027. Ray (Intro)

Ray is the wonderfully whimsical Cajun firefly who is in love with the evening star Evangeline in Disney's Princess and the Frog. He makes it his mission to help Tiana and Naveen but his one dream mentioned in the film was to someday unite with his love.

For the model I've chosen the pose above because I think he'll stand really nicely and that was always going to be a major challenge with this model, due to his shape. In true Ray fashion I'm going to give him a happy expression instead because, although this one is cute, he's not Ray without his teeth. The wip post will be out throughout tomorrow, with the clean version to follow hopefully later in the evening. Character trivia is below, if you haven't seen the film MAJOR SPOILERS so don't read! As always thanks for subscribing!

• Ray appears to harbor some form of magical abilities though it is never explained or fully delved into. He was shown to create images of light in the open air, produce immense heat as he was able to light lotus flowers to have them illuminate during Ma Belle, Evangeline and most notably, he was shown to have the power to destroy shadow spirits, which are supposedly only destroyed by light magic.
• Ray's death seems to be a reference to Peter Pan, after he dies he joins his love Evangeline in the sky and becomes the second star to the right.
• Ray's death is also referenced in The Lion King, in that Timon believes aloud that stars are fireflies.
• Ray is one of the few Disney comic reliefs to die on screen along with Bing Bong.
• In storybooks and in Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream, Ray does not die.
• There are many references to Ray in the construction of Tiana's Palace. The walls of the dinner booths and the headlamps are shaped like lily pads which are symbolic of when Ray and his family helped Tiana and Naveen down the Bayou to Mama Odie, the table centerpieces are lit bayou flowers which are symbolic of the time he serenaded to Naveen and Tiana's first dance, and the restaurant is mostly decorated with green and lit gold like him.
• Jim Cummings has said in an interview that Ray is one of his favorite roles and would enjoy doing shorts starring the character. As of 2020, plans for any animated short films starring Ray are still yet to come to fruition.
• Ray was originally going to recover after being stepped on by Facilier, however, the filmmakers believed the story was too light, it was suggested that Ray should die and that his demise would result in him becoming a star beside Evangeline. The idea was praised, thus Ray's final fate was altered. The director also noted that the circumstances of Ray's death made Dr. Facilier more imposing as a villain.

See you in the next post,

Harley