Moana (2016)

Moana (2016)

IMDB Movie Rating 8.0/10

In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.

Directors: Ron Clements, Don Hall 

Writers: Jared Bush (screenplay), Ron Clements (story)

Stars: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House

PG | 1h 47min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

IMDB link Here

Movie Rating ★★★★☆

There has been no Disney princess like Moana  

Where Moana consistently hits the mark is the expanse it allows its heroine -- the length and breadth of an ocean -- with the film and the future of the world almost entirely resting on her shoulders.  

The story is inspired by a Polynesian legend about a demi-god called Maui. However, the tale is entirely universal, especially for girls, about the dangers of what might lie beyond one’s home. Moana’s team of writers-directors weaves several strands from this skein, about finding one’s true self, about “darkness spreading” as people close doors to the outside world, about the nature of true heroism, and even about the possibility of friendship, so many light years after Kabuliwala, between a girl and a man.

Maui, voiced by Johnson, is created in the image of The Rock, a fact that has generated much derision among the Polynesians. It is, in fact, a bit disconcerting at first when Maui is revealed to be a demi-god sold on his own myth of greatness. With great flourish, he signs Moana’s oar, against her protestations, using the beak of her pet chicken and calling it “tweeting”. That’s the lamest joke in the film that otherwise lets situations do the talking. However, Maui grows on you, from the self-growing tattoos on his body telling his life’s tale, to the man bun he casually ties in the midst of a fight.

Most of the film involves Moana convincing Maui to venture on the task despite the fact that he no longer has his powers (and we know how that goes), and the two of them making their way to Te Fiti despite the hurdles, including a crab that loves shiny things.

Where Moana consistently hits the mark is the expanse it allows its heroine — the length and breadth of an ocean — with the film and the future of the world almost entirely resting on her shoulders. She silences one snarky remark from Maui by telling him she is “no princess”, and blossoms when she learns how to sail.

It’s a bit of a cheat that the sea helps her in her mission, but the film cleverly if not convincingly explains it too.

The songs are the most disappointing part of Moana, surprising given the wonderful opportunities on offer. But then you look at that girl, docking her boat, flashing a smile and promising a friend, “See you out there” — and a lot can be forgiven.

 Read full review at Indian express

Appealing equally to the eyes, ears, heart and funny bone, Moana represents contemporary Disney at its finest — a vibrantly rendered adventure that combines state-of-the-art CG animation with traditional storytelling and colorful characters, all enlivened by a terrific voice cast.

Drawing upon the folkloric cultures of the Pacific Islands, this tale about a self-possessed teen who embarks on a quest to save her home turf from looming extinction required the proven talents of two teams of directors to tell its story: Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid and Aladdin) and co-directors Chris Williams and Don Hall (Big Hero 6).

It may have taken a village, but when you add in a selection of infectious, soul-stirring songs by Hamilton sensation Lin-Manuel Miranda along with score composer Mark Mancina and Samoan musician Opetaia Tavita Foa’i, you’ve got a tropical Frozen with the potential for a similarly wide-reaching audience

While the studio may have in the past faced criticism for whitewashing cultural storylines, both the look of the film’s characters and the accompanying voice casting have been carried out with notable sensitivity. In addition to 15-year-old Cravalho, a native Hawaiian with a nice dramatic range, and Johnson, who is of Polynesian heritage and also does his own singing here (is there nothing The Rock can’t do?), supporting players Morrison, Rachel House (as Moana’s encouraging grandmother) and Jemaine Clement as the bug-eyed, crab-like Tamatoa are all New Zealanders of Maori descent.

Effectively interweaving those Samoan, Tahitian and Fijian oral traditions with their own distinct sensibilities, screenwriter Jared Bush, who also penned this year’s Zootopia, and the quartet of directors manage to work in plenty of offbeat humor at every inventive turn. At one point, Maui insists the chief’s daughter must be a princess because all princesses wear a dress and are accompanied by an animal sidekick.

But if Moana boldly ventures beyond the reef, so, too, does the breathtakingly beautiful animation break fresh visual ground. Letting the natural light of the sun and the moon inform virtually every textured frame, the film boasts backgrounds that are awash in phosphorescent greenery and shimmering blue waters.

Equally strong are the tunes; you can definitely hear Miranda’s inspirational hip-hop stylings in songs like “You’re Welcome” and “How Far I’ll Go,” which, if not quite as catchy as “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” and “Let It Go,” come pretty darned close.

Accompanying screenings of Moana will be the animated short Inner Workings, Leo Matsuda’s wryly satirical portrait, Inside/Out style, of a meek everyman who decides to start taking chances in life.

Read full review at Hollywood reporter

‘Moana,’ Brave Princess on a Voyage With a Chicken

In “Moana,” the title character travels with Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), a muscle-bound demigod. Credit Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

In the Disney kingdom, the in-house influence of Pixar has reinvigorated the animation (though some of us may still pine for the classic, painterly Disney visual aesthetic), and the rejuvenation of American musical theater has provided a fresh pool of songwriting talent. “Moana,” directed by Ron Clements and John Musker from a screenplay by Jared Bush, includes a few infectious numbers by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a heart-tugging orchestral pop score by the Disney stalwart Mark Mancina. Buoyant songs by the Polynesian singer and composer Opetaia Foa’i (performed with his band Te Vaka) anchor the film’s cheery globalism in a specific South Pacific milieu.

The plot is similarly syncretic, a mélange of updated folklore, contemporary eco-spiritualism and tried-and-true Disney-Pixar formula. Heihei, who beats out an adorable pig for the job of cute animal sidekick on the voyage itself, is a lot like Becky, the addled loon in “Finding Dory.” And the first part of the story, in which Moana’s anxious, protective father tries to keep his daughter from venturing beyond the reef that encircles their island, is a ringing echo of “Finding Nemo.”

Once an ecological catastrophe (and her grandmother’s example) persuade Moana to defy her dad, she must overcome her own doubts (and Maui’s skepticism) and prove herself through a series of ordeals. Unlike “Frozen,” which spiked the formula with genuine surprise, “Moana” unfolds more or less as expected. Which is just fine, really. Archetypes are there for a reason: to provide reassurance and encouragement amid the squall and uncertainty of life.

There are some touching and amusing zigzags on the way to the film’s sweet and affirmative conclusion. Moana inhabits a bright world of water and sunshine, into which the filmmakers insert a handful of visual and musical showstoppers. The best of these is probably a glam-rock pastiche called “Shiny,” performed by Jemaine Clement in the guise of a greedy giant crab. Mr. Miranda’s motor-mouthed synthesis of hip-hop and show-tune traditions provides jolts of energy and wit, matched by some clever bits of animation. Maui’s tattoos come to life, making his body an inky comic strip within the film’s splashy, colorful cartoon world.

And, as usual, you succumb to an enjoyable experience that splits the difference between mythology and merchandising. Moana is an inspiring heroine, a smart, brave and decent young woman whose individual aspirations align perfectly with a larger, world-saving mission. She is also an exuberant and appealing self-marketer, whose likeness will proliferate on school bags and under Christmas trees for a long time to come.

Read full review at New york times

Movie Rating ★★★☆☆  

With songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dwayne Johnson sails into another Disney hit  

Featuring songs by "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, the new animated musical adventure "Moana" is Disney's first princess-with-an-asterisk offering since "Frozen." The "Moana" score's signature power ballad, "How Far I'll Go," may well take its rightful place alongside the earlier film's big hit, "Let It Go," in the female-empowerment earworm department. That's a lucrative department. I prefer Miranda's contribution; it serves a different story function, and it's a more traditional "I-want" song, but like the rest of "Moana," it works.

The film is bright, busy, enjoyable, progressive without being insufferable. It acknowledges its corporate princess dependency in ways that actually make story sense (though its story, attributed to seven writers, gets a little lumpy). Moana, daughter of a Pacific Islands chieftain and future ruler of her tribe, hates being patronized, or told what's off-limits. On the other hand, her destiny is her destiny. As the Polynesian demigod Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, puts it: "If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you're a princess."

The animation is digitally photorealistic and pretty gorgeous; the directors John Musker and Ron Clements worked on "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin," but those films (which have a lot to recommend them, however un-P.C. their messaging) belong to their recent time and place, and this one to ours.

The score's the thing here, buoyant and often delightful. Miranda collaborated with Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i on the overall musical tapestry, which owes a little something to "Hamilton," a little to the Alan Menken/Howard Ashman Disney animation heyday, a little to the sounds of the islands. Johnson (who can rap, at least in small doses) manages the Broadway-ized ode to preening self-regard "You're Welcome" like a champ. In that number, Miranda jumps off one lyric line ending with "You're welcome!" straight into a new line of thought beginning with: "Well, COME to think of it ..." It's a hit-and-run example of the composer and lyricist's verbal dexterity. I think that "Hamilton" guy has a future.

Read full review at Chicago tribune