Moana (2016)


Continuing with the ocean theme, today's selection is Moana.

The Movie:

 Moana is the 56th and currently most recent film in the Disney Animated Canon.  It was well received and had a good run at the box-office, but not quite as successful as Zootopia, which came out the same year.

Moana is the story of the title character, the daughter of a Polynesian chief.  Moana's father forbids her, or anyone, from sailing past the reef into the open ocean, but Moana is drawn to the sea.  When her island is threatened by a growing darkness, Moana must journey across the ocean to find the demigod Maui and force him to restore the heart of Te Fiti.

This is a very enjoyable movie.  The title heroine is very likable, and Maui is a fun foil for her.  The animation is gorgeous and the story is a wonderful adventure.

The soundtrack is a definite highlight.  The songs are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) and Opetaia Foa'i, with the score by Mark Mancina.  Some of the songs include lyrics in Samoan and Tokelauan, which gives the movie a unique sound.  "How Far I'll Go" tries its hardest to be the next great Disney ballad in the vein of "Let It Go," but my favorite song has to be "You're Welcome," though the performance by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Maui really helps.

Presence in the Parks:

 It's funny, when Frozen first came out, the big debate seemed to be Frozen vs. Tangled.  But since this movie came out, the question has been Frozen vs. Moana.  And maybe it's because Frozen had so much oversaturation, but quite often I hear Moana more often as the answer to that question.

It's quite odd then that Moana currently has no presence at Disney World whatsoever.  For a time she was a meetable character, but then she left last year.  There have been rumors at various points of her popping up in Adventureland, either with a new roller coaster or in the Enchanted Tiki Room, but so far nothing has come of those rumors.  As popular as she is I can't imagine Moana will never find a home at Disney World, but it hasn't happened yet.

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