The story of Moana begins with the tale about an ancient demigod named Maui, who stole Te Fiti’s heart, a small jade stone that provides life to all the Islands. Many years later a little girl named Moana who is the future Chief on the Island of Motunui discovers that she has been chosen by the ocean to find Maui and return Te Fiti’s heart before the curse starves her people and kills the Island. Moana is told as a coming-of-age story about a brave young girl who starts out helping a baby sea turtle make it to the ocean into becoming a fierce descendant of Voyagers who must travel where her people are forbidden to go to save her island.
Moana is voiced by 16-year-old newcomer Auliʻi Cravalho. Cravalho is stellar in her first major role carrying the majority of the voice work as well as singing the music for the film.A quick rundown on how this one came together for those who care about the behind-the-scenes side. Directed by the veteran team of John Musker and Ron Clements (the guys behind The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Princess and the Frog) with co-directors Chris Williams and Don Hall, the screenplay came from Jared Bush. It was produced by Osnat Shurer under Walt Disney Animation Studios with John Lasseter as executive producer.
The budget sat in the $150–175 million range and the movie went on to haul in well over $640 million worldwide after its November 23, 2016 U.S. release (following an earlier AFI Fest premiere). Songs were handled by the powerhouse trio of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi, and Mark Mancina, with Mancina also scoring the picture. Supporting voices include Rachel House as Gramma Tala, Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Jemaine Clement as the giant crab Tamatoa, Alan Tudyk as the hilariously useless rooster Heihei, plus contributions from Oscar Kightley, Troy Polamalu, and others. Disney put real work into cultural accuracy with input from Polynesian advisors and the Oceanic Story Trust, which shows up in the details. Animation-wise it’s full CGI, with heavy emphasis on realistic water and environments that took years of development.
Now I’m not a huge fan of Disney original music, which sounds weird considering this is a musical, but for me, the songs were hit or miss. If you compare this film to Frozen, there won’t be any songs you have to hear your kids sing for 3 years past its expiration date. With that said, the singer excels given the monumental task asked of her for this project. Cravalho is the emotional avatar for not only the story but the songs performed in the film are very emotional and really inspiring for her character. The animation reminded a lot of Lilo & Stitch except this film had the technical ability to present a much better product visually than they had in 2002. The two best displays of visuals in the film are a battle scene pulled straight out of Mad Max: Fury Road and the nighttime scenes that get very creative with their illuminating color schemes.
I haven’t even mentioned the Great One yet (That’s Dwayne Johnson for you non-wrestling fans). The Rock plays Maui, a demigod who has been around for thousands of years. He wields a hook that was crafted by the Gods which allows him to shapeshift into any animal he chooses. While Maui views himself as a hero to the people, his selfishness is what caused the peril in the first place as he stole Te Fiti’s heart and cursed the island. Moana must team up with Maui to return the heart and defeat the lava monster Te Ka if she is to save her people. The Rock is serviceable in his role but really he isn’t the star here despite having the most memorable song in the film. His character is a cocky arrogant goof but he is funny enough for your kids to enjoy and really there isn’t much to dislike outside a few nitpicky issues. As a big fan of Johnson (Shut Up), I wanted a little more from him outta this role but understandably I’m not the target audience for this and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
For my money, Moana is the best Disney animated film of the year. Over five years of great work and research went into the details to represent the Polynesian people and their culture. These days, that kind of effort in films has to be rewarded. There are a few elements that we have already seen in Disney movies in the past but Moana is surely not your typical Disney Princess film. Moana is just a stunning movie to watch and a fun film for the family.
3.5/5
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