Moana

Disney’s new film Moana is a powerhouse of charm with a strong pedigree. First of all, it was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, the team that directed two of the three films that saved Disney animation from certain doom in the late 80s and early 90s – The Little Mermaid, which began the company’s renaissance in 1989 and Aladdin which solidified it after the smash of Beauty and the Beast. Next, its male lead, the Polynesian demigod Maui, is voiced by Dewayne “The Rock” Johnson who has evolved from a ridiculously cartoonish professional wrestler into a ridiculously charming actor who is now voicing cartoons and who has never given a performance where it didn’t seem as though he was secretly winking at the audience and saying. “Hey, isn’t this fun?” Also, the music is co-written by wunderkind-of-the-moment Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Pulitzer, Tony, and MacArthur-genius award winning composer and creator of Hamilton (which I mention in the off-chance you just back from the moon or being lost at sea for a couple of years and haven’t heard of it.) Add to this team the full force of Disney designers and animators plus a lovely performance from Auli'i Cravalho (OW-lee-EE cruh-VAHL-ee-oh) the 16 year old unknown from Hawaii, and you end up with a very good film and a worthy addition to the Disney feature film collection. 

 Moana refreshingly departs from the tired scenario of having a young princess pursuing or being pursued by a prince and instead is a story of a young woman developing her talents and potential in order to become who she really is and to contribute to the greater good. While not a princess, Moana is the daughter of the chief on a tropical island. Though her people are primarily farmers and never travel beyond the island’s protective reef, Moana is drawn to the water from birth much to the dismay of her parents. A legend introduced at the beginning of the film explains that a thousand years ago, the brash, arrogant demigod Maui once stole the heart of Te Fiti, an island goddess, and introduced darkness into the world. By the time we meet Moana and her people, the darkness has spread and the crops on the island begin to die. It becomes clear Moana is the chosen one who has to travel across the sea, find Maui, and convince him to return the heart and save the world.

The plot hits all the standard points – the bickering and tension between the two leads, the two of them learning to cooperate by facing adversity together, the moment in the third act when all seems lost, and, of course, the triumphant climax in which Moana realizes something that no one else does and thereby acts selflessly and saves the world. Except for the Polynesian setting, there’s nothing terribly original about anything in the story.

But the film’s success lies more in the charm and appeal of the execution rather than in the originality of the story itself. Johnson and Cravalho’s performances are both immensely likeable and their voice work is actual performance rather than just shtick. As ever, the animation and production design are world-class. The wall-sized and shaped Maui is a particular visual treat as is Te Ka, the frightening, vengeful fire demon that turns up when Maui steals the heart of Te Fiti. 

The songs are lovely but generally aren’t as catchy as some of Disney’s big hits. It’s unlikely that you’re going to hear any of them playing on the radio in your car anytime soon. I’m okay with that because I prefer it when a movie is successful simply because it’s good and not because it’s been cross-marketed into oblivion. Moana has made 84 million dollars in less than a week and that’s because it’s good. The fact that Disney will ply our children with Moana toys, stuffed animals, happy meals, DVD sing-longs, and pajamas is simply the price we have to pay to get them to continue to make good movies.