Formulaic, but well-executed

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2017)

The basic plot of "Moana" does not contain many surprises for anyone who has seen more than a few children's films. The film not only gives us a young hero, but refers to her as "the Chosen One", making it impossible to overlook the film's few deviations from the standard Joseph Campbell formula. That probably sounds like a fairly minor critique, but I feel the need to point it out anyway.
Dwayne Johnson is a charismatic individual, so it's a shame that most of the roles he gets do not measure up to his talents. In this film, he plays an arrogant demigod whose physical presence and immaturity do not conceal his compassion and insecurity as well as he probably thinks they do. He's probably the best thing about this movie, getting one of its best songs and a whole lot of clever lines and gags.
Our hero, Moana, is a young Polynesian girl who wonders if there might be something beyond the coral reef that her father, the village chief, forbids anyone to go beyond. Will she venture beyond it someday and embark on a grand adventure that will save her people and bring her face-to-face with beings and lands she had never imagined, possibly with the accompaniment of a cute animal sidekick? I'll ask again: Have you ever seen a Disney film?
I mentioned that the songs in this film are good, and they're probably the best in any Disney film in recent memory. (This Lin-Manuel Miranda guy might be going places.) Actually, it might be the best Disney animated musical since the 90s. The animation is colorful and vivid, and the script wisely leaves out the love interest character that was obligatory in these movies for a while (although it calls attention to itself for not featuring a princess, which is unnecessary.) If you are a Disney person or need something to show the kids, you could do much, much worse. I just like The Rock.