The Cliche Disney Formula Still Works - Why Amend It?

Rating: 7/10 (18 August 2018)

Moana is a traditional Disney animated film. It has everything you'd expect from the studio that has become synonymous with beautiful animation design, generic heroic tales and silly animal sidekicks.
It seems at this point, each new Disney animated film is a new skin for the same story. But I cannot bring myself to dislike it. The movie is just so fun that it's impossible to critique the generic storyline and forced plot points. There is literally a wave of water that stops anything interesting or unexpected from happening within the diegesis which is a cool way of saying "don't expect any surprises".
The thing about Moana is, that despite the barebones story, it's surface is incredibly detailed. It made me immersed in the culture of the island and interested in what life in this society would be like. The little details like drawings and patterns in background shots, to parts of songs being sung in a different language were necessary to making the film distinguishable from something that took less effort to make. This careful planning and attention to detail is something that Disney tend to find success in.
The film is also beautiful. The visuals are stunning. The animators did a fantastic job. The score is so fun, though the way music was handled within the film I felt was a little odd. The pacing seemed strange, with many songs appearing in the first act, and then long periods of time between musical interludes in the second and third. Being one of the most appealing parts of the film, I was saddened by this, however, it did make the opening half hour of the film one of the more enjoyable I have seen in recent memory.
All in all, Moana is a very fun movie. I can see how adults and kids alike could find enjoyment in it. The voice acting all seemed spot on, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well Dwayne Johnson can sing. Boy, that man really can just do it all can't he. I thoroughly enjoyed Moana, but it is held back in my 7/10 rating due to a slight fatigue in the Disney animated storytelling. I'd like to think that it would get a higher rating from me if I was to focus on it individually and forget the other similar Disney films I have seen; but I'm afraid I cannot. It was a very fun movie, but nothing to tell the grandkids about.