Moana

Directed by

Ron Clements and John Musker

Very few movies - regardless of genre - are as beautiful, fun, thrilling, and emotional as Disney's newest animated feature, Moana. When it was first advertised and then released, I had very little interest in seeing it, but thanks to my son's influence, I finally caught up to it and was captivated from beginning to end. 

The story is loosely based on real Polynesian mythology, and centers around a young girl, the titular Moana, and Maui, a demigod with the power to shape-shift thanks to his magical fish hook. When an ancient curse threatens her island, Moana sets out to find Maui and save her people.

The audience first meets Moana when she is a small child, but the bulk of the story takes place when she is in her late teens. She's a beautiful, strong, empathetic, and intelligent character - someone who thinks of others before herself and is willing to risk everything for her people's safety. Don't mistake her for a cliched movie heroine, though - Moana has faults and insecurities like an actual teenager, which was quite refreshing. After a casting call that ended up in hundreds of auditions, Auli'i Cravalho makes her film debut while providing the voice for grown up Moana. She does a wonderful job and her performance is full of joy, passion, and a search for knowledge and understanding. If nothing else, I'm sure Cravalho will have plenty of voice acting opportunities in the future, if she wants to pursue that as a career. 

* Infant Moana, as we first meet her... *

* ... And as a teenage soon-to-be chieftain *

Moana is the only daughter of her island's chief and is destined to be chief herself one day, so her father is understandably strict when it comes to her dreams of sailing past the reef that surrounds the island and out into the ocean proper. Moana's people are forbidden to go past the reef, but when the curse finally reaches their section of the ocean and the fish and vegetation starts to vanish, she understands what needs to be done. Thanks to her grandmother's teachings, Moana knows all about the ancient stories and, more importantly, believes in them. She sets out on her journey to find Maui and the adventure begins.

* The demigod Maui, covered in interactive tattoos and wielding his magical fish hook *

The character of Maui can be found in many different Polynesian island's folklore and the filmmakers took bits and pieces of different stories to craft their own version - someone responsible for pulling the islands out of the sea, inventing fire, and creating wind, just to name a few of his exploits. I really enjoyed the little mythology lesson that opens the film. The various stories provide a rich tapestry of which to draw inspiration from and Moana uses them to great success, I think. I have no experience with these kinds of stories, so everything was new and interesting to me.

Maui is a brash, confident, and egotistical guy, but if I was a demigod, I'd probably be vain and have a high opinion of myself, too, so I can't blame him. Dwayne Johnson is a charismatic, larger than life performer and was the perfect choice to voice such a great character. Johnson, who in real life is physically built like a god and is actually of Samoan descent, seems tailored made for the role.  I've been a fan of Johnson's since his WWE days, but I think he's an even better film actor than he was a professional wrestler. His voice acting is superb and instantly drew me into his character.

* One of Maui's most frequently used alternate forms - perfect for getting from one place to another quickly *

One aspect of Maui's special powers - his ability to shape shift into any animal in an instant - reminded me of a different Disney supporting character, Genie from Aladdin. Maui actually shares a lot of the same personality traits as Genie - they are both over-the-top, hilarious, and ultimately sensitive characters who are the perfect compliments to their main characters, but he never felt like a rip-off of that great, iconic character and the comparison didn't hurt Moana in my eyes at all.

Johnson gets to show off his singing voice in one very memorable scene when Moana and Maui first meet. I'm not sure if I have a favorite song yet from the film - I think that kind of thing can only be truly revealed after multiple viewings - but this is definitely one of them. Not only are the music and lyrics fun and catchy, but the animation (using traditionally looking 2D cutouts in parts) is astounding and it's a perfect introduction to a great character.

Click on the link below to watch the clip in its entirety: 

Obviously, a lot of credit for Moana's excellence has to go to the creative team behind the scenes: the directors, writers, and animators. Co-directors Clements and Musker have a long history with Disney and have directed some of the studio's best and most loved films from their "Renaissance" period in the late 1980's and 90's, including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules. Their last directorial effort, The Princess and the Frog from 2009, was also a very good film, but it was much more uneven and  less compelling compared to Moana. Directing an animated film is a lot like directing a live action one, but generally with even more control over the entire process. Clements and Musker were intricately involved in nearly every aspect of the production. They helped develop the story (though final screenplay credit goes solely to Jared Bush), directed the voice actors, oversaw the animation team, and guided the team behind the soundtrack. I hope the success they had with Moana leads to many more jobs in the future - I'd love to see what they come up with next and not have to wait another seven years. 

The writing process for most Disney animated films is usually filled with several different (sometimes wildly so) versions of the script and Moana was not an exception. The story went through many revisions - there are seven people with "Story by" credits on the film - before the final plot was agreed upon and Bush was tasked with writing the screenplay. It's hard to say who came up with what ideas, but however it ended up, it was well worth the years of effort. Bush does a fine job honing all sorts of mythologies, characters, and themes into a cohesive, multilayered package. The plot is intriguing, the characters are fun and believable, and the themes are universal and easily accessible to children, but deep enough to provide adults with something to think about, too. At various points, Moana is funny, exciting, and heartwarming and a lot of credit must go to Bush, an obviously talented writer, who was also responsible for the other great Disney film of 2016, Zootopia. While 2016 was a crappy year for celebrity deaths and politics, it was a great year for Jared Bush and Disney! 

