Some Vietnamese words are used in this movie such as "Ba" which Raya calls her father. And "Oh, Toi" means "Oh, we're screwed"
The land of Kumandra is inspired by the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Laos.
Tuk Tuk was created out of necessity, as the story required a mode of transportation for Raya. After brainstorming ideas for what could serve such a purpose in a fantasy environment, the filmmakers created a hybrid animal with the ability to curl into a ball and ride. The visual development artists later expanded on this idea to create a full-fledged character in Tuk Tuk.
Raya's fighting style using two sticks is based on the Filipino martial art Kali, also known as Arnis or Escrima.
Raya means "great" in Indonesian. Raya means Hibiscus in Malay and also the National Flower for Malaysia.