A Worthy Addition to the Disney Lineup.

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2019)

Disney animation has an impressive repertoire of an array of films, but they're perhaps known above all for their princesses. Despite being perhaps Disney Animation's claim to fame, they've definitely slowed down on them in recent years. However, in 2016 there was another addition to the extensive Disney princess lineup, Moana. It's set in the South Pacific, with a Polynesian princess and accompanying aesthetic. Additionally, it's also a musical, another thing that gave Disney great fame and a lot of money, but has largely slowed down this century.
As one would expect, Disney does a spectacular job at animating Polynesia and all the environments in this movie. The ocean looks incredible, and the amount of detail put into the water is outstanding, especially because the ocean is almost a character of its own in this movie. The other places, like the islands and any of the mystical places, also look great. Disney is known for having some of the highest quality animation in the world, and it shows here. The songs are also pretty good. The one people know most is You're Welcome, but honestly, most of that is probably from memes. How Far I'll Go is pretty good, and Shiny makes for a good villain song.
Moana herself is a likable protagonist, although a bit much in the vein of some other recent characters, notably Merida from Brave. She's strong-willed and determined, which does make the audience want to root for her. Her backstory, in which she's the daughter of the chief who doesn't want her to go out on this quest, but she does so anyway. Maui, played by the Rock himself, is also a good character. The most memorable thing about him is probably his action sequences with his hook. Te Ka, who is silent, is the film's main villain, so it's nice that a Disney movie in the 2010s doesn't have a twist villain.
Moana, all in all, is a worthy addition to Disney's extensive lineup. It wasn't quite the phenomenon that Frozen was, but I have a feeling that 2010s kids will remember this the same way Aladdin is remembered by 90s kids. So is there going to be a live-action Moana released in 2043?