Year: 2016
Director: Ron Clements and John Musker
Starring: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, and Jemaine Clement
Tagline: The ocean is calling
Synopsis: In order to save her island, Moana sets off with the demigod Maui to return the heart of Te Fiti and restore balance.
Tagline: The ocean is calling
Synopsis: In order to save her island, Moana sets off with the demigod Maui to return the heart of Te Fiti and restore balance.
Review
As is usual for Disney animated films, the feature was preceded by a short: Inner Workings. The premise is how the various internal organs (brain, heart, lungs, stomach, etc.) of Paul interact with each other and dictate Paul's day. It's a clever short and it is entertaining. But at the end, I was left wishing it had the heart of a Pixar short.
And now, our featured presentation:
Computer animation keeps getting better and better and more impressive each year. Moana beautifully displays that progress. The entire film is a visual treat, but especially the lush islands and the ocean. It truly is stunning, and worth seeing for that alone.
At one point, Maui teases Moana by calling her a princess (she's the daughter of a chief) and asking if she is going to start singing. Moana is a musical, and yes, she breaks out into her own ballad ("How Far I'll Go"). Maui also has his own catchy song ("You're Welcome") which will go toe to toe with villainous Tamatoa's "Shiny" in terms of which will get stuck in your head. I enjoyed all the music, though I don't feel it has quite the enduring feel as other Disney films (such as The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast).
As a character, I liked Moana. She's an intelligent, spirited, driven young woman. As a Disney character, she of course has the requisite animal sidekicks. Pua is an adorable pig. And Heihei is a "special" chicken. I think the hapless fowl might have been my favorite part. The Ocean also is a character, helping guide Moana and Maui, and -- when necessary -- keeping everybody on the boat in spite of themselves. Moana's father and grandmother were also enjoyable (they reminded me a bit of the father and grandmother in Mulan). And then there's Maui. He's an entertaining demigod. But his arrogance and self-absorption started to wear a bit thin.
While I certainly enjoyed Moana, it did have some weak points. For one thing, there was no memorable villain. Disney animated films excel at captivating villains (Scar, Maleficent, Captain Hook, Mother Gothel, Ursula, Jafar, etc.). There is no main antagonist here though. We've got the Kakamora (pygmy pirates who wear coconuts as armor) for one sequence. Then there's Tamatoa, the giant (and shiny) crab monster. And lastly they face Te Ka, the lava monster. They are all interesting antagonists for Moana and Maui to face, but they lack the epicness I've come to expect from Disney villains.
Moana's biggest weakness though is the story itself. I have no problem with rehashing the basic hero's journey formula: the protagonist's world comes into conflict so the protagonist sets forth on a quest to set things right. That part of the film worked for me. It does, however, have one scene that felt like a moment rehashed straight from Lion King (but without the emotional umph to back it up). And the third act felt weak. I'll leave it at that and say more in the spoiler section.
Overall, I enjoyed Moana and think it is a worthy inclusion in the Disney (and Disney princess) pantheon. It's beautiful to look at. It has fun characters and catchy music. And it celebrates a part of the world I'm not as familiar with. It's certainly worth seeing, and beautiful enough to warrant seeing on the big screen. Stay through the credits for a brief scene.
*** Spoiler Section ***
My main qualm with Moana is that the stakes didn't feel high enough. This takes two forms: 1) What are the costs if Moana and Maui fail? and 2) What are Moana and Maui willing to risk in order to succeed?
For the first one, we are shown earlier in the film that Moana's island, Motunui, is starting to die. The coconuts have become diseased and the fishing grounds are empty. That is indeed serious. But that's early in the movie and never touched on again once Moana sets out. So the peril feels distant rather than pressing.
I'd have liked to have had a scene back on the island where we see the problem is spreading and getting worse and worse. Moana's potential failure would then be put into greater perspective. (That's a tactic Frozen used well as we see the increasingly frostbitten Arendelle.) Alternatively, the story could have taken a short detour where Moana and Maui find an island that has died. That would put into perspective what will happen if they fail in their quest. (That's a tactic Mulan used in a sobering scene involving a village razed by the Huns.)
For the second problem, I've come to expect more from Disney films. Sure, Moana and Maui's lives are in peril throughout their quest. But in the end, Maui seems more worried about losing his fishhook than his life and Moana seems more worried about being a failure than that her island (and potentially her people) will die. If more was mentioned, it didn't stick with me. Without greater risk, there also wasn't the potential for sacrifice. And after the last few Disney animated films, that left the story lacking.
In Big Hero 6 Baymax sacrifices himself for Hiro and ... the woman in the pod thing. In Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph is willing to sacrifice himself for Vanellope. Frozen has Anna sacrifice herself for Elsa. And Tangled has Flynn/Eugene sacrificing himself for Rapunzel. That's just the most recent films.
Sacrifice, or willingness to sacrifice, is a powerful thing. It creates powerful, memorable stories: stories that "[stay] with you. That [mean] something" (to borrow Samwise Gamgee's words). Such sacrifice transforms likable characters into heroes. Moana never had that transformative experience. And Maui ... Maui could take a lesson or two from Hercules.
And now, our featured presentation:
Computer animation keeps getting better and better and more impressive each year. Moana beautifully displays that progress. The entire film is a visual treat, but especially the lush islands and the ocean. It truly is stunning, and worth seeing for that alone.
At one point, Maui teases Moana by calling her a princess (she's the daughter of a chief) and asking if she is going to start singing. Moana is a musical, and yes, she breaks out into her own ballad ("How Far I'll Go"). Maui also has his own catchy song ("You're Welcome") which will go toe to toe with villainous Tamatoa's "Shiny" in terms of which will get stuck in your head. I enjoyed all the music, though I don't feel it has quite the enduring feel as other Disney films (such as The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast).
As a character, I liked Moana. She's an intelligent, spirited, driven young woman. As a Disney character, she of course has the requisite animal sidekicks. Pua is an adorable pig. And Heihei is a "special" chicken. I think the hapless fowl might have been my favorite part. The Ocean also is a character, helping guide Moana and Maui, and -- when necessary -- keeping everybody on the boat in spite of themselves. Moana's father and grandmother were also enjoyable (they reminded me a bit of the father and grandmother in Mulan). And then there's Maui. He's an entertaining demigod. But his arrogance and self-absorption started to wear a bit thin.
While I certainly enjoyed Moana, it did have some weak points. For one thing, there was no memorable villain. Disney animated films excel at captivating villains (Scar, Maleficent, Captain Hook, Mother Gothel, Ursula, Jafar, etc.). There is no main antagonist here though. We've got the Kakamora (pygmy pirates who wear coconuts as armor) for one sequence. Then there's Tamatoa, the giant (and shiny) crab monster. And lastly they face Te Ka, the lava monster. They are all interesting antagonists for Moana and Maui to face, but they lack the epicness I've come to expect from Disney villains.
Moana's biggest weakness though is the story itself. I have no problem with rehashing the basic hero's journey formula: the protagonist's world comes into conflict so the protagonist sets forth on a quest to set things right. That part of the film worked for me. It does, however, have one scene that felt like a moment rehashed straight from Lion King (but without the emotional umph to back it up). And the third act felt weak. I'll leave it at that and say more in the spoiler section.
Overall, I enjoyed Moana and think it is a worthy inclusion in the Disney (and Disney princess) pantheon. It's beautiful to look at. It has fun characters and catchy music. And it celebrates a part of the world I'm not as familiar with. It's certainly worth seeing, and beautiful enough to warrant seeing on the big screen. Stay through the credits for a brief scene.
*** Spoiler Section ***
My main qualm with Moana is that the stakes didn't feel high enough. This takes two forms: 1) What are the costs if Moana and Maui fail? and 2) What are Moana and Maui willing to risk in order to succeed?
For the first one, we are shown earlier in the film that Moana's island, Motunui, is starting to die. The coconuts have become diseased and the fishing grounds are empty. That is indeed serious. But that's early in the movie and never touched on again once Moana sets out. So the peril feels distant rather than pressing.
I'd have liked to have had a scene back on the island where we see the problem is spreading and getting worse and worse. Moana's potential failure would then be put into greater perspective. (That's a tactic Frozen used well as we see the increasingly frostbitten Arendelle.) Alternatively, the story could have taken a short detour where Moana and Maui find an island that has died. That would put into perspective what will happen if they fail in their quest. (That's a tactic Mulan used in a sobering scene involving a village razed by the Huns.)
For the second problem, I've come to expect more from Disney films. Sure, Moana and Maui's lives are in peril throughout their quest. But in the end, Maui seems more worried about losing his fishhook than his life and Moana seems more worried about being a failure than that her island (and potentially her people) will die. If more was mentioned, it didn't stick with me. Without greater risk, there also wasn't the potential for sacrifice. And after the last few Disney animated films, that left the story lacking.
In Big Hero 6 Baymax sacrifices himself for Hiro and ... the woman in the pod thing. In Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph is willing to sacrifice himself for Vanellope. Frozen has Anna sacrifice herself for Elsa. And Tangled has Flynn/Eugene sacrificing himself for Rapunzel. That's just the most recent films.
Sacrifice, or willingness to sacrifice, is a powerful thing. It creates powerful, memorable stories: stories that "[stay] with you. That [mean] something" (to borrow Samwise Gamgee's words). Such sacrifice transforms likable characters into heroes. Moana never had that transformative experience. And Maui ... Maui could take a lesson or two from Hercules.
Quotable Quotes
- "I am not a princess!" "If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you're a princess." -- Moana and Maui
- "Did not see that coming." -- Maui, after the ocean puts Moana back on the boat
- "That chicken ... the one eating the rock ... maybe we should just eat him." -- Villager describing Heihei
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