If you haven't seen Moana yet, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! I went to see Moana a couple of weeks ago and I have not stopped thinking about it since. Whenever I watch older Disney movies (which is all the time) I watch them simply because I enjoy them, but rarely do movies make such an impact on me. I rarely get emotional watching movies yet whilst watching Moana I genuinely thought I could cry, I laughed, I smiled from ear to ear, it really resonated with me. Every time Disney release a new movie I think "that was amazing, how can they get much better than that" and still every time they manage to up their game by improving with every new release. Moana is visually beautiful, it perfectly combines Disney storytelling with Polynesian culture and it completely captivated me.
Audiences now have the privilege to take animation for granted and how Disney can perfectly capture fine details, but even by Disney standards, Moana is astonishingly beautiful. Me being an animation snob, I can normally pick fault at the slightest error in a movie but of course the animation in Moana is impeccable and Disney have pushed boundaries again with animation by bringing life to water. Given that is was directors Ron Clements and John Musker's first time working with 3D animation, it is even more impressive, especially since this movie contains a lot of visual effects. Animated movies are no longer considered as kids films, they are works of art and this is proven with Moana.
Moana is the daughter of a Polynesian cheif and the future ruler of Motunui, but beyond that she is an explorer, a wave finder with her eye constantly on the horizon. Moana as a character is brave, ambitious whilst also starting out as sheltered and naive because of her overprotective parents. It is because of this I believe a lot of young people that watch the movie will really relate to her character, I know I did. Although arguably the most popular film the directors have created is The Little Mermaid, they have tried to stray from the typical Princess stereotype. Instead of a damsel in distress like the original princesses, Moana follows the steps of Merida by having her own goals and not having a love interest to distract her.
Like the majority of Disney princesses, there are animal companions (as pointed out by Maui himself). They provide a good bit of slapstick comedy however I was a bit gutted that Pua didn't get as much screen time. I just assumed before watching the movie that they both joined Moana on her adventure however she leaves him on the island and is stuck with HeiHei for company. Having a dimwit chicken as a sidekick has been done before and to be honest after a while the gag wears thin and the character of HeiHei feels a tad out of place. Another supporting role that I first felt was really out of place was that of Tamatoa. The larger than life crab seemed rather random and the song I felt didn't fit. However it has grown on me, and it makes more sense now that I know it was a tribute to David Bowie.
With movies telling stories from other cultures, it is sometimes a controversial subject as to honoring the culture appropriately. Disney right enough hired Polynesians to work on Moana such as Taika Waititi who wrote the screenplay, Opetaia Foa'l assisting with the songs and even casting 14 year old Auli'i Cravalho to voice Moana herself. There was a lot of controversy over Dwayne Johnson's character for being a Samoan stereotype, but as the creators have stated, he is designed around Dwayne himself from his tattoos to his large build.
Having Lin-Manual Miranda create the songs for the music ensures that they will become instant hits. The entire soundtrack is perfectly catchy similarly to that of Hamilton which I highly recommend you listen to. Before listening to the song I was a bit skeptical to hear Dwayne Johnson singing but his song is by far one of the catchiest. What I also enjoyed was the fact that the cast aren't professional singers (with the exception of Nicole Scherzinger), the sound like real people singing making it easier to relate. By the time the powerful "I am Moana" plays, you would be lying to yourself if you didn't have goosebumps.
There are many parallels between Moana and other Disney movies such as The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Brave as well as Tangled and many others. Although Disney do stick to the same principle that they have had for years about "being yourself" and to "look inside" Moana proves that it still works. Some audiences may get a bit sick of the repetitiveness in Disney movies but for me that doesn't make them any less enjoyable. In the old days, the studio would have placed the moral of the story in the foreground and still delivered a quality film. Now though we get a film like Moana which is rich in subtext, detail, exquisite music, rousing moments and a loving obsession that will make you want to watch it all over again after the credits roll.
