Moana (November 23, 2016)

The film tells the story of Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti. When a blight strikes her island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a legendary demigod, in the hope of returning the relic to Te Fiti and saving her people. Along with Zootopia, it marked the first time since 2002 that Walt Disney Animation Studios released two feature films in the same year. Starting off, the animation is beautiful. The ocean waves are at once lively and dangerous, altogether awe inspiring. It is impressive how far Disney has come when creating these masterful affects. The other locations are well done, but the ocean is the headliner (it is even given its own character and small personality). The music is also great with favorites being “We Know the Way” and “You’re Welcome”. Together these elements truly capture the spirit of Polynesian culture, particularly Hawaiian and Tahitian. In fact, a special dubbing in each of those languages was produced and released by Disney which marked the second time Disney has released a special dubbing dedicated to the culture which inspired the film: the first case was The Lion King (1994), for which the directors travelled to South Africa to cast voice actors for a Zulu-dubbed version. Moving on to the plot, it is intriguing enough, with adventure, danger, heart and humor. Moana feels trapped by the expectations put upon her by her father and her tribe. She is to be the chief and a chief must put the needs of her people over herself. But she feels that her destiny lies beyond her island home. And that calling puts her at war with herself. It is quite similar to Brave, although deeper and farther reaching than simple romance. The comparison does not stop there, as this film does not feature romance either (in fact it is not mentioned at all). As with Brave, I have a problem with this. I expect a fantastical love story when I watch a disney princess movie, not an adventure, coming of age film. This does not make the film bad; it just does not meet my expectations and thus leaves me unsatisfied. Moana is a fine, headstrong and determined young girl, wise beyond her years though inexperienced in leading and adventuring. Maui, her demigod companion, is fantastic; He steals the show. He is sarcastic, bold, funny, and endearing. He is the cause of the predicament that has befallen Moana and her island, a blight that has swept the land threatening to destroy it all. But, after some extensive convincing, he joins Moana to right his wrong and change his worldly image. One final issue I have is in regard to the animal companion. Heihei is an annoying and irritating roaster who unjustly replaces Pua, an actually intelligent pig who would have been much more interesting and tolerable. Overall, Moana is a beautiful film with great songs and (mostly) characters and a good plot, that makes a fine addition to Disney’s catalogue of Princess films.

Final Rating: 7/10