MOANA REVIEW

Disney has done it again! Since the late ‘80s, the majority of Disney’s animated films have been musicals, and they’ve been quite successful. With Oscar-winning ventures from 1989’s The Little Mermaid to the more recent Frozen, they have been leading the industry in revitalizing musicals for the big screen. And their latest film is no exception.  

Moana stars the voices of Auli'l Cravalho and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and it’s a Pacific Island paradise of a film. I have to admit, when I first saw the trailer I was intrigued, but unsure. Could Dwayne Johnson hold his own in an animated musical? I mean, has anyone heard The Rock sing? How would he do? It turns out I was happily surprised and thrilled with it all.

Moana is a girl from the island of Motunui in the Pacific. From the time she is a toddler, tentatively walking barefoot on the sand, she feels the sea calling to her. Yet she spends her childhood and early adolescence doing her best to suppress the urge to explore places beyond her home island. As the daughter of the chief, and the next chief in line, (How cool is that?) Moana knows that her island, which has been experiencing problems, needs her. Her grandmother tells her that the island’s problems stem from a magic stone stolen from an island goddess. She urges Moana to find the demigod named Maui who stole it, and convince him to return the stone. Can she find Maui and heal her island? Will Maui be willing to help her? It is absolutely worth seeing Moana and and finding out!

I loved this movie. It’s a solid production, bolstered by music written by Opetaia Foa'i and Hamilton's Lin Manuel Miranda. Its gorgeous animation brilliantly depicts the ocean’s sights, from the intricate shell on a giant coconut crab, down to the finest grains of sand. I especially appreciated how the story concentrates on Moana being the next chief, and doesn't go down the path of assuming she can't because she is a girl. That's what I think indeed made it special: It is always asserted that Moana is inherently capable, and will make a great chief to her people one day. I had only one complaint, in that I felt like the beginning was a little slow. But the music and the animation moved things along, and was well worth it in the end.

THE VERDICT

Moana may be slow to start, but with its fantastic performances, songs, and animation, it keeps you entertained. I give it an A-.