My boyfriend and I went to see Disney's new film Moana last night at our local cinema. The movie is animated and features the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Auli'i Cravalho and Nicole Scherzinger. Before I talk about this movie I have to mention the short at the beginning of the film. Whenever I go to see any Disney animated production I always forget and then am pleasantly surprised when Mickey in Steamboat Willy pops up whistling and then a short begins. This one was entitled, Inner Workings and it was so good! I won't give away too much about it, but there's one point half way through the short that I actually found myself tearing up and getting really ovwhelmed. So needless to say, it was very touching and I really hope it is in with a shot for the Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards 2017.
Now, onto Moana. The plot is kind of standard Disney fair in that it's about a young girl going on an adventure, Dwayne Johnson's character even makes a little joke about the whole "princess on a mission" story line which I really enjoyed. The story centers on a young girl who is about to become the Chief of her people on an Island in Ancient Polynesia, when she is chosen by the Ocean to go on a mission and restore the heart of a god so her Island's crops will keep growing and fish will return to near their land. During this mission she meets the Demi God who stole the Heart in the first place. I won't say anything more about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything for anybody reading.
My overall feeling about this film was that it was pretty wonderful. There are so many amazing aspects to it, not least of all the animation, which is probably the best I've seen Disney do, it is just so realistic. I in particular love the water Animation, which as any Disney fan knows has proved difficult to get right for animators ever since the making of Pinocchio. The female lead & title character Moana is one of the most independent and fearless Disney girls since Mulan, and even better because she's not trying to "be a man", and doesn't have to end up with one, she's just doing what she can to save her home and loved ones. The Demi God, Maui voiced by The Rock himself (and honestly they picked the perfect man to play this guy) provides some really great banter moments and also one of the more heartbreaking plot points in the whole film. The laughs come mainly from Moana's pet chicken, who I think would remind everybody of some dopey hapless pet they've had at one time or another. There is also a hilarious scene with Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement voicing a jewel obsessed Crab.
What shines most in this movie however for me was the music, it was so effective and beautifully sung, I particularly loved the song How Far I'll Go, which was really rousing, particularly it's reprise towards the end of the film. I don't believe the film was have as huge an appeal to kids as Frozen, however much it deserves it which is unfortunate. Overall, I would give Moana 5 out of 5 stars, one of the best Disney films I've seen in the past 10 years, beautifully animated with fun likable characters and a really effective ending sequence. A must see for all Disney lovers!
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