Movie Review: Moana

Movie Review: Moana                                                                                                            11-24-16

I've actually been waiting for this movie all year. I was actually, initially, more hyped over it than Zootopia! Moana was originally going to be a hand-drawn/computer animated film, in a similar style to the 2012 short film Paperman, but co-director John Musker stated it was too early to apply the Paperman technique to a feature film. On the plus side, this is the first CG animated feature for directors John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Princess and the Frog. This is also, if you're counting, the tenth CGI movie from Walt Disney Animation Studios (yes, I counted).

Set about 2,000 years ago, Moana tells the story of a Polynesian girl named Moana (Auli'i Cravalho), who sails on a dangerous mission to save her people. Moana meets a demigod named Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her journey to become a master way-finder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering numerous monsters and impossible odds, while also discovering Moana's identity.

Now what do I think of the film? Well, Moana is an impressive achievement, ranking with Tangled and Frozen. Along with breathtaking animation, Moana has a balanced story, likable characters, and some of the best interactions with water in a CG film since Finding Nemo. Also, like Tangled and Frozen, Moana is a musical and has some memorable songs. There's even a catchy villain song sung by a giant gold-keeping hermit crab named Tamatoa, voiced by Jemaine Clement.

 

Remember how in Frozen, Anna wished Elsa had tropical powers instead of ice? It seems like her wish has come true, despite the two films being set centuries apart: Moana has hydrokinesis, almost similar to Lapis Lazuli's powers in Steven Universe, though not as powerful. In other words, Moana can control salt water.

 

Maui, Dwayne Johnson's character in the film, is also an enjoyable character. He is a marked improvement over previous collaborations with Disney, like The Game Plan (2007) and Race to Witch Mountain (2009). There's also some terrific 2D animation on Maui's tattoos, animated by the brilliant Eric Goldberg.

 

The one thing I wish we could see more of is Pua, Moana's pet pig. I found him more enjoyable that Heihei, the dimwitted rooster in the film, because I found the bird brain (no pun intended) to be annoying at times, and felt like he doesn't contribute to the story that much.

 

With all that said, Moana is still an enjoyable film, though not as good as Zootopia, but still very close. Besides, it's gotta be better than Trolls, DreamWorks' other feature for this year.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

PS. If you're wondering what I think of Frozen, I will post my opinion and comments about it on  December 1st. It WILL NOT count as a movie review.