Writing a review for a Disney movie is really hard because I tend to be really, really biased. That is, I tend to mindlessly praise and ignore any of the faults it has. On the bright side, maybe this will help me get a job at Disney later? (I can hope.) But honestly, in the case with Disney’s newest picture "Moana," I think the praise is justified. Everything about "Moana" was everything I had hoped for and more.
While truthfully I cannot be certain about this, seeing as I am not very knowledgeable in the Polynesian culture, but I thought the movie used the setting and the culture to the best of its ability. It definitely got me a lot more interested in the culture! Especially once I found out that Maui, one of the protagonists from the film, is an actual figure in Polynesian myth. Speaking of Maui, both him and Moana were wonderful characters, and played off each other so well. And hearing Dwayne Johnson sing was a treat. Special attention needs to be given to the title girl, though — Moana is, in my opinion, one of Disney’s best princesses. She’s funny, headstrong, brave, stubborn, and always looks out for the best for her people. She’s also super cute! And she’s an amazing singer; her actress, Auli’i Cravalho, does such a wonderful job with both acting and singing. It’s hard to believe she’s only sixteen years old! Elsa will always be number one in my heart, but Moana is definitely up there on my list of my favorites.
At the risk of sounding like a total geek, the technical advancements in this movie were absolutely stunning and a joy to watch. I mean, that water animation? That hair animation? Oh my gosh. Everything looked so real and fluid, with none of that fake plastic feel 3D animation tends to have. You know the kind.
This kind.
Honestly, I would rewatch "Moana" multiple times just to focus on each character’s hair. And then rewatch it again just to focus on the water. It was just that good. And even better, the movie also utilizes 2D animation in certain scenes. It was great to see that even in the age of 3D animation, 2D animation is not completely gone.
And the music! I slowly tormented myself by restraining myself from listening to the soundtrack before I saw the movie, and at the end of the day, I think it was worth it in the end. Of course, I was expecting the music to be good, since it was written by Lin Manuel-Miranda of "Hamilton" fame and Mark Mancina, who had previously done music for "Tarzan" and "Brother Bear." But it was even better than I thought. As of right now, I have repeated the soundtrack over and over countless times. I would love it if it hit just as big as "Frozen" and its soundtrack did.
As I thought, this turned into less of a review and more of a 500-word advertisement for "Moana." Oh well. Hopefully it will convince some of you guys to go and support this movie, and see if you like it as much as I do!
