Moana: Film Review

Moana is the the latest “princess” from Disney but don’t get it twisted, she isn’t a princess. She is the daughter of the chief and was sent by the ocean to find Maui to make him give back the heart of Te Fiti that he stole. Can Moana get the demi god to help her save her village?

Moana is based on Polynesian mythology and tells the story of how the land, sea and sky came to be. The story is that the demi god Maui, played by Duane Johnson, make the coconuts, make the day time last longer and so on to make the humans love him. He decided to steal the heart of Te Fiti, which can create life, for humans. The problem is that once he steals it the island of Te Fiti crumbles and the demon Te Ka takes down Maui and his magical hook. The heart of Te Fiti is lost.

When Moana was little she loved to hear the story about Maui and Te Ka. Her grandmother told her that until the heart is returned darkness will continue to fall on the islands. Moana wonders to the shore and sees a pretty shell. The ocean parts for her to pick up the shell and she finds a few more. Then she notices a shiny green stone but loses it when her father comes to find her. Moana has always loved the ocean.

As she got older she wanted to sail the sea but her father says no. She is the next Chief and needs to learn to be one. But her grandmother shows her the green stone and says it is her destiny to save the village. Moana resists but then when tragedy strikes she decides she needs to find Maui and return the heart.

The best part of Moana is the music. The songs are beautiful and help tell the story in the best ways. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa’i created music that will become classic like “Under the Sea” and more. The best songs are “You’re Welcome” performed by Johnson and “Shiny”. Jermaine Clement from The Flight of the Concords performed “Shiny” perfectly and made for one of the best scenes in the movie. Miranda was asked to work on the music for Moana before Hamilton, the broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton’s life, became a major hit.

Moana is played by newcomer Auli’i Cravalho who beat out thousands to play the newest Disney character. She is also the youngest person to play a Disney princess. She was just 14 when the movie was being made. Being from Hawaii she knows the legends and this is one of the first films where a majority of the main characters are from the region their characters are from.

This film is going to be a classic Disney film that will be enjoyed for years to come. It is funny, beautiful and tells a great story. It has everything that makes a Disney movie a Disney movie. For a while people thought Disney had lost it’s touch but with recent movies like Big Hero 6, Frozen, Inside Out and now Moana, Disney is back and may be better than before.

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