Pop-Culturalist.com

Disney’s delightful new film, Moana, once again shows kids that it’s ok to be a strong, independent girl.

Moana (marvelously voiced by 16-year-old Auli’i Cravalho) is a young Pacific Islander, and the heir to her tribe’s chiefdom. Her father teaches her the ways of their people on their island, and he admonishes her for wanting to travel beyond their safe lagoon. On the other hand, her grandmother Tala (Rachel House) teaches her to use her inherent affinity for the ocean to listen to it and help her people. Just when Moana has resigned herself to a land-locked fate, her island begins dying. The coconuts her people harvest are rotten; the fish in the lagoon disappear. Her grandmother reveals that their ancestors had actually been voyagers who sailed from island to island, but stopped once the legendary shapeshifting demi-god named Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole the heart of the goddess Te Fiti, and he lost it. Since then, it’s only been a matter of time before the islands die. So, in order to save her tribe and her island, Moana embarks on a voyage across the ocean to find Maui and make him return the heart. That will restore the natural order. Along the journey, Moana not only reminds Maui to believe in himself, but she also learns the same lesson. She can be a strong leader of her people by listening to herself–not others. No one can tell her who to be; she can only be strong when she embraces who she is, deep inside.

The music is by Lin Manuel-Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina (Mancina also wrote the score). While it is hard for new Disney animated movies to compete musically with their classic library of films (like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, or Beauty & the Beast), Moana’s music was still pretty good. Empowering and catchy, the song “How Far I’ll Go” was by far the best of the bunch.

The animation was good as well. Moana’s home island was full of lush plants and flowers. The ocean was beautiful, mysterious, and playful. Te Ka, the lava goddess, was terrifying. One of my favorite scenes was at night on the ocean between Moana and her grandmother Tala. The starry sky reflected into the dark, still ocean was beautifully paired with the story and music. It was touching.

This combination of enchanting visuals, catchy songs, and an uplifting story make Moana Disney’s newest hit.

★ ★ ★ out of 4

Photo Credit: Disney