Easter Eggs
#1 Character Cameos
Disney have been hiding character cameos in their movies for years and Moana was no exception. The first most obvious reference is a character cameo from Frozen. With the success of Frozen looming over the studio it's kind of hard to ignore, so the studio included a reference to one of the movie's supporting characters, Sven. When Maui retrieves his fishhook and begins to try out his shapeshifting abilities, one of the creatures he transforms into during the quick sequence is Sven, Kristoff's loyal reindeer. Sven isn't the only Frozen character to make an appearance in Moana. It may be hard to believe but everyone's favourite snowman pops up in the movie. Even before the film's release, word of an Olaf cameo spread, but given the geographical locations, it seems rather unbelievable. The directors however confirmed that Olaf is present in the movie but he is very difficult to spot. Moana directors John Musker and Ron Clements also happened to be creative leaders on The Little Mermaid so it was a prime opportunity to reference their water-based princess adventure. Given that Moana focuses on travelling across the ocean, there were many opportunities for a character cameo from some of Ariel's friends. However during Maui's performance of "You're Welcome", you can catch a glimpse of Flounder, although given the colour scheme of the musical number it may be hard to spot the yellow and blue-striped tropical fish. Going with The Little Mermaid references, when Maui leaves Moana inside a cave with a massive statue of the demigod. If you take a closer look at the Maui statue you may notice similarities between his and the statue of Prince Eric. Another fun cameo appears when Moana and Maui encounter the Kakamora and inadvertently set all of their eyes upon themselves. There are many masked faces among the tribe but keep an eye on the right side of the screen for the one Kakamora wearing a white mask that resembles your favourite health care companion. This has to be my favourite cameo as Baymax is a personal favourite of mine, see if you can spot him in the image below. Unlike the Baymax cameo, this one may be difficult to spot. Given that Moana was released the same year as another Disney hit, Zootropolis, the directors worked in a cameo from a Zootropolis resident - non other than 'Flash', the achingly slow moving sloth working at the animal city's DMV. The directors however have explained that Flash would be in disguise, and while that could mean anything, the appearance of a purple-masked, four-armed creature in the realm of monsters seems to be the closest anyone has found yet.
#2 Alan Tudyk
Alan Tudyk is known throughout the movie industry for his voice talents but most of the time the voices he does are too varied to be recognized. Tudyk has appeared in five consecutive disney Animation feature films. As King Candy in wreck-it Ralph, the Duke of Weselton in Frozen, Alistair Krei in big Hero 6, Duke Weaselton in Zootropolis and has joined the Star Wars fandom as K-2SO in Rogue One. In Moana he truly shows his range as he lends his voice to Heihei, the rooster.
#3 Familiar scene
In the beginning of the movie, we get to see how caring Moana is since she was a child as she offers assistance to a turtle making it's way to the water's edge. She gives him shade from the sun as well as protects him from predators with the help of a palm frond. It's a truly adorable moment and one that Disney fans might recognize as it's a reenactment of Stitch doing the same for a pair of turtles during the end credits of Lilo & Stitch.
#4 Ralph Wrecks the credits
While Moana makes plenty of nods to previous Disney movies, it also refers to future releases. It's often the case with Pixar and Disney movies to add a reference to the production they are currently working on, in this case it is the sequel to Wreck-it Ralph. During the credits sequence, if you keep an eye on the right corner as the final credits roll, despite his Polynesian characterization, it is obviously Ralph.
#5 Post Credits scene
Viewers get their first look at Tamatoa, the massive coconut crab, when Maui and Moana tangle with him in the realm of monsters. However if you stay after the credits you get to watch one last gag delivered by the crab. Still stuck on the back of his shell, Tamatoa urges the audience to help him and eventually accuses them of favoritism, claiming that if his name was 'Sebastian' and he possessed a Jamaican accent, they would be rushing to help him. It's a clear reference to Sebastian, the musical crab from The Little Mermaid, one of the most beloved Disney sidekicks to appear on screen.
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