Moana
Director: Ron Clements, Don Hall
Stars: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House
Duration: 103 mins
Class: PG
KRS Releasing Ltd

Disney continues to tap into its feminist sensibilities with Moana, its latest crowd-pleasing, toe-tapping, side-splitting, heart-warming adventure. Moana features a superb female character at its core following 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, 2010’s Tangled, 2013’s smash hit Frozen and this year’s thoroughly engaging Zootropolis.

The film takes us to the lush terrain of Motunui, the Pacific island where the titular protagonist (voiced with the self-possession of a seasoned veteran by newcomer Auli‘i Cravalho) lives.

We first meet her as a ridiculously cute toddler, lapping up her beloved and adorably eccentric Gramma Tala’s (Rachel House) exciting and scary tales with enthusiasm.

She then toddles out to shore to look longingly at the waves where she makes a connection with the ocean before being swept up in her father’s protective arms.

For, we learn, Moana has always been naturally curious about what lies beyond the safety of her island, but she is taught there is no place like home. And given she is destined to lead her people one day, her father is determined that she stay put.

However, egged on by Gramma Tala, Moana discovers that generations ago her people were once great voyagers who sailed the Pacific yet inexplicably they gave up their seafaring ways. So when her people’s way of life is threatened she decides, inexperienced though she is, to take to the ocean herself in order to save them and her beloved island.

The story opens with a stunning titbit of exposition detailing the legend of Te Fiti, an island goddess, whose heart was stolen by the arrogant, strong, shape-shifting demigod Maui, who in turn lost it in the ocean. Much to his chagrin, Maui (voiced with oodles of charisma and humour by Dwayne Johnson) now finds himself in the unexpected role of guide to Moana on her voyage.

Vintage Disney, a magical, mysterious, moving and entertaining movie for all ages

It is another feather in Disney’s cap that the young, inexperienced girl is the protagonist here, and the boisterous, alarmingly-tattooed, large-of-frame guy – or demigod in this case – is the sidekick... but this is not merely role reversal in and of itself.

The characters are well-rounded, three-dimensional and as complex as any, with Moana eschewing the typical Disney Princess model – it is notable that she is drawn with a very realistic body shape – and she embodies typical teen traits of empathy, curiosity, spirit and self-doubt, with a good dose of self-deprecation and a healthy amount of suspicion of authority thrown in for good measure.

It is hard to believe this is Cravalho’s debut performance, given she adds maturity and depth and a knack for killer line delivery.  She is feisty, fearless and funny, especially in her interactions with Maui, taking his egocentric posturing with dollops of salt.

Obnoxious though he may be, as voiced by Johnson, Maui is charmingly comic. He drolly sends up the actor’s own macho image. He comes with his own private Greek chorus, in the form of the tattoos on his body, which have a life of their own and serve as his conscience.

The relationship between Moana and Maui is a delightful back-and-forth full of humour and heart; with cinema’s funniest – and it must be said stupidest – chicken ever voiced (or squawked) by Alan Tudyk along for the ride.

Needless to say, it looks amazing – the greens and blues of the Pacific territories that suffuse the frame in the brightest of sunny skies are in a word awesome; with the ocean that cares for and communicates with Moana reminiscent of the creature in The Abyss.

The characters are larger-than-life, whether human, demi-god or animal. Apart from Moana and Maui, the standouts include the Kakamore, a tribe of angry coconuts they encounter on their journey and Tatamoa, a giant crab who lives at the bottom of the ocean with his considerable stash of ill-gotten treasures.

The musical numbers are by flavour-of-the-moment Lin-Manuel Miranda who, together with Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i  has composed some memorable tunes with Moana’s signature song How Far I’ll Go destined to be the one to make us finally let go of Frozen’s omnipresent Let it Go. The presence of Foa’i, an award-winning songwriter and musician from New Zealand, adds a melodious Oceanic touch to the numbers,

Moana is vintage Disney, a magical, mysterious, moving and entertaining movie for all ages. It is an original coming-of-age story with an inspiring heroine at its core. Its tale of self-discovery and a strong and ever-topical message,  the film illustrates Nature’s wrath when violated.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.