Review of Moana (2016) by Kevin P — 12 Nov 2018

Strengths: Disney just knows what theyï¿ 1/2(TM)re doing. They get the animated stuff right most of the time. This was one of their best efforts in the past few years. As always, the visuals are magnificent. The ocean, islands, and every scene of nature looks incredible and we spend enough time with them to appreciate it all. The movie does well to showcase all the tribal stuff and pay respect to it. None of it is treated as a joke. Moana has a strong plot for an adventure movie. There are all sorts of twists and turns to keep you engaged, as well as a handful of moments to make you feel like the heroes might not win out in the end. Pretty much everyone in the voice cast delivers. Auliï¿ 1/2(TM)i Cravalho (Moana) was outstanding, especially considering her young age. Dwayne Johnson (Maui) manages to bring his charm to the character, while Rachel House (Tala) and Nicole Scherzinger (Sina) were strong. I liked the little rooster character as a nice source of comedy, too. Lastly, the songs in the movie are mostly good, catchy, and they build character.

Weaknesses: Thereï¿ 1/2(TM)s some pacing issues. While I liked the way the story escalates and has plenty of antagonists sprinkled in, it still has a problem where it feels long. I paused the movie twice, feeling like I was deep into it, and was surprised to still find 40+ minutes left. Thereï¿ 1/2(TM)s also not much to set Moana apart from the tons of other young female protagonists in these kinds of movies. You could plug in almost any of them and the movie doesnï¿ 1/2(TM)t really change.

Overall: Far from perfect, but still great. Moana ranks among the better animated films of the past five years thanks to a great voice cast, stellar visuals, and a wild adventure that everyone can enjoy.