'Moana' Review

Image from Disney

By Diego Coya

            Moana is the latest film from Disney Animated Studios, and takes place in Ancient Polynesia. The film focuses on the main protagonist Moana, who is the daughter of the chief of her tribe, and is expected to be princess of the tribe when she grows up. When the island her tribe  live in starts dying, Moana sets out on a daring mission to save her people. She looks for the Demi God Maui, and together they try to overcome impossible odds and encounter monsters upon their journey of saving the island. We also have supporting characters that are introduced and like other Disney films such as Alladin, and The Princess and the Frog, this is also a musical.

            Like most of Disney animation films, the animation in Moana is stellar; it really is beautiful to look at. There are scenes in which the ocean looks so real, and the animation of this film is nothing short of top notch. The music in this film is also one of the best music produced by Disney in a very long time; there is a song that is destined to be the next “Let it Go”, hopefully the radio doesn’t overplay it to the max. The music isn’t overdone, the lyrics are meaningful, and the songs are catchy and fun to listen to. The voice acting from everyone was superb, particularly Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson.

            Cravalho is someone that is most certainly going to be a star in the future, because as a singer and actress, she was terrific. Moana is such a lovable character and as a viewer, you really want her to succeed in her mission. Her chemistry with Maui, who is voiced by Johnson, is fantastic. Maui is such a great character; he has tattoos in his body that are able to move and respond to things that Maui says and does. Not only is he hysterical, but Johnson can sing really well. Moana is such a relentlessly entertaining film and it truly is a wonderful addition to the Disney films.

            Additionally, Moana shows that Disney animated studios have been absolutely killing it for the past six years. Moana is one of the absolute best animated films of the year, and it’s a animated film that everyone can enjoy and have fun with. In terms of flaws, the only nitpick I have is that there is a certain scene which did come off as predictable, and the film does have it’s cliché with the characters not getting along at first, and then having a fallout in the later on in the film. However, these clichéd for this particular film worked, and it really just a nitpick. Overall, I highly recommend that everyone sees Moana because it is a phenomenal film.

Rating: 9.5/10