Synopsis
A young woman uses her navigational talents to set sail for a
fabled island. Joining her on the adventure is her hero, the legendary demigod
Maui.
Moana Waialiki is a sea voyaging enthusiast and the only
daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators. When her island's fisherman
can't catch any fish and the crops fail, she learns that the demigod Maui
caused the blight by stealing the heart of the goddess Te Fiti. The only way to
heal the island is to persuade Maui to return Te Fiti's heart, so Moana sets
off on an epic journey across the Pacific. The film is based on stories from
Polynesian mythology.
Moana is a daughter of the chief of her tribe, Coming from a
long line of navigators she sets off for a fabled island with her hero, the
demi God Maui. Along the voyage they battle the treacherous ocean and all which
it hides, all the while learning what the power love between friends can
accomplish.
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui
reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's
call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
Young navigator Moana (voice of Auli'i Cravalho), the
daughter of a Polynesian tribal chief, is chosen to find a precious artifact
that could save her people. She teams with demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to
locate a legendary island, and together the pair explore fantastical lands and
encounter incredible sea creatures in this animated adventure from Disney. The
film's soundtrack includes contributions from Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony and
Grammy-winning creator of the popular stage musical Hamilton.
Moana is admittedly a very predictable movie, but at its core it is one of the good animated films that will speak to children, mostly getting them asking themselves who they might be. Adults will also be engaged at the overall maturity of the storytelling, making it another Disney film for the whole family. Even the youngest of children will find themselves occupied, as the movie contains a supremely stupid rooster that gets into a lot of shenanigans making for a cheap laugh.
An adventurous teenager sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds. Along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she always sought: her own identity.
ReplyDeleteEasily ranks among the best from the Disney Studio, and a very worthy successor to Mulan 1998, a similar story equally well done.
Oddly also seems to be best work ever from Dwayne Johnson, perhaps not the first name I would have associated with "voice acting," but a star turn nonetheless.
I would say this is instant classic production.
Disney is currently having something of a banner year during an already multi-year hot-streak of success (five of the films in the top 10 for the 2016 worldwide box office totals are from the juggernaut, Zootopia is without a doubt one of the greatest animated films ever made and it’s in this author’s current top ten of 2016).
ReplyDeleteWhile Moana is no exception to the rule. Its visuals are vibrantly breathtaking, full of luscious bright colors that fit the Polynesian culture and Pacific setting, and the narrative is able to subvert some of the more tired and traditional tropes of Disney princesses.
Of course, being a Disney movie, the adventure is filled with a number of catchy tunes to sing along to, and I’m pleased to report that the soundtrack alone is definitely worth buying a ticket for. Naturally, it is filled with ritualistic chanting and other instruments relative to the Polynesian culture, but what’s most commendable are the well-written lyrics that provide further depth to the protagonists.
As mentioned, Dwayne Johnson even gets to sing, and not even does he hold his own, but he actually has my favorite song in the entire feature. Still, obviously the main attraction is the voice of Auli’i Cravalho, and she delivers gracefully.
Moana has something for everyone while successfully toying with the tried-and-true Disney princess formula.
Moana and Maui, once together, are great pairing, but there aren’t always as many laughs as you’ve come to expect from Disney. It’s not to say Moana is a placid film – it’s anything but – yet that energy of Hercules and Aladdin aren’t as apparent here. It may be something that will come with a second viewing, once the characters are clear in your mind, but the initial dryness is strange. They are brilliant in their unique styling – Maui’s tattoos and hook, and Moana’s chicken sidekick and powers over water – enough to be unforgettable.
ReplyDeleteThree thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped - and no one knows exactly why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes "Moana," a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli'i Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder.
Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she's always sought: her own identity.
The narrative is a fairly predictable hero's journey—Maui even calls her "The Chosen One"—but the movie is refreshing for its lack of a love interest; instead Moana learns how to chart her own course.
ReplyDeleteThis is Disney’s way of having its formulaic cake and eating it, too: “We know what we’re doing here, and we know that you know it, too. So please stop fretting and enjoy while the pieces fall into place.” Many of those pieces are deeply familiar for Disney fans, if not necessarily for Disney princesses: the musical introduction to the sheltered world of home, set against the sung longing for adventure (Beauty and the Beast), the rigid dad and campily evil undersea bad guy (The Little Mermaid), the unwelcome responsibility of rule (The Lion King), the jocular, magical assistant with dreams of his own (Aladdin).
Even if the story were idiotic and the dialogue unintelligible in “Moana,” you could sit in steady-state delight just watching the images on screen and listening to the music.