joe Pesci without ever seeming like anything other than one unified character. Granted, she may not be the most important of that quintet, at least when it comes to the film’s plot-the movie is named after Raya for a reason, after all, and the arc of the conflicted villain Namaari (voiced by Gemma Chan) is another highlight-but that doesn’t stop her from stealing scenes every bit as nimbly as she picks pockets. To be clear, “Baby ” is not an instant home run for me. Noi is just one of these five, and she is also the best. As for why she’s important to the story, on Raya’s journey to reunite the fictional kingdom of Kumandra, our protagonist is joined by four other humans, with each of them representing one of the five nations that Kumandra has fractured into. However, she’s also fully capable of holding her own in a fight (during her first encounter with Raya, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, she kicks the warrior princess in the neck), as well as performing monkey-aided acrobatic feats. The answer to the first question is: She’s a baby con artist, whose primary ruse is to use her darling features to distract people while her monkeys (called “Ongis” in the world of the film) pick their pockets.
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“Is she really so important that you’re writing a whole piece about how much you love this animated baby?” The answer to the second question is yes. Send me updates about Slate special offers.
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So the fact that Noi, who can stand, run, understand everything that’s said to her, and do pretty much everything a grown-up can do-except speak in words and be of adult stature-is still such a source of pure joy for me is one heck of an achievement. And as for babies with uncannily high levels of motor control-if you have ever experienced an existential crisis while watching child performers dance during the Tony Awards, then you know what I’m talking about-I generally find them kind of creepy. As far as “cute sidekicks” go: Minions? Pass. Like most people, I agree that Baby Yoda is great, but Boss Baby is a hard no. Noi, also known as Little Noi, is a baby (voiced by teenaged actress Thalia Tran), and she is also, as it happens, a criminal with three monkey sidekicks. There are a lot of things to like about Raya and the Last Dragon-its predominantly Asian American cast, its bold character and environment designs, its sweeping score-but perhaps the most likeable thing in the whole movie is the character Noi.
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