You'll go have Mo Funna if You See Moanna

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2016)

It wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving without a Disney animated feature to grace the silver screen. And this weekend the animation studios are at it again with another masterpiece sure to be nominated for best animated picture of the year. The name of the movie this time is Moana, a tale of Polynesian mythology wrapped up in a nice, Disney magical package. Will this movie net Disney the best picture of the year award, or is it just another filler until Pixar's next work? Robbie K happy to bring you another review this holiday season. Let's get started.
LIKES:  Fun, new setting  Comedy  Soundtrack was kicking
We all know Disney makes fun films, but Moana's fun comes in form of the beautiful settings of the Pacific. Stepping away from the castles, this film will enchant you as you set sail on the majestic oceans and the mythical creatures that inhabit them. The world is colorful and dynamically shaded to match the tones of the film, which give the film a little energy to spice things up. No surprise, the animation is fluid (as always) as realistic movements (both living and nonliving) are captured in this breathtaking CGI. While I didn't see it in 3-D, this film's design would have popped out more with the special effects, therefore earning a recommendation to give it a try if you wish. But a Disney movie isn't just about the scenery, oh no you have to have characters that make you laugh and you can latch onto. Moana continues this trend, with the lead character (Moana) being the ever inspiring, girl power rocking, role model that most leads are. In terms of laughs though, Maui has you covered on this field. Dwayne Johnson delivers in the film, his bold, brash, and loud delivery matching the charisma of the demi-god. The hero has plenty of silly qualities to him, clever one-liners, slapstick antics, and a dancing tattoo which kept me laughing through most of the film. Throw in an idiotic chicken and anthropomorphic ocean and the you get a unique team for tickling your funny bone. My favorite aspect of this movie though has to be the soundtrack. This movie finally took a step back into the Disney renaissance world. A fantastic orchestra work sets the stage for adventure, bold brass instruments blaring and drums pounding as the boat coasts out into the wild. Other scenes have a more elegant touch to them to match the touching moments, rounding out the emotion of the film in a complete package. But many will fall in love with the original music our cast composes, bringing the upbeat, inