Back in the early 1990’s, I was privileged to grow up with some of Disney’s greatest animated movies, and looking back on that time, I was never really aware of the great Golden Age of Disney animation I was living in until years later. Well, I’m going to say it now before it’s too late … “the current two-thousand-teens mark a new Golden Age of Disney animation”. There was a time in which it seemed that Disney could never produce an animated film better then Pixar, but in the twenty-teens they’re actually surpassing most of what Pixar has done in the past couple years. With films like “Frozen”, “Big Hero 6” and “Zootopia” receiving critical acclaim, and breaking records at the box office. Disney’s 2016 animated movie “Moana” is yet another outstanding entry to their collective works, and personally, this is the Disney movie that has won me over to this new Golden age. After the death of traditional 2D animation, I was in denial that I could ever truly love another animated Disney film. Well, not only is “Moana” my personal favorite of the 3D animated Disney movies, but I might just put it among my top favorite Disney films in general. It’s a film that stays true to the Disney formula, but it also adds new layers to it, along with a big splash of creative originality.
“Moana” was Disney’s 56th animated studio feature and might just be their first original fantasy story that’s not adapted from any existing source material. Previous Disney movies like “Tangled” and “Frozen” were all adapted from existing fairytales and novels like “Rapunzel” and “The Ice Queen”, but “Moana” is a completely original tail that’s heavily influenced through Polynesian Mythology. While myths of the demy God character Moui do stem from the real Polynesian islands, there was still no specific literary score material for “Moana”, which makes the end product feel all the more special. In this movie, Moana is an island princess who sets sail for an adventure across the sea in an effort to save her island from a mysterious darkness that’s slowly killing her home. Her goal is to find the mystic and mischievous Demy God named Moui, who was responsible for angering a Goddess and setting the Ocean world out of balance. Through her courage and moral strength, she puts the self-centered demy God on the path of redemption, and a friendship ensues between the two. Together they aim to bring balance back to the ocean by calming the angered Sea Goddess. On their quest they sail to various mystical islands, battle pirates, a giant crab monster, and come across various other oddities along the journey.
The first thing that won me over is the character Moana herself. Oh, my goodness … I absolutely adored this character. It’s hard to explain, but there’s something about this character that feels very special and sets a new standard for the Disney princesses.
She has all the same cute quirks and a contagiously cheerful personality that made previous characters like Rapunzel and Anna appealing, but she also has the same strong, independent, character driving force that I loved from many of Hayao Miyazaki’s Anime characters, like Princess Nausicaa from “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”. The opening scene alone in which she chooses to protect a baby sea turtle instead of taking a pretty item from the beach summed up everything great about this character. Also, unlike the majority of Disney Princesses, who rarely ever have any interaction with the people of their kingdoms, Moana actually goes out among her people, helps them with their daily lives and just puts her all into her position of leadership, which is really refreshing. It’s also great to see a Disney Princess from a different ethnicity, and not just another blond girl. There’s also some very funny self-referential hummer aimed at common princess tropes, most notably of all is that a non-princess will still be labeled as such. The voice cast, while small is still phenomenal, especially newcomer Auli’I Cravalho who supplies the voice of our lead princess. She’s definitely a new talent to watch out for and brings the character of Moana to life with a breathtaking voice, and lots of passion.
Dwayne Jonson is also very good and extremely charismatic as the self-centered Demy God Moui, who’s one of those jerk characters you can't help but enjoy. Dwayne Jonson in general has always been a charming talent and it’s great to finally see that appeal come to life in an animated character.
The cute comedic side characters also provide some laughs, most notably is Maui’s little tattoo that comes to life, and seems to have the most personality of anyone. On that note, I love how Maui’s tattoos can come to life and tell stories, as it’s visually captivating and something that I’ve never seen before. Alan Tudyk is also very funny as a brainless rooster, although he admittedly is the most useless animal sidekick I’ve ever seen, and usually Disney’s comedic animals can be just as funny as they are helpful … but not this rooster. I also really liked the kooky grandma character, who's both funny, and lends herself to some of the films more wholesome moments.
Another one of the films great strengths is its enchanted ocean setting. Personally, I can’t remember the last time I felt this submersed in a film's magical environment. Unlike “The Little Mermaid” that only featured an underwater Kingdome with mythical Mer-people, the ocean setting of "Moana" takes on a completely unique life of its own and features some of the wildest things I’ve ever seen. We have a Goddesses becoming one with the surroundings of nature, a different realm full of monsters that dwell under the ocean floor, people coming back from the dead as animal spirits, and even the Ocean water itself is like a living entity with its own distinct personality. There’s a very atmospheric scene in which Monna discovers a cavern of ships, and through pounding on the drums, it causes the lanterns to flare up and a tapestry comes to life telling the story of her ancestors. Just about everything from the setting, to the culture, to the myths intrigued me. The stunning 3D animation speaks for itself. Of course, it looks great, with very absorbing colors, but the backdrops half the time are some of the most photo realistic to come from a Disney production. There’s even select moments in which traditional 2D animation is woven in with the 3D cells, and it’s such a cool effect that celebrates both the old and the new.
One thing that appeals to my own personal taste is the overall tone and pacing of the movie. I love how this film takes it’s time allowing the audience to get to know the characters, while also letting us enjoy the films unique environment. It never feels rushed, but also has a great deal of energy and fun on display. Having said that, there are some people, particularly little kids that might feel the exact opposite, and may find it a little boring in places. I say this mostly because when I saw this movie in the theater, I heard a lot of kids asking their parents when the film was going to end. Personally, I felt the film delivered more than enough entertainment, as well as some well-placed action scenes. I loved all the sinister creatures our heroes battled on their journey, and felt they came in a nice variety, with unique designs, and even their own charms. One of my favorite action highlights is when our heroes are attacked by these little coconut pirates, who all had fun designs and I loved the visual details of their ships.
Of course, I can't forget about the giant crab monster named Tamatoa, who basically steals the show with one scene. He might just be my favorite of the one-shot villains, kind of like Madam Mim from “The Sword in the Stone”, who’s only there for one sequence, but still very memorable. His villain song "Shinny" is a lot of fun too in just how colorful and wired it is. On that note, lets finally talk about the songs, as this is yet another one of Disney’s best animated musicals. These songs are outstanding as they both sound great, and add substance to the films themes, ideas and characters. Dwayne Johnsons “You're Welcome” is probably one of the catchiest tunes I’ve heard in years, and it's also very funny. The musical number “We Know the Way” boasts another very upbeat melody that continues to bounce in my head after I listen to it. My personal favorite number is the triumphant “I Am Moana” song which was both touching and got me thrilled. Of course, the big break out, Oscar Winning original song is “How Far I'll Go”, which thankfully didn’t overstay it’s welcome the same way “Let it Go” did back in “Frozen”.
If I had any reservations with “Moana”, it would be that the film occasionally recycles some very familiar elements and tropes from previous films. We have an ignorant parent who can’t see passed his own narrow sited mind, we have the two friends breaking apart even though we know they’ll get back together, etc. However, the execution of all these tropes, the story in general, and especially the moral at the end is all masterfully handled, so there’s really not much to complain about. For every recognizable Disney formula on display, there’s some clever twists to other time warn clichés, and again the films setting continues to excite the imagination with no shortage of creativity. The climax also plays with expectations, as it starts a blazing spectacle in which our hero’s battle a giant lava monster, but then it gradually transitions into one of the most touching and impactful finales I’ve seen in recent years. For me, this one final scene of Moana slowly walking down the split Ocean Road toured the ragging monster just gave me chills all over. It was shot beautifully, and it got me right in the “feels”.
All in all, “Moana” combines everything I love into one highly entertaining animated experience. It has great music, the atmosphere of its magical setting is consistently enticing, and even the moral was very meaningful without shoving the message down your throat. Of course, Moana herself just seemed to combine all the best Disney princess into one perfect package, while still feeling like an original character who could stand apart from the crowd. It goes without saying that I loved this film and love it more with repeated viewings. While I also loved previous 3D princess movies like “Tangled” and “Frozen”, this one just connected with me, and felt special. I’d easily put “Moana” among Disney’s best Princess offerings, and considering how big their lineup has been … that’s really saying something.
Thanks for reading my review of the 2016 animated Disney movie “Moana” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!
