Oceania

2016 has been a particularly strong year for animated films. With the likes of Zootopia, Finding Dory and Kubo & The Two Strings all vying for best animated picture of the year, it seems Moana deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as well. It's no fluke that out of the four movies I just mentioned, 3 of them belong under the house of the mouse.

Legend has it that demigod Maui stole a sacred stone, the heart of the goddess Te Fiti. The lava demon confronted him and both the heart and Maui were lost forever. Now, the world is slowly dying and someone must find the heart and force Maui to put it back. But who is this chosen one? It might be Moana, a Polynesian girl who is suppose to be taking over as chief of her tribe, but longs to sail beyond the reef. Featuring new comer Auli'i Carvalho as Moana and the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, Dwayne 'The Rock" Johnson, as the demigod Maui.

It's not surprising that I found myself tapping my feet to the songs in this film because Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton, shares his talent with this film. I can easily see any one of the songs in this piece going up for and winning Best Original Song, giving the man the O in the prestigious PEGOT award circle. He currently has a Pulitzer, Emmy, Tony and Grammy, among more. The songs here remind me of the old-school Disney songs, easy to listen to, fun to play on repeat and important to the story. At first, I felt it was a little too on the nose with some of the lyrics, but eventually he won me over and I've been listening to the soundtrack ever since.

The film itself might lack some of the intricacies of plot heavy films like Zootopia, but this journey story is entertaining and heartfelt. The vibrant colours of the green islands and the blue sea help propel the film above and beyond what some others films have to offer. The animation takes a nice little turn for the creative when the characters find themselves under the sea in a side villains lair. We are treated with some bioluminescent sequences with another catchy tune not far behind.

Johnson is stellar as Maui, he seems completely comfortable in a voice acting role and surprisingly has the chops to sing a tune. Newcomer Auli'i Carvalho holds her own against a star like Johnson and she really gives a strong voice to a driven female character. I applaud that Disney didn't feel the need to shoehorn in a love story either. This is a tale about self discovery, not some young woman needing to find a man. Disney nods and respects their past while looking to the future with Moana. Princesses no longer need to be the 'love' goal of a man.

Moana is a visually beautiful film with great songs and a strong female lead character. There are some visually gags for the kids and a great time for adults. Moana is a great film.

Henny's Movie Review: Moana (aka Vaiana)

In three words: A Fun Movie.

With Pixar dropping the ball lately it is good to see that Disney is picking it up with great movies like, Tangled, Zootopia and now Moana. Yes, they made a mediocre over-hyped movie named Frozen, read my previous review for my thoughts about that movie. Moana really doesn't disappoint it has a good pacing, a great cast, and it is BEAUTIFUL. I could just leave my review at this and tell you to go and watch this movie, but let's see "How Far I'll Go".

Moana is a story that takes place in Ancient Polynesia, when a curse reaches the island Mata Nui a chieftain's daughter is determined to go on a journey, to find a demigod named Maui in order to stop the curse.

Like most Disney movies this is a coming of age story. Moana is a chieftain's daughter who is struggling with her love for her people and her love for the ocean. She is determined and a strong character. It is wonderful to see her grow and find herself throughout the movie. She is voiced by Auli'I Cravaljo and it fits like a glove, perfect love her accent.

Moana is joined by a demigod named Maui. He starts out as an egotistical/funny character but we quickly learn why and see him change for the better. He is voiced by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and if you know The Rock YOU know what to expect. You can never go wrong with The Rock.

Other supporting characters were there to setup the plot and exposition.

The music, as expected, was typically Disney which is a good thing because I love Disney songs. After the movie you just can't get it out of your head. All the scores were very good. It did the basics like underscoring a scene but it also carried the movie for a huge part.

The three-act-structure. Moana has a great beginning, good middle, and a great ending. Furthermore, the pacing of this movie is fast in a good way. It doesn't hold on to a scene for too long and the movie knows when to cut.

The cinematography was beautiful it really shows that the creators have done their research. I love the bright colors and gorgeous sceneries. It would appear that Disney's new approach to movie making is starting to pay-off, by remaking their old animated movies into real-life and mocking their old movies with their new 3d-animated movies, they are breathing new life into their movies. As aforementioned in the introduction Moana is a must see movie that won't disappoint.

I give this movie a 8.5.

From the opening lyrics to the final shot, Moana was a fun glimpse into Polynesian life. Reminds me of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron with its depiction of tribal peoples, people who depend on the land and environment to live. As one of the several catchy songs say, the island gives them everything they need. No need to go beyond the reef.

