Moana Reviews

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

An excellent visual spectacle.
However distracted a lot in its main objective, the protagonist can become desperate, let alone the invasive songs. However Maui was very nice. In addition, the movie looked a lot like the mononoke princess.
And enjoy the reference to MAd Max Fury Road.
Only recommended if you have a very large television or if you are relayed in cinema.

Notes:
*I will always be a huge fan of Disney so when this was only talked about I was excited.
*The cast is great and I like the idea that most actually fit within where the characters live.
*Chris Williams also directed Big Hero 6.
*As for writing he did Mulan, The Emperor's New Groove films, and Brother Bear.
*John Musker also wrote and directed The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Princess and the Frog, and Treasure Planet.
*Don Hall also worked as a director for Big Hero 6 and even the 2011 Winnie the Pooh.
*He worked as a writer for The Emperor's New Groove and Brother Bear as well.
*Ron Clements worked on all the films John Musker did as writer/directer also.
*Jared Bush also wrote this year's Zootopia so he has a pretty big chance of getting an Oscar.
*Pamela Ribon hasn't written much, but she is writing for the upcoming Wreck-It Ralph 2 and the upcoming Smurf movie sequel.
*This is the first film to be credited to Aaron and Jordan Kandell.
*So let's see finally how good this new Disney film is.

Pros:
*I like that they sort of break the fourth wall with dialogue.
*Auli'i Cravalho proves that you don't have to start in live action to prove you have what it takes.
*I loved the soundtrack here! It's very catchy and has a nice rhythm to it.
*The animation is absolutely stunning.
*It has some truly beautiful moments.
*The jokes are great.
*I have to admit this is definitely a new favorite from Disney who seem to always hit the mark.

Cons:
*I can't think of any really.

Verdict:
This new Disney film is very heartwarming. The music is beautiful, the animation is stunning, and the writing is superb. I won't be surprised to see Auli'i Cravalho pop up quite a bit after this. It's definitely a must see for all ages. I'm ashamed I didn't see it any sooner. It's going to be a toss up between this and Zootopia for the winner this year.

I already watched this movie in the movie theater when it was released but, since it was available on Disney+, I was quite eager to check it out again. Not so long ago, I saw 'Zootopia' again as well and I was still amazed about how underwhelming the whole thing was. I mean, sure, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch but it was far from being one of the best Disney animated features I have seen but, somehow, it turned out to be a huge box-office success and, for a while, it was even the best movie released in 2016 according to IMDb (not anymore though). Well, I hoped this 2nd animated feature released by Disney during the same calendar year will crush 'Zootopia' because I thought it was so much better. I mean, sure, by now, we have been used by those guys to give us some stellar animation but, this time, they really pushed it even further. Indeed, the whole thing was just so gorgeous to look at, it was easily one of the most beautiful animated features I have ever seen. Furthermore, I really liked the realistic approach they chose to portray the Polynesian people and the end-result was quite fascinating to behold and, above all, much more interesting than what they usually provide us. However, I have to admit that it didn’t completely work though. Indeed, except for the main song which was really neat, the musical scenes rather bored me. But the biggest issue was that the damned thing was too long though. Especially since this tale was rather generic and pedestrian, there was really no need to stretch it for almost 2 hours. Eventually, it felt like they spent 90% of their time and energy searching and creating this fascinating world and only 10% on the plot which was too bad. Still, even though it wasn't a complete home-run, I thought it was really good and easily one of the best Disney animated features released recently.