Emotional Journey, Authentic and Eye Candy AF

Rating: 10/10 (24 November 2016)

As a Polynesian, there are principles and values that are central to our culture that for many years I've tried to share with anyone I meet. Actually many people from Hawaii and the Pacific get this, even non-Polys :-). This story by Disney really brought many of those values out to the larger screen, to a larger audience, and I didn't realize seeing it this way would affect me so... deeply. When baby Moana first stepped onto that beach in the early part of the movie... flower in her hair, sun kissed skin... "the feels" are an understatement. My sister and I shed a few tears as if we were seeing a reflection of our own childhood on a beach in Hawaii -- the happiness, the curiosity, the innocence,the sea. Yeah, the feels happened and it was GREAT.
The story of the Polynesians voyaging across the Pacific; the sense of ohana and family; how important coconuts are to island life; how the island provides all you need; sense of duty to go out and seek solutions and bring them home; chickens and pigs all over the place (!); the beautiful and varied languages; the dancing; the art and craft of the tapestries (tapa/kapa cloth) and other designs; the canoe designs; the laughing; the relationship with the ocean.... these are all real things we as Pacific Islanders feel in a beautiful, unique life. One great example of authenticity: I also loved that instead of handshakes or just hugs as a greeting in the movie, Disney used the honi, a traditional Polynesian greeting which I recommend to everyone! The honi is a Polynesian greeting in which two people greet each other by pressing noses and inhaling at the same time. This is a very special as it represents the exchange of ha--the breath of life, and mana--spiritual power between two people.
This was a well done movie. Breathtakingly beautiful... and actually not so far off from reality (anyone who's been to Tahiti or Samoa will get it). Disney deserves credit for bringing so much joy and pride to a people that are often associated with tikis and grass skirts... We are so much more, and the story told is a great start to learn more deeply and authentically, in my opinion.