Review- Moana
God damn it Disney, you did it again
Moana is the new Disney film but is quite different to the last few, in that it's quite similar to the classic Disney princess films. It's the story of Moana, the daughter of the island chief, who wants to explore the ocean, despite the worries of her father. She is forced out into the ocean though when her island is brought under threat and she must seek out the demi-god Maui (Johnson) to help restore balance to the sea. When it comes to structure, don't expect anything spectacular here, what you are getting is definitely the Disney princess movie. You know where it's going, you know the story beats and you know it has a happy ending but as long as you know that and you're fine with it, you'll have no problems with the story.
Acting is never the biggest of deals in animated films but there are some great performances here. In terms of big Hollywood names, the only one is Dwayne Johnson, my hero and babe to everyone in the world. I would like to take this moment to confirm that he is exactly as charming in animated form as in live action. His voice expresses this cheeky but fun energy in every syllable and he is nothing short of a delight. The thing is, he isn't even the best performer in the film, that honour goes to newcomer Auli'i Cravalho who plays Moana. This may be her first performance but I hope it isn't her last because she is wonderful. In the speaking moments, she comes across honest and endearing but in her songs, she gives me goosebumps without fail. We get a small role from Jermaine Clement as well as a singing crab (trust me, different to The Little Mermaid's Sebastian) with a great small scale villain song in the middle. I'm always happy to see him getting work and after this, Rick and Morty and The BFG, I think he's finally made it.
I would say there are two standout characteristics from this film. The first is unquestionably the animation. If filming live action in water is hard, I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is to animate water but the whole animation team do it exceptionally throughout the film. Every frame looks picture perfect, whether there's splashing water, floating petals or the tattoos on Maui dancing. Don't let me brushing over it undersell the animation, it's sensational, I just really want to talk about the music. I haven't seen or heard any of the songs from Hamilton myself but I hear great things, which is what makes the presence of its creator Lin-Manuel Miranda as songwriter so interesting. Got to say, after listening to this soundtrack non-stop for the last few days, I am now very impressed and very interested in Hamilton. Each song is beautiful and I don't actually think there's a particularly weak one out of the bunch. While each track covers different emotions, each is beautiful, both from a lyrical and musical perspective. I'd also like to commend Miranda on being brave enough to have many songs featuring lyrics in Polynesian, something that keeps with the cultural tone of the film, as well as preventing children singing too many of them in public. Basically, we have one of the most all round excellent Disney soundtracks possibly ever here
I'm just very impressed by Moana. There isn't really much wrong with the film. Sure, the structure of the story isn't the most original in the world but they challenge the conventions of Disney princesses enough, with the lack of a "prince" being an interesting choice that works in the films favour for example. If you have children, this should be the film you take them to this Christmas. If nothing else, makes buying their presents easy, there is already stacks of Moana merchandise. That aside, the film is just a blast for all ages, be you child or child at heart, and I give the film a
Moana is the new Disney film but is quite different to the last few, in that it's quite similar to the classic Disney princess films. It's the story of Moana, the daughter of the island chief, who wants to explore the ocean, despite the worries of her father. She is forced out into the ocean though when her island is brought under threat and she must seek out the demi-god Maui (Johnson) to help restore balance to the sea. When it comes to structure, don't expect anything spectacular here, what you are getting is definitely the Disney princess movie. You know where it's going, you know the story beats and you know it has a happy ending but as long as you know that and you're fine with it, you'll have no problems with the story.
Acting is never the biggest of deals in animated films but there are some great performances here. In terms of big Hollywood names, the only one is Dwayne Johnson, my hero and babe to everyone in the world. I would like to take this moment to confirm that he is exactly as charming in animated form as in live action. His voice expresses this cheeky but fun energy in every syllable and he is nothing short of a delight. The thing is, he isn't even the best performer in the film, that honour goes to newcomer Auli'i Cravalho who plays Moana. This may be her first performance but I hope it isn't her last because she is wonderful. In the speaking moments, she comes across honest and endearing but in her songs, she gives me goosebumps without fail. We get a small role from Jermaine Clement as well as a singing crab (trust me, different to The Little Mermaid's Sebastian) with a great small scale villain song in the middle. I'm always happy to see him getting work and after this, Rick and Morty and The BFG, I think he's finally made it.
I would say there are two standout characteristics from this film. The first is unquestionably the animation. If filming live action in water is hard, I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is to animate water but the whole animation team do it exceptionally throughout the film. Every frame looks picture perfect, whether there's splashing water, floating petals or the tattoos on Maui dancing. Don't let me brushing over it undersell the animation, it's sensational, I just really want to talk about the music. I haven't seen or heard any of the songs from Hamilton myself but I hear great things, which is what makes the presence of its creator Lin-Manuel Miranda as songwriter so interesting. Got to say, after listening to this soundtrack non-stop for the last few days, I am now very impressed and very interested in Hamilton. Each song is beautiful and I don't actually think there's a particularly weak one out of the bunch. While each track covers different emotions, each is beautiful, both from a lyrical and musical perspective. I'd also like to commend Miranda on being brave enough to have many songs featuring lyrics in Polynesian, something that keeps with the cultural tone of the film, as well as preventing children singing too many of them in public. Basically, we have one of the most all round excellent Disney soundtracks possibly ever here
I'm just very impressed by Moana. There isn't really much wrong with the film. Sure, the structure of the story isn't the most original in the world but they challenge the conventions of Disney princesses enough, with the lack of a "prince" being an interesting choice that works in the films favour for example. If you have children, this should be the film you take them to this Christmas. If nothing else, makes buying their presents easy, there is already stacks of Moana merchandise. That aside, the film is just a blast for all ages, be you child or child at heart, and I give the film a
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