Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams
Written by: Jared Bush
Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House
Swift shot: Moana is an inspiring musical action adventure that speaks through the ocean and the rich mythology of Oceania. Set thousands of years before our time, it still resonates with a powerful message of resolve and determination in the face of insurmountable odds.
Moana (Cravalho) is just a tiny little thing when we first meet her, but already she has been chosen for great things apart from her already, literally set-in-stone destiny that will see her as Chief of the Pacific Island paradise of Motunui. Her Gramma Tala (House) and the ocean itself, which is a character full of life and personality in Moana, push her to defy her father. Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison) has forbidden anyone in the village from venturing out beyond the reef.
Moana tries to be a dutiful daughter and future leader, but eventually the darkness that has been slowly creeping up around their island becomes too much for her to ignore. Moana sets out on a perilous voyage across the sea to meet the demigod Maui (Johnson) and force him to right the wrong he did over a thousand years ago that is the cause of so much heartache.
See, Maui stole the heart of the goddess of creation, Te Fiti as he wanted to give it to the humans to help them create life, a gift he feels is the most precious of all. But when Moana finally makes it to Maui, he has other ideas about what he wants. Maui is an arrogant jerk, really. He’s about as modest as a professional wrestler, ha ha. But, “The Rock” does a magnificent job voicing the giant force of life that is Maui. Johnson has been inspired throughout his life by Maui, so he really brings a special kind of vitality to this part that you can appreciate. Several times I forgot I was watching “The Rock” and really connected with this deity.
Apart from his own vocalization, Maui has something I haven’t personally witnessed in any other Disney films, his tattoos are alive! More to the point, the tattoos speak for him when he refuses to speak for himself. It took me a minute to get my head around a magical “speaking” tattoo. But, when you consider Maui can shape-shift and pull up islands with a fishhook, you just kinda go along with magical tattoos. At times Maui has inner dialogs with the little dude on his chest.
Moana has her own voiceless personality as well in Heihei (Alan Tudyk). Heihei is just this incredibly stupid rooster who seems to follow Moana around with blind devotion, but (because this is Disney) Heihei comes into play in several crucial moments. [Swift aside: I call these parts “R2s”, for obvious reasons.]
As they make their way across the ocean, Moana and Maui come across others who want The Heart of Te Fiti, some little dudes called kakamora (coconut warriors) who attempt an at sea siege that was reminiscent of Fury Road meets Waterworld. Another colorful villain tries to steal the heart, Tamatoa played by the omnipresent Jemaine Clement. Tamatoa is a giant crab at the bottom of the ocean. He has something Maui and Moana need to complete their journey.
When they finally make it to restore the heart, they encounter a fierce creature Te Ka, who Maui has faced and been bested by thousands of years earlier. Te Ka has been waiting for Maui to return.
Moana is definitely a musical, and one song in particular was very inspiring, “How Far I’ll Go” which is used throughout the film. It’s the pulse of the story that keeps Moana driving forward really, always looking ahead until she can reach her destiny.
If you like inspiring animated films, Moana is definitely a must see for the sea!
There was a short Disney film before Moana ran titled “Inner Workings” that was amusing and after the credits for Moana there is a bit of a treat for Disney fans, so make sure you stick around!
