Moana

“How faarrr I’ll gooooooo!” You recognize that don’t you? Moana is about a teenage girl who is trying to save her island that is dying. She sails across the ocean to return the heart of Te Fiti, while doing so she meets the almighty demigod Maui. The film is filled with heartfelt and hilarious events.

As she sails across the ocean, she accidentally brings on a pretty stupid bird that brings just as much entertainment to the movie as any other animal sidekick. The animation of the film is quite flawless compared to some of the other movies such as Frozen (during Elsa’s ice castle scene, her dress goes through her shoulder).

Moana has achieved many awards such as the Annie Award for best animated effects and the Movie of the Year award in 2016. Although there are many positive aspects of the film, there are some holes in the movie. When Maui took the heart from Te Fiti would he not have seen the transformation of Te Fiti to Te Ka? Some of the viewers speculate this and would’ve assumed that Maui would have known that Te Fiti and Te Ka are the same person/island. As well as the fact that Moana is really good a diving without SCUBA gear. When she was in a time of despair, her grandma came in spirit form and told her not to give up so she deep dives into the ocean and retrieves the heart of Te Fiti. It’s quite odd that she can withstand the pressure and the extreme darkness of the ocean. But then again it IS an animated film.

Now the soundtrack of the movie, that is the most enjoyable part of that movie. The songs in the movie get stuck in your head and you had no other choice but to sing along. Stop lying to yourselves. You did. At times the singing was unnecessary but what is a Disney movie without unnecessary singing. Right? Moana’s over all plot was very empowering for woman. She made a male demigod her sidekick how badass is that for a woman? Not to mention that there were no romantic relationships involved.

What made this movie most enjoyable is the playful water that Moana makes a connection to in her early years. At times you would ask “where is the water when you need it?” but like any other conscience or guide they only appear at the crucial moments of the movie; just like Jiminy Cricket and Phil the Satyr from Hercules. Overall, Moana deserves to be one of the best movies Disney has ever made: it has the emotion, the music, the laughter, the action and the cry worthy moments.

Written by Maya Kaul