Considering the widespread success of Frozen, Disney’s Moana has a lot to live up to. With all of the Elsa and Anna merchandise still being sold and the collective obsession with “Let it Go,” it’s a tough act to follow. Admittedly, I went into the movie expecting to enjoy it (as much as I do any other Disney movie), but not only did I love it, I cried at least 7 different times, which is more than I can probably say for any other movie I’ve seen (or at least since Up). As much as I thoroughly enjoyed it, Moana has a lot to offer aside from it being an emotionally investing story.

1. Moana is the first Polynesian princess.

Yes, there was Lilo from Lilo and Stitch, but she isn’t technically a Disney princess. Moana is also the first woman of color (who is actually played by an actress of Polynesian origin) we have seen in a little while. While Rapunzel and Anna were great princesses in their own right, it was nice to see Disney choose as their next princess a girl who is not White for a change. Not to mention that many of the heroines we see are what we tend to think of as traditional princesses, whereas Moana is the daughter of the chief of her tribe.

2. Cultural appropriation is an important theme in the movie.

As much as I love Aladdin, it was not the most historically and culturally accurate movies Disney made. For a movie that took place in the Middle East, there was a lot of Indian architecture throughout. With Moana, however, Disney took special care in their portrayal of Polynesian culture, showing its beauty and complexity, but also adhering to its origins.

3. Gender is not an issue.

You would think with a large part of the movie being Moana as the daughter of the chief and her expectation to follow in his footsteps that there would be some controversy over her being female, but that was not the case. There are other issues that play into her role as the chief's daughter, such as what she is expected to do, but gender has no part in it. Her portrayal would be essentially the same were she the son of the chief rather than the daughter.

4. There is no romance.

I'm always a sucker for love stories, even in Disney movies, but it was refreshing to see Moana without a prince. The only man by her side is the demigod Maui, who is at most somewhere between an older brother figure and a cool uncle. There are absolutely no romantic hints whatsoever in their relationship; it's strictly a friendship that goes from hate to love, and it's great seeing it play out on screen.

5. Moana is an inspiration to young girls everywhere.

She may have gone on a journey to save her people, which is heroic in and of itself, but more importantly that journey led her to figure out who she is. For a majority of the movie we see her struggle between her expectation as the chief’s daughter to lead as he does and her connection to and love for the ocean. While this may not be the particular case for everyone, we can all certainly relate on some level to the conflict of finding our own identities. Her discovery of herself is truly inspiring, and is a great message to young girls especially, who may feel they need to be or act a certain way, but want to be someone entirely different.