Moana

Oh Disney, you’ve done it again. Frozen may have had audiences intrigued by Elsa’s icy spectacle as she let it go, but Moana keeps its audiences completely captivated with stunning animation, a gorgeous story, and charming characters. You’re welcome! 

Adventurous from birth Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), daughter of the island chief, has always been drawn to the sea. And the sea has been drawn to her. When the crops and fish start to mysteriously disappear, the ocean chooses Moana to find a legendary demigod and force him to return the goddess Te Fiti’s heart, which he stole thousands of years go. Moana leaves her island to find Maui (Dwayne Johnson), but the quest takes a turn when he refuses to return to Te Fiti and face the god of destruction, Te Ka. 

Straight up, this movie is just an all-around delight! A gorgeous hero’s journey reminiscent of Sinbad or Homer’s poems except set against a beautiful Polynesian backdrop with its own mythology, Moana is exciting, funny, and heart-warming. 

What I really love is the character of Moana herself. Set up to be the rebellious daughter of authority like Ariel or Merrida, Moana shifts away from said company by actually being one of the most believable and rational of the Disney heroines. Yes she is drawn to the sea and longs for adventure, but she loves her island and she does have this strong sense of duty towards it and her people at the same time and it’s wonderful to see a character like this because it brings an extra level of realism to the film. We identify with Moana and can relate to her on so many grounds. Thus we root for her from the start of her journey right through to the end. 

Her character is beautifully brought to life through the wonderful vocal performance of Auil’I Cravalho who is charming, dramatic, and funny all in one and her song ‘How Far I’ll Go’ lands her in the company of ‘Let It Go’ and ‘Colours of the Wind’: a bit Idina Menzel and a bit Judy Khun, all around beautiful. 

Then we have the character of the demigod Maui, brought to life by Dwayne Johnson. Maui is a stronger source of comic relief with his bragging song ‘You’re Welcome’, quick jokes, and conversations with his own tattoos (reminding me a little of Laurence Fishburne in Predators) and Johnson dishes this all up perfectly. Of course he does his more dramatic scenes well, but really Maui is all about the humour and the clashing of personalities, providing the film with its reluctant-buddy-comedy vibe. 

Whilst it’s hard to say anything fresh and sparkling about the Disney animation, because it really has all be said before, Moana stands in front of both Frozen and Zootopia on the animation front. The mythical characters and the tropical island setting make the movie a ripe site for stunning animation and indeed we get this! Incredible sparkling seaside and aquatic spectacles during the day and mesmerising Avatar-esque vividness in scenes set at night, everything about the animation in this movie works so beautifully so as to take your breath away. 

A story of identity, journey, adventure, and wonder, Moana is hands-down a must-see! 

Starring: Auil’I Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, and Jemaine Clement 

Rating: PG