The animation may well be the best aspect of Moana and that's really saying something, considering how much I loved everything else about the film. It is definitely one of the best looking animated films I've ever seen and could easily find it's way onto some future revision of my Top 10 Most Beautiful Films list. Every single detail in the film is painstakingly rendered and looks gorgeous and, especially in the case of the environment aspects, 100% realistic. From the characters' flowing hair to the feathers on the birds to the swaying leaves and grass, every little thing that moves does so in such a magnificent way. The people and creatures are believable and the landscapes are magnificent. As a whole, the entire film is just breathtaking to look at. Every frame has something, either large or small, to marvel at.

Here's just a taste of how beautiful Moana is: 

I want to pay special attention to one additional aspect in particular. Throughout the film, the ocean itself is a character. It has picked Moana as the one who should seek out Maui and reverse the curse that threatens the world and is manifested on screen as water that can manipulate itself and interact with the different characters. The water can bend around people, revealing important things, and even exert its force on people, throwing them from the water and onto boats, for example. The way it's depicted reminded me a lot of how James Cameron used water in The Abyss. I'm sure the filmmakers were influenced by that film and this aspect in Moana is an homage to Cameron's fantastic 80's sci-fi adventure. 

Moana, like most of Disney's animated films, relies heavily on music to provide entertainment, advance the plot, and even contribute to character development. There are three or four songs that are immensely enjoyable and have stayed in my head for the last couple of days. Besides Maui's lone number, Moana has a couple memorable ones - including "How Far I'll Go" which was nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards - and one of the villains, Tamatoa, has another - "Shiny", which seemed like an homage to glam rocker David Bowie. All the songs were created for the film by a combination of Opetaia Foa'i, Mark Mancina, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is Broadway's new golden boy thanks to his smash hit, "Hamilton". The instrumental score, composed by Mancina, used throughout the film is also very good and does a fantastic job underscoring the different moments, whether they be emotional, comical, or thrilling. 

Moana has several action set pieces which were just as well done - if not more so - than in most recent action flicks. The sailing scenes are intense and when Moana and Maui have to battle the various villains, the film kicks it up a notch. One scene, where our heroes have to escape an army of tiny bad guys who are pretty much coconuts with appendages, reminded me of Mad Max: Fury Road, but, you know, compelling as opposed to dull. In a climatic showdown with Te Ka, a monster made of lava who could easily inspire nightmares in some youngsters, Moana and Maui face their greatest challenge. It's an impressively done scene, full of excitement and legitimate terror. The film suffers just a tiny bit because you know nothing too bad will happen to our heroes - it is family film, after all - and that removes a bit of the tension.

* These little guys look harmless at first, but then transform into bloodthirsty pirates *

* Don't mistake Tamatoa's goofy smile with friendliness *

* Maui squares off with Te Ka *

The last point I want to touch on is a staple of the Disney animated film - the animal sidekick who provides comic relief. There's Abu from Aladdin, Sven from Frozen, Mushu from Mulan, and Meeko from Pocahontas, just to name a few recent examples. Moana is no different, but once again, it does a great job of following a certain formula and doing it in a really entertaining way. Heihei, Moana's pet rooster, doesn't talk, but he still manages to be quite funny and is responsible for my son's favorite part of the whole movie. Considering it's just a nearly brain dead rooster with an insatiable appetite, I thought the character was going to get annoying and repetitive, but Heihei never had that effect on me. Throughout the film he gets himself into a fair amount of trouble, but does manage to help Moana a time or two, as well. Alan Tudyk, who provides the voice - really just various clucking sounds - of Heihei, had quite the voice acting year in 2016. Besides Moana, he also figured prominently in Zootopia and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (which has to be one of the lamest titles in recent memory), where he was easily the best part of that film. He'll always be Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball to me, but Tudyk is an actor who I'm excited to see more of in the future. 

* Heihei doing his second favorite thing - clucking and squawking *

At different times, Moana is one of the best musicals, comedies, dramas, and action films in recent memory. It truly has something for everyone and I'd be very surprised if you didn't at least enjoy various parts of it. Personally, I loved the film and think it's the best Disney has offered - that I've seen, at least - since Aladdin. What Moana lacks in originality, it certainly makes up for by excelling at pretty much every other aspect of film making.

My son is going to want to watch it over and over again, something he does with all of his "favorites", and this will be the rare case where I won't have any problem joining him. Much like with my list of most beautiful films, I'm sure Moana will earn a spot on a future revision of my Favorite Animated Films list. A truly deserving entry. 

Let me know in the comments section what you thought of Moana and how you think it compares to other Disney films, both recent and classic! 

Thanks for reading!