Must See Disney Original

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 2016)

First things first.
Disney once again gives us an original short prior to the feature called Inner Workings. It picks up where Inside Out left off, whereas we get to see how the human mind/body works. I'm not entirely convinced kids, especially younger kids will appreciate this one, but it hits a powerful chord with every working adult. Boring, Boring, and Glum resonates to the point where I laughed almost as much to keep from crying as I did from the pure humor.
As for the newest Disney Original feature film of Moana, words like beautiful, delightful, funny, exciting, thrilling, action packed, innovative, charming, mesmerizing, emotional, and inspiring leap to mind. While for the most part, I'm loving the sequels the company has been doing, Moana recaptures the magic and wonder of Disney original stories and makes me extremely happy this is the course they'll be pursuing again. I'm a fan!
The largely Pacific islands cast with the exception of Dwayne Johnson as the voice of Maui, Nicole Scherzinger, and Alan Tudyk is unfamiliar to me. However, the perfection in the casting is undeniable. The characters these actors create are comforting, warm, three dimensional.
The musical score, includes songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) perfectly accentuates and punctuates the story elevating the level of entertainment. Plenty of toe tapping and seat dancing to be had. While none of the songs will most likely reach Let I Go proportions, I defy you not to laugh, hum along and get You're Welcome stuck in your head.
Others have tried, maybe even come close, but no one tops Disney/Pixar animators when it comes to water animation. No one. The overall animation is also out of this world. There's great us combined 2D and 3D animation to make the story pop, especially the mythology sequences. The research done to capture the vivid colors and textures of the Pacific Islands flora and fauna gives Moana an unsurpassed tactility. I wanted to jump on the next plane to see islands myself.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself and can't give Moana anything but a 10 and look forward to adding it to my personal movie collection to enjoy for years to come.
ALERT for you folks that dash out as soon as the credits roll. Stick around to the end. Enjoy the closing credits music because there's a final scene when all is said and done that will make you smile.