Hello, everyone!!! Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving (even though it's one of the worst holidays ever celebrated)!

Personally, I had a great time! I spent it with my mom and lots of my friends. But the best part of my Thanksgiving break was not the ham (I know right?! Shocker), it was a movie. I went and saw a movie with my best friend Rachel the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and let me just say my life has been forever changed.

"Moana" is the singlehanded best movie ever. Hands down. Everyone can stop making movies now because nothing will ever be as amazing as "Moana." Okay, that's an exaggeration, but seriously, wow.

I had high expectations going into this movie. It had a lot to live up to. Moana is the Disney princess who looks the most like me at this point. Disney is doing a great job creating diversity, but most of the princesses leading up to this point only had one or two similarities to me. While Moana is Polynesian and not black and white, her hair and skin tone are very similar to mine. The little girl inside me who never had a princess look so similar to her was very excited. I used to think that seeing a princess that looks similar to you wasn't that big of a deal. Up until a few years ago, I didn't really understand how race played such a huge role in American culture. I'm still learning about it, but when I burst into tears at the beginning of the movie, I knew it wasn't just because I'm an emotional person. It was because I was finally getting to see a princess who looked like me.

This movie took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. I felt so much joy and sadness. I laughed and I cried (the entire movie). I searched my soul and I felt like I found myself. The music brought me to tears, and the script found a place inside my heart.

It was a beautifully made movie with character development and no romantic interest. Just a heroine on a mission. Moana is everything everyone should strive to be. She's adventurous, kind, loyal, and just overall a loving person. Moana reminds us that we should follow our hearts and stay true to who we are.

I've been listening to the soundtrack since I left the movie theater. I cry like 20 times a day now. You can buy it here and cry with me.

Here are a few of my favorite songs:

I urge you to watch this movie. Whether you're young or old, a woman, a man, or non-binary, gay, straight, bi, black, white, republican, democrat, or anything in between, whoever you are, watch this movie. If you are a human being, you NEED to watch this movie. I promise that you won't be disappointed.

All my love,

Shan

P.S.

I am Moana. What can I say? You're welcome.