So on Thanksgiving, I went to the movie theater in order to see the very highly anticipated Moana. To sum it up in three short words: I wasn't disappointed. Alright, maybe that seems a little negative, considering that I LOVED IT!
I mean, let's face it, ever since I found out that Lin Manuel Miranda, the powerhouse behind the hit musicals In the Heights and Hamilton (my current favorite musical!) was writing the music, I knew I would love it. Today, I've complied a quick little review, or just some of my random thoughts on the movie. I also filmed a video for my YouTube channel, which is right here if you'd like to watch that :)
First off, the animation and visuals are stunning! I love how the water gleams and glistens, as well as how Moana's hair fluttered in the wind. I feel like Disney stepped their animation game up and took it to the next level, and i'm excited to see more animated films executed hopefully similar to Moana.
Second, the story is wholeheartedly a good one. This is were the spoilers start to kick in, so if you don't want to be spoiled, READ NO FURTHER!
Are you still reading?
Don't say I didn't warn you!
:P
I am a HUGE fan of the fact that not only was this a cultural piece, which we could always use more of in the media, film, and television, but the story was unique to Disney as there was no romance or no central "big" villain- it was different- and just what Disney needed to do. As a child who grew up on Disney, I must admit that most tales centered or had some sort of central romance with the main character (not that I hate those types of stories- infact I love them). What is important, though, is fending for yourself and being strong, which is exactly what Moana is. Moana is truly such a strong, stand alone, empowering female, one in which we haven't seen in a long time.
One of my biggest reoccurring thoughts while watching Moana is that it's sort of the love child of Mulan and Pocahontas. I mentioned this in my video but I didn't elaborate too much Mulan just because the "protecting my family and my people" themes were very strong, and OF COURSE the grandma reminded me of Mulan's grandma! It reminded me of Pocahontas because the tribal type beat of the music and also how Moana was so ready to explore and was very headstrong, just like Pocahontas in "Just Around the River Bend", and also just like Poca, Moana had two animal sidekicks.
Although I loved this movie, it's not my all time favorite, or even in my top 10, it's definitely in my top 15-20 though. The more I think about the movie, the more I would like to see it again, it's a great family movie. One of the reasons why I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have is because it brought back some painful memories of when my grandma passed away, whom I was close to, as Moana was close to hers, and I couldn't watch the ending part when the grandma comes back as the stingray and convinces Moana to return the heart without getting emotional and upset. I really loved the movie though! I 100% recommend!
Thank you for reading! Have you seen Moana? What did you think? Let me know :D
