MAJOR SPOILERS-Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Two weeks ago, my friend and I managed to see the latest Disney movie, “Moana.” This era of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ films are called the Disney Revival, due to the return of the classical Disney formula and the popularity of these movies. I have seen five out of these seven movies and enjoyed “The Princess and the Frog,” “Tangled,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frozen,” and “Zootopia” immensely. But, out of all of them, I have never raved or cooed over these movies like “Moana.” A week later, I am still reeling and giddy over how wonderful “Moana” is.
Everyone knows how much I love all of the Disney Princesses. The recent princesses: Tiana, Rapunzel, Anna/Elsa, Merida, and even Elena are close to me because of the strength, yet sweetness of these girls. But, Moana is my favorite princess of the 2010s. No, wait let me fix that: She’s one of my favorite Disney Princesses of all time!
Moana has the lovingness and kindness of Walt’s Original 3: Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora. In fact, that’s how the ocean chooses her for the quest to save the world. When baby Moana explores the beach, she sees a baby turtle getting attacked by birds. Moana saves the turtle by leading it back to the ocean and shooing the birds. In another scene, when the rooster Hei Hei finds out he’s stranded by the sea and panics (One of the biggest laughs from the audience), Moana comforts Hei Hei and calmly explains how “the ocean is a friend of her’s.” Lastly, her song “Know Who You Are” made me cry or at least close to crying because I was touched by Moana’s nature. When Moana finally gets to the island where Te Fiti lives to deliver her heart, Moana realizes that Te Ka, the lava goddess who’s out to destroy the world, is in fact Te Fiti. Moana doesn’t accomplish her goal by taunting or hurting. Instead, Moana comforts the angry goddess, saying---or singing---that everything is okay and that she doesn’t have to be afraid anymore. Moana hugs the goddess’s face and because of her compassion, Te Fiti remembers who she is.
Moana’s personality and her main story do feel like she’s a Renaissance princess. Like Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine, Moana doesn’t feel like she belongs in her tiny environment. Moana wants to go out in the world and just explore to know where she truly belongs. Heck, she has a beautiful “I Want” song called “How Far I’ll Go” to complete the déjà vuness of past princesses. She sings, “If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me/One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go.” (Her voice actress, Auli’l Cravalho’s singing voice is beautiful, by the way!) Like Ariel wanting to go on the land, she wants to go in the ocean (“I've been standing at the edge of the water/Long as I can remember, never really knowing why.”) Like the Renaissance princesses, she actually tries to go out to her destiny. Her grandmother reveals Moana’s ocean powers, having her close to nature like Pocahontas. But soon after, Moana’s grandmother passes away and her dying wish is Moana going out and save the world (aka Mulan). With her grandmother’s spirit leading the way, Moana follows her heart and goes out to be the hero of her story, like the Renaissance girls.
But, Moana is very progressive like the Princesses of today. What really made me love her right away was the fact that Moana is already a leader. Like these girls (minus Anna of course), Moana is the next in line for “the throne” or in this case, being the next chief of her island. But, we actually see Moana going out and getting stuff done. She’s advising the chef about the meals, checking over the freshness of the plants and foods, comforting people during the progress of getting a tattoo (and actually doing a bad job with it), and teaching kids how to dance (and enduring a very flirtatious little boy). Little girls will love how active she is in her community and how good she treats her people, and they will be inspired to do the same. Moana is also famous for not having a love interest, thinking about duty over Prince Charming. In fact, she’s always determined to save the day. Moana talks the demigod Maui into joining her quest by regaining his hero title with it, and even rescues him and Hei Hei from evil. When Maui abandons Moana after the first fight with Te Ka, she decides to defeat the monster herself after her grandmother’s spirit encourages her. She cries out, “I am Moana! Aboard my boat, I will sail across the sea and restore the heart of Te Fiti!” And that’s what she does. She teaches girls that they can do stuff on their own if they believe in themselves.
It is really frustrating and disappointing that Moana isn’t joining the Disney Princess lineup. There are many reasons why she isn’t joining, but the interesting thing is that high powers at Disney, even Auli’l Cravalho and the directors, refuse to call her a Disney Princess. Instead, according to them, she’s a “heroine,” who’s Disney’s “first” badass heroine. It seems like Disney is saying that she isn’t worthy to be called her title (that she shares with Pocahontas, who’s in the lineup) because “the rest of the princesses are weaker than her.” The Princesses may not be perfect, but Moana is just as kind and courageous as all of them. Aside from the famous lineup, Moana is a worthy addition to all of Disney’s heroines: Brave, smart, caring, and loving. Little girls will have a great role model in Moana! And I can’t wait for all of you to meet her and see this beautiful movie at the end of the month!
