Moana
is, naturally, going to be compared to Frozen. They’re both Disney animated musicals,
they’re both CGI, and they’re both critically acclaimed. Frozen
was a monster of a musical, however: making over a billion dollars,
ranking as the highest grossing animated film of all time, and being the first Disney animated musical to receive a
theatrical sequel (not counting the DisneyToon
sequels…). Such
magnitude puts a ton of pressure on Moana,
and while the film has paled in comparison regarding box office profits, I
regard it as the superior animated musical: musical
being the key term.
The story begins with a tale about
Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), a shapeshifting demigod who stole the
mystical stone-shaped heart of the goddess Te Fiti, causing darkness to
spread. Turns out the tale is actually
true, and now darkness threatens to destroy the island Motunui—home to a small
Polynesian civilization and our film's protagonist Moana (Auli'i
Cravalho), daughter and heir to the island’s chief. Moana discovers
she has been chosen by the ocean to find Maui and return the heart of Te Fiti, setting
out on a journey full of danger and songs.
Moana’s
true strength lies in its soundtrack. Frozen’s musical claim-to-fame is Let it Go; I’ve listened to the song
about a thousand times, and I’ll probably listen to it a thousand more by the decade’s
end. It’s a really great song, yet
when you get right down to it, Let it Go
is miles above Frozen's remaining numbers.
The film's only other song I enjoy listening to is Love is an Open Door—aside from that, I hardly remember, nor
listen to, the remaining tunes: being either forgettable (cough, the troll song, cough)
and/or not very catchy. Moana beats Frozen, not in a single overthrowing number (Let it Go remains the king of CGI musical songs), but with its sizable
quantity of six, high-quality songs: all unique and memorable.
The last time a Disney film had
this many excellent songs was back in the 90s during the Disney Renaissance. My personal favorite of the group is the
incredibly catchy Your Welcome, sung unexpectedly
well by Dwayne Johnson himself (I did not
know The Rock could sing so well). There’s a
great opening number (Where You Are),
the obligatory—yet nonetheless effective—protagonist’s soliloquy about wanting
more (How Far I’ll Go), a lively tune
about Moana’s ancestors (We Know the Way),
a deliciously fun villain song (Shiny),
and a chill-inducing epic climax to Moana’s character development (I Am Moana). The songs are all terrific, and I’m without doubt that Moana has the best animated musical soundtrack made since the Renaissance.
Aside from the songs, the film’s handling
of its protagonist Moana is another one of its strengths. The film enjoys twisting previous Disney
heroine tropes, such as Moana’s father expecting
her to become their village’s next head chief—a complete reversal to the subservient
positions past Disney fathers expected their daughters to take. He, alongside Moana’s mom, even spend the entire
opening number training Moana to become a good and wise leader (the film giving
ample time to showcase that such training paid off). Comparing Moana's character (directors Ron Clements and John Musker's latest heroine) to The Little Mermaid's Ariel (the directors's earliest heroine) reveals some notable similarities in liveliness and free-spirited nature, along with some stark differences in ambitions and capability. The writers made certain to make Moana an empowering female figure—she's physically agile, quick-witted, determined, independent, etc.—and while such agenda can feel somewhat forceful at times (usually at the expense of Maui, the film's male lead, appearing buffoonish), Moana has enough blunders across her journey to mostly balance it out. SPOILERS
BEGIN: The ending even diverts from the norm, with Moana and her people
embracing their voyager heritage and setting off on journey-like adventures to
new islands (as opposed to the story ending with its heroine in a castle and/or
back home). SPOILERS END
Moana
unfortunately does come with its share of weaknesses, the most blatant being its
hit-or-miss comedy. At times the comedy
is witty and/or satirical to previous Disney films (the latter shared with Zootopia)—such as Maui poking fun at
Moana’s princess standing—yet on other instances will fall flat and/or be cringe-worthy
(particularly with its one liners). There’s a lack of innovation when it
comes to plot direction: taking a lot of concepts from previous Disney films
and not utilizing them in any new or refreshing manner. An additional scene focused on Moana's dad (in-between his daughter's departure and return home) and his change of heart over her mission would have also been a better use of time, and character development, than the unnecessary dream sequence given. Moana overcomes
these faults, however, with likable characters, a delightfully fun midway villain
(who gets a humorous after-credits scene), the handling of its protagonist, and
a fantastic soundtrack. Moana is a welcomed addition to the
Disney animated library, and a superior musical to its icy blockbuster precursor.
