Moana

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2016)

Moana is Disney's latest animated film and it comes from the same creative team behind Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, The Princess and the Frog and Treasure Planet. Moana feels like a worthy successor to Disney's most beloved animated classics while in the meantime pushing the genre into 2016, introducing a smart, diverse and convincing heroine. Plus, I don't know why but it reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the most part.
The weight and core of the film is based on both of the main character shoulders and their chemistry. Dwayne - The Rock - Johnson charisma comes through, even just in the voice. At this point, he has proved that he is a real superstar and that he is here to stay. I love his depiction of Maui, he is sort of a sarcastic prick but still lovable because - let's be honest - it is The Rock we are talking about. Auli'i Cravalho is splendid, showing off her pipes with "How Far I'll Go", delivering the kind of classic Disney "I want" song that brings to mind The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" and Hercules' "Go the Distance". The music is, in my opinion, the best of their most recent films. Especially one which is destined to be the next "Let It Go", parents out there, be prepared, it is coming.
Moreover, Moana offers us all a wave of girl power that we can ride and we love that. First, Moana will be chief after her father and nobody questions it. Second, she doesn't have a love interest, because she has an island to save. Third, her grandmother and mother are both strong presences in her life; in a perfect Bechdel Test fashion, they don't talk about men. Finally, she can do it all and keeps on fighting for what she believes in. As per usual with Disney animated films, the animation is out of this world stellar, with each passing year Disney is getting better and better at the animated photorealistic background, here especially the Ocean.
Overall, Moana is a very fun and entertaining film with everything you'd want in a Disney film: great animations, good songs, good voice work, good moral core, good message and most importantly heart.