"Moana" Review

Title: Moana

Directed by: Ron Clements and John Musker

Written by: Jared Bush

Year: 2016


This year marks the first time in over a decade that Disney Animation has released two films in the same year. The last time was in 2003 with Lilo and Stitch and Treasure Planet. This year we have already had Zootopia and now we have Moana. I was very excited to see this movie mainly because of the visual style and the fine promotional material. Does Moana sail to success, or does it sink under its own weight?

A young girl by the name of Moana, who is the chieftain's daughter, craves adventure and wants to travel the seas. She gets her chance when she must locate the legendary demigod Maui. Together, the two must help restore the world to the way it used to be before the darkness takes over.

Auli'i Cravalho stars as the character in the title role. Cravalho has never acted before, but I have a feeling things will change given her performance in this movie. Cravalho is a revelation as Moana. She is endearing, sweet, and bold in her voice performance, which all fit the character excellently. Moana is a strong-willed free spirit that wants to absolved of her responsibilities. We have seen this type of character before with other Disney princesses: Belle, Pocahontas, Jasmine, Mulan, Anna, and Merida. Though these traits are highly familiar (perhaps too much so), Moana is different enough to be her own distinguishable princess. The character of Moana seems to be a representation or extension of Cravalho, and though her line delivery is great, it is her singing performance that floored me. The young actress has a softly powerful voice that will leave you speechless. I will get more into the songs later, but Cravalho's singing is definitely one of the film's highlights.

Joining Cravalho is Dwayne Johnson as Maui, a shapeshifting demigod. Johnson's "larger than life" persona matches up with the character of Maui perfectly. His signature charisma leaps off the screen and envelopes the audience, giving Maui a huge presence. Maui is exceedingly likable, and that comes down mainly to Johnson's performance. One of the coolest things about the character is that his tattoos are alive to an extent and act on their own to great comedic and storytelling effect. Maui wears his life story on his skin, which allows for clever unspoken character depth.

The story behind this movie is based on an actual mystery. Around 2,000 years ago, Pacific navigation and exploration suddenly stopped under unknown circumstances. Then, after 1,000 years had elapsed, the travelers began sailing again. Moana seeks to give a plausible explanation for this within a fictional world. The main story is immensely intriguing because the film skillfully establishes a deep mythology. Our two heroes must return the Heart of Te Fiti in order to restore the world to its natural state. The Heart of Te Fiti works as a functional plot MacGuffin that drives the plot forward in an appealing manner, and the interactions between Maui and Moana are charming and entertaining.

The film carries with it a delightful sense of humor. One of Maui's tattoos is an ink version of himself that moves about like a classic cartoon character. His antics are frequently audience-pleasing and incredibly endearing. The main characters get some really good lines, but Hei Hei steals the show in terms of comedy. This vacuous, dull-witted rooster is flat-out hysterical. His purpose in the story is to continuously place Moana in danger and put her at risk in the most oblivious of ways. There is one scene that pays homage to Mad Max: Fury Road on a visual and musical level. This sequence with the Kakamora (coconut pirates) is one of the film's best and funniest.

On a visual level, Moana is nothing short of breathtaking. Allow me to list some of the greatest aspects. The visual style is terrifically inspired by the mythology and scenery of the Pacific Islands. The on-screen explosion of vibrant colors is jaw-dropping and sweeps you away into this world. The diegetic imagery is staggering and wonderfully realized. The use of hand drawn animation for Maui's tattoos was genius and it looks fantastic. The way the water looks and moves is phenomenal. The lush backgrounds are brimming with rich textures and scintillating colors that mix together so well, I can only describe it as hypnotically gorgeous. I have no problem deeming Moana the most beautiful looking film of the year and is certainly one of the prettiest pictures I have ever witnessed. I could make a very strong case for Moana being Disney's best looking film; the animation is that good.

On par with the visuals is the music, which was arranged by various artists. Mark Mancina, Lin Manuel-Miranda, and Opetaia Foa'i have produced a fabulous product. Mancina's compositions underscore the movie mightily. Manuel-Miranda and Foa'i have written such sweet music for this feature. "Where We Are," though it beats you over the head with its message, is an appealing upbeat tune. "How Far I'll Go" is solid and very memorable, even if it is quite similar to Mulan. This song seems to be resonating the most with audiences, but I would argue there are two better songs. "I Am Moana" and "We Know the Way" are the standouts for me. These two songs are emotionally potent (especially the former) and are decidedly uplifting. Cravalho has the voice of an angel, singing with the grace and power of an experienced performer. The way she sings "I Am Moana" is truly chilling in its quality. Johnson receives his own song, "You're Welcome," which is insanely catchy and shows that he is a pretty darn good singer.

However, with the soundtrack start coming my negatives. I think "Shiny" is an absolute dud. The song has too much of a modern influence and, as a result, does not coincide with the film's aspirations. When it plays in the film though, there is one part, when the cave darkens (you will know what I mean) where the song does a complete 180 for a verse or two and is actually really damn good. That is, until the chorus makes its unwelcome return. Also, the creature that sings it, Tamatoa, is very poorly designed. All he is is a giant hermit crab with a shiny shell from all the trinkets he has hoarded. A basic look, but once again, when the cave darkens, his colors alter and he looks amazing.

I mentioned the term "modern influence" when speaking of "Shiny," and that same influence seems to have trickled over to the comedy. There are a couple jokes in this movie that are structured to fit modern humor and these are the ones that fail. There is a joke about Twitter for instance, and lines like "Really? Blowdart in my butt cheek" will severely date this movie.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* Furthermore, Moana commits to the third act conflict that is commonly found in children's and family movies. Moana and Maui have a falling out that will of course be resolved later on. To the film's credit, it is set up much differently than we are used to. My main issue stems from a lack of resolution. The motivation for Maui's return is nowhere to be found in the script. He comes back for absolutely no reason other than to help Moana, which contradicts why he left in the first place. This makes the return feel weightless and the previous conflict entirely unnecessary. Finally, the grandmother passes away near the beginning of the movie. She is resurrected as a glowing stingray, which looks stunning. But when she returns later on in the picture, she communicates with Moana as a human spirit. I feel the death would have been more impactful and spiritual if she had remained a stingray. Her unique design would have allowed for a beautiful visual conversation between her and Moana, and would have even strengthened the latter as a character.

*SPOILER FREE* Moana is a film that embraces its roots and sprouts as a majestic success. The film is worth seeing for the visuals and music alone, both of which are its strongest aspects, the former in particular. I can not gush about these two features enough. Cravalho is outstanding as Moana, especially when singing; Johnson is exceptional; the characters are thoroughly likable; and the adventure is a great deal of fun. I enjoyed it so much I could have done with one or two more islands to visit. There is one song that brings down the soundtrack slightly; character motivations are muddled or absent during the third act; and some of the humor works against the picture's ambitious style. A few other minor negative details keep Moana from being magnificent, but this is still a quality animated feature that you should watch and experience.

Grade: A-