Moana Review
Ocean, the second frontier (the first being land). This is the voyage of Moana Waialiki (Auli'i Cravalho), daughter of the chief Tui Wailiki (Temuera Morrison) of their unnamed island, and next in line. After an intense opening that sets up Maui (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) for a proper introduction in a later act, Moana learns her island history from her grandmother (Rachel House) as a toddler, and the ocean "chooses" her to boldly go where no one has gone since Maui stole the island heart in the opening: past the reef. After trying and failing as a teen, Moana learns what she wasn't taught in history class and sets out on a fun, musical quest, that's more adventerous than Frozen and as heartwarming as any other 2010s Disney movie. Moana's spirit of adventure resonates with almost anyone in the audience (if the short film shown before did not), and her time with Maui doesn't force a will they/won't they romance, but is more Ralph and Vanellope. If they do a sequel, there might be some romance, but I digress. And just like any other Disney movie, the animation is gorgeous! A tangible world that doesn't try forcing the appearence of live action. Whether it's the ultra realistic ocean water, musical numbers, or the large scale last-act, Moana is animated as beautifully as ever, and then some. The only thing that compares is the soundtrack, from the songs of the musical numbers, or the score, Moana's got great music all around. The musical numbers establish island life and give us a feel for the Polynisian culture that inspired this film. Moana is not just a great new Disney character who will be the next new meet-and-greet at Disney World/Land, but one of 2016's best films yet, and one of my new favorites from Disney's library! The 2010s truely are Disney's second renassaince, and Moana just settles it!