A fearless future chief, a crazy rooster, and an egotistical demi-god are just some
of the cool characters you'll find in Moana.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers, it's Jan here!
So, what else can you expect from Disney's latest animated feature?
Well, when it comes to animation, Moana is truly beautiful.
There's a lush-ness to the islands, and everything looks suitably inviting, at least when it's
meant to, especially the ocean, which even takes on its own playful personality throughout
the film.
And there are also some gorgeous sequences which have a 2-D animated, handmade, textured
feel to them, which I really loved.
When it comes to the bringing to life the movie's lead, newcomer Auli'i Cravalho gives
a fabulously spirited and engaging performance as the adventurous teen Moana, and, wow, she
can really carry a tune as she more than shows with her rendition of the soon-to-be-classic,
How Far I'll Go.
Dwayne Johnson has the bags of personality and presence needed to pull off the role of
the super-full-of-himself, shapeshifting demi-god, Maui.
Johnson is wonderfully funny, delivers his lines with great gusto, and gets one hell
of a song in the very catchy 'You're Welcome'.
And together Cravalho and Johnson make a lovely on-screen double act, sharing some nice back-and-forth
as well as a few poignant moments.
As Moana's animal sidekick, Heihei the Rooster, Alan Tudyk gets some lovely comic scenes,
with a particular emphasis on slapstick.
And after his roles in the likes of Big Hero 6, Frozen, and Zootopia, he's quickly becoming
Disney's equivalent of Pixar's good-luck-charm, John Ratzenberger.
And Rachel House is a very welcome presence as Moana's grandmother, who brings some delightful
comedy as well as cheeky wisdom to the table.
Jemaine Clement may not get a lot of screen time as the colossal, blinged-up crab Tamatoa,
but he makes every second count, giving a truly hilarious, scene-stealing turn that
just oozes genius comic timing.
Oh, and he gets a brilliant David Bowie-esque song called 'Shiny', which he completely smashes
as well!
Actually, on the character front, the only thing that I was a touch disappointed with
was that there wasn't more of Moana's pet pig, Pua, in the film.
Story-wise, Moana hits all the beats you'd expect from this kind of quest-based plot
about a young woman on a mission to save her people, but keeps things interesting thanks
to its appealing characters and the way it draws on Polynesian culture.
With veteran Disney directors Ron Clements and John Musker on board, it's hardly surprising
that Moana takes on elements of some of their best-known animations, with a good dose of
The Little Mermaid and a little of Aladdin.
But the directing duo and their screenwriter Jared Bush, who co-wrote and co-directed the
amazing Zootopia, also add a inspiration from elsewhere including Disney's Pinocchio and
even Mad Max: Fury Road And if you're interested in all of Moana's
easter eggs and references, I have a video coming up on that very subject!
The formula for Moana's story may be tried and tested, but one of the things that's refreshing
about the movie is the fact that, compared to many of Disney's princess-based films,
there's absolutely no love interest here.
So, there's no pining after princes or true love's kiss for Moana, just lots of adventuring
on the high seas in an effort to turn around her people's fortunes before she becomes their
chief.
As far as its music's concerned, Moana is firing on all cylinders.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, singer-songwriter Opetaia
Foa'i, who founded the award-winning group Te Vaka, and composer Mark Mancina have done
a cracking job creating a soaring soundtrack infused with Polynesian spirit.
There are rousing, anthemic tunes, rhythmic lyrical melodies, jaunty humorous tracks and
more, and a good many of them are decidedly ear-wormy.
So, expect to be singing, whistling or humming these songs long after you've left the movie
theatre!
In fact, the film's music is so strong that there's no doubt in my mind that Moana will
be next on the list of Disney movies adapted for the stage on Broadway, the West End, and
all round the world.
In terms of how Moana compares to Disney's other animations, if your favourites are the
Zootopias and Big Hero 6s of Disney's back catalogue, then this return to the studio's
more traditional-style of movie may not hit the heights for you.
But, if you're a fan of films such as Frozen, then you're very likely to feel right at home
with this new movie.
And, if like me, you like all those films, then you'll probably find Moana very entertaining
too.
By the way, if you are a big Disney fan, whatever you do, make sure you keep your butt in your
seat right to the very end of the movie's credits as there is an excellent little scene
you won't want to miss.
And before Moana kicks off, you'll get the chance to see a new short film called Inner
Workings, which is kind of an Inside Out for our internal organs instead of our emotions.
To sum up: Moana is awash with gorgeous animation, pitch-perfect voice performances, and a superb
soundtrack that you're very likely to want to listen to over and over again.
All of this, as well as the film's frequently funny moments, its refreshingly interesting
cultural setting, and the big smile it's very likely to leave on your face make up for the
fact that on the story side, Moana treads fairly safe waters.
So, I'm giving Moana 4 out of 5 Flicks.
Now, what did you think of Moana?
And who are your favourite Disney characters?
Let me know in the comments below!
Coming up, I've got videos on the top 5 funniest moments in Moana and all the easter eggs and
references in the movie, and you can click on the links here to see those.
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Thanks for watching and see ya next time.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!