MOVIE REVIEW: Moana

Moana (2016)

Animation, Adventure

Directed By: Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker, and Chris Williams

Let's skip the usual spiel about how Disney has been trying to bring the "princess" story into the twenty-first century and what was problematic about them in the past, yadda, yadda, yadda. By now, we have all heard the complaints and have complained ourselves, and Disney has no doubt heard them. Both Tangled and Frozen played as literal responses to these issues, but still, they suffered from some of the key aspects bogging down some of their classics. Well, Disney has seemingly finally found an answer to those problems and it comes from ancient Polynesia. 

On the small Polynesian island of Motunui, the daughter of the chief, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) is poised to be the next leader of the people, but her heart lies somewhere else. Ever since she was a child she has been drawn to the sea, where she believes great wonders await her. After uncovering her people's lost lineage and realizing the darkness that awaits them in the future, she realizes she is the only one who can save the island and her people inhabiting it. To do so she must recruit the help of shamed demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and his magic fish hook so together they can restore life to the world.

Disney has always kept a good balance with their animated films jumping between "princess" stories (which tend to be the musicals) and the adventure style stories. What makes Moana so unique is that it is a brilliant blend of both. Though I wouldn't call this a "princess" movie it definitely draws from the best aspects of those kinds of stories. Small things like Moana realizing she doesn't need to stand for the patriarchy, and that sometimes following your heart is a smarter move than following your mind. In fact, Moana at one point in the film points out that she is not a princess, and she is definitely no damsel in distress. 

Voiced incredibly by newcomer Auli'i Cravalho, Moana is a leader, which is why she goes on this adventure, she knows it is her duty as such to go out and save her people. This sets her on an epic adventure rooted in deep ancient mythology, making for a thrilling piece of cinema. From the demigod, Maui, voiced wonderfully by Dwayne Johnson, to the wild monsters they encounter along the way the film is never short of excitement. 

What drew me to this movie from the start was the inclusion of Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda on the soundtrack. I am admittedly obsessed with his Hamilton musical so I could not wait to see what he would do with Disney. To put it simply, the music in Moana is some of the all-time greatest they have ever brought to a film. Lin's influence is felt on nearly every track and there isn't a bad song in the bunch. Even The Rock manages to charm our pants off in his song "You're Welcome" and Jemaine Clement brings his best Bowie impression to one of the truly great Disney villain songs. 

One of the biggest improvements Disney has made over the past decade or so is their ability to do 3D animation. What was once dominated by Pixar is now rivaled by everything they put out, and this is the biggest swing yet. Moana is an absolutely gorgeous movie to look at and if it weren't for Kubo and the Two Strings being released in the same year I'd say it was hands down the best-looking film of the year. 

Disney has been crushing it as of late in just about every aspect of their studio, but the animation even more so. Moana was their second release this year and having dominated its opening weekend the two films have proven to be massively successful. It has also been revealed that Lin-Manuel Miranda is also working on another secret animated movie for Disney as well, so the hype going forward for these guys is huge. Disney has once again regained its place at the top of the animated world, and I for one welcome it with open arms. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!