Numbers obtained from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes on November 28, 2016.
My rating IMDb Rotten Tomatoes
Critics Audience Critics Audience
8.5/10 81/100 8.3/10 98% 93%
If there was any doubt that Disney would adapt to the recent feminist wave and would update its vision of heroines, Moana puts an end to the debate. During the 103-minute movie, there is no mention of “true love,” so recurring in Disney animations, especially involving princesses in search of a prince.
Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), as pointed out by her during the film, is not a princess: she is the daughter of the village chief and is assigned the task of following in his footsteps. Her greatest desire, however, is to explore the ocean, an important character in the plot, but is constantly stopped by his father, who claims it’s too dangerous. Her grandmother (Rachel House), on the other hand, encourages and helps her discover her true purpose in life.
In order to save her village from a disaster, Moana must find Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a demigod with powers to turn into many types of animals. There is no indication that there may be another relationship between them that is not of friendship whatsoever.
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, also responsible for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, among others, Moana is the confirmation that Disney is extremely capable of producing relevant and interesting stories to all ages, including humor and fun songs.
The soundtrack was written by Opetaia Foa’i, a native of the Polynesian region, where the story takes place, Mark Mancina, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who won countless awards last year thanks to the enormous success of the musical Hamilton. The songs fit well into the plot, highlighting We Know The Way and You’re Welcome.
There are, of course, some minor problems, in my opinion. What bothered me the most, especially in the beginning, was the striking resemblance to Pocahontas. Not that I don’t like this animation – on the contrary: I’ve watched it countless times. Maybe that’s why I got the feeling I’d seen Moana before: some of her scenes with her father (especially when they argue) and her relationship with her grandmother are clear parallels with Pocahontas.
Another deja vu feeling I had was with the song “Shiny“, sung by Jemaine Clement, who reminded me a lot of “Nigel’s Song”, also sung by him, from Rio. But maybe this is just my feeling.
Anyway, I can say that Moana surprised me positively and it maintains Disney as the best animation studio to tell stories of heroines (but Zootopia, earlier this year, is still better!). Ah! And stay after the final credits!
