Moana (2016)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  9 / 10

  Moana is yet another Disney classic to add to their massive catalogue of visually stunning animations. God mother flipping dammit Disney did it again. I was so ready to be saying how overrated this film is...and yet I succumbed to the charm, the beauty and the magical world that is Moana. The daughter of a tribal chief, Moana is chosen (by the sea might I add) to save the world by undoing what Demi God Maui did...ripping the heart out of an Island Goddess that sounds extremely similar to Nefertiti. In doing so, he has caused the world to fall into darkness and for monsters to roam wild beyond the reef. Moana and Maui must put their differences aside and work together. Standard Disney formula is standard, but who even cares when it works so well! Even for the 55th animated feature! The film is pretty much The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker...and I loved it. Loved loved loved loved lovvvved this flick. A ridiculous amount of memorable characters, from a demented rooster named Hei Hei (who provides the majority of laughs) to an army of crazy coconut pirates that felt very reminiscent to Mad Max: Fury Road. The animation was absolutely stunning and there is a slow motion scene towards the end where Moana walks through the water and I simply stood up and shouted "YES! MOANA YOU EPIC BEAST!". The lore was extremely thick with traditional Hawaiian culture which I would've liked to have seen more exploration into as it is a fascinating culture. Plenty of morals for the younger audiences like teamwork, determination and how to shape shift into various creatures (obviously...). The voice acting was perfect, took me awhile to adjust to The Rock but I came around and actually thought he was well cast. The big question is: what are the songs like? Damn. Flipping. Catchy. "No one knowsssss how far I'll goooooo" or a super weird glittering crab singing "Shiningggg!" (which is the weakest song). Disney has floored me once again with a beautiful animated feature that delivers some emotional impact and has crafted a magical world that was completely immersive.

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