I'm glad that Moana and Zootopia, Disney's two most recent feature films, humorously refer to the archetypal Disney traits that appear in film after film -- i.e. an animal sidekick, the heroine bursting into song, following your dreams. Even if they do year after year, it never gets old. (... Well, maybe a little bit. I'm actually jaded by the happy ending trope in practically every work of film, literature, etc. out there. But that's beside the point.) Even if you can predict the ending of Moana, it's not quite what you expected. Disney has recently been changing things up a bit and having creative endings. Frozen, for example. Even if they weren't slightly creative, the story still enacts the Disney magic -- the ability to inspire, motivate, uplift, and ultimately enlighten further on mankind's communal desire to go beyond the norm. You don't have to do something amazing to make a name for yourself. It's not the hook that defines you, it's what you do that defines you and makes you who you are. Just don't follow hard tradition all the time. If someone says you can't achieve your dreams, he/she is most likely right. HOWEVER. That's only true if you don't give it your all. Those right now who are living their dreams gave it their all. If it's something you really want, after all, then naturally you'll give it the necessary effort and force of will. It won't be easy; life wasn't meant to be easy.

It's not as amazing as Zootopia, but Moana is still a genuinely good Disney movie. It has a superb single, a nice accompanying soundtrack, great characters, sublime animation with crystal- clear attention to detail, and wonderful themes and messages. I admit, I was expecting too much from Moana after seeing Zootopia, which is probably why I give Moana a 9. Zootopia hits the 10. If you haven't seen either one, I recommend seeing Moana first.

The movie is still one of the best modern Disney movies. Its a real pleasure to watch with the kids. My daughter especially enjoys the Polynesian style and the catchy songs..even when i sing then out of tune. Worth a watch and a revisit from time to time.

Despite being a lifelong Disney fan, that is not to say that everything they've done is great. They've done many classics, their best revolutionary, though they had hit and miss periods in the 80s and the 2000s.

'Enchanted' and 'The Princess and the Frog' saw a return to form, while the likes of 'Tangled', 'Wreck It Ralph', 'Zootropolis' (aka 'Zootopia') and 'Frozen' were even better and there was a lot to like too about 'Big Hero 6'. Of the "2nd Renaissance"/"Disney Revival" period, 'Moana' is up there with the best of them and as one of Disney's best in about twenty years.

Maybe the momentum dips ever so slightly going into the final act, Maui's change of heart is a touch rushed and for me there was no real point to the pig character that induced more unintentional awkwardness than amusement. It was however difficult to fault 'Moana', because of how many things it did right and how brilliantly the things it did right were executed. There have been criticisms regarding a formulaic story, HeiHei the chicken being irritating and the portrayal of Maui being stereotypical, but these were criticisms that didn't bother me at all.

Firstly, the animation is phenomenal. Disney's best-looking film in a long time and one of their best-ever looking films, not just this but perhaps the most visually exquisite animated film this year in a year that also saw 'Your Name', 'Kubo' and 'Zootropolis' and even one of the year's best-looking films. The attention to detail is impossible to fault, whether it's the water, the trees or even Maui's tattoos, while the colours just pop out at you and everything is immaculately detailed with not an ounce of artificiality in the backgrounds, further boasting visually stunning sequences such as the climax, "We Know the Way", "Shiny" and with the coconut pirates.

The soundtrack has garnered a huge amount of praise, and for good reason. Love the evocative orchestration and instrumentation, with its seamless blend of South Pacific Culture, pop and Broadway. Likewise with the songs, which are along with 'Frozen' the best and most consistent set of songs from a Disney film since 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'. "How Far I'll Go" is an "I want" sort of song that's infectious, heartfelt and inspiring. "You're Welcome" sees Dwayne Johnson showing a quite wide range of emotions through a surprisingly good singing voice. "Shiny" is deliciously kooky and like something that David Bowie would be proud of, Jemaine Clement sings the heck out of it. "We Know the Way" sends chills up the spine.

Scripting-wise, 'Moana' encompassed a wide emotional range within me. There is something for everybody, never too complicated for children and never too childish for adults, tonally it's focused throughout, and it's very witty and thought-provoking. Throughout there are many opportunities to laugh, cry and be inspired. The story is, while not exactly original, beautifully paced and enthralling.

The whole Polynesian culture, faith and seafaring traditions included and explored generously but in a way that feels part of the story rather than just thrown in, and while there are elements that reminds one of Disney past and present this feels more affectionate than Disney just running out of ideas. The coconut pirates scene may seem like filler, but instead of being incidental and dull filler it was entertaining and visually dazzling, while the musical numbers bring the storytelling forward and say much about the characters' motivations and the climax is hair-raising.

Moana is has now joined the list as one of my favourite female Disney characters, while Maui is a fun, compelling character and the chemistry between the two being a large part of the film's humour and heart. Personally found myself entertained by HeiHei and that his existence and role in the story were justified. If anybody does find him dumb or annoying, this is a rare of those not being bad things for a character clearly intended to be that way from reading up about the film. The voice acting is top notch, with Auli'i Cravalho making a startling debut (voice and singing, goodness she has pipes). Dwayne Johnson, on paper an unlikely and eyebrow-inducing choice, is also splendid, as an actor he's grown a lot, while Alan Tudyk is amusingly zesty and Jemaine Clement bringing gleefully kooky menace.

In summary, knocks it out of the park in visual beauty and sheer entertainment value, Disney does it again with their latest classic 'Moana'. 9/10 Bethany Cox