Disney can do no wrong!  Moana is another instant classic full of great songs, animation, characters, humor, and action.  It really exceeded my expectations.  There’s a quest with proper villains and epic action sequences.  The songs (co-written by Lin Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame) are all incredibly clever and catchy.  The Polynesian island setting is gorgeous all the way through with vibrant colors and great water.

Moana and Maui are both wonderful characters and their interactions are charming.  Moana is a strong and driven character yet also goofy and funny.  She just might be my favorite Disney (not actually a) Princess.  And both characters have a great arc.  Moana’s family is also well developed and avoids being one dimensional.  The only part I found troubling was the sentient ocean which helps her some of the time but not others.  I didn’t understand why it did or didn’t happen, unless it was intentionally being unhelpful to force Moana to succeed on her own.  I might just have not been following correctly, but I also found a twist in the ending slightly confusing.

There’s really nothing bad to say about this movie.  It’s solid all the way through.  I want statues of Moana and Maui and the soundtrack, stat!  I wouldn’t rate it as highly as Dory or Zootopia, but this was a great movie.

Moana

9

Story/Writing

9.0/10

Characters

9.0/10

Pacing

9.0/10

Emotional Connection

9.0/10

Wildcard

9.0/10

Pros

  • Great character, songs, humor, action, animation
  • Epic quest full of adventure

Cons

  • That cute pig all over the advertising is barely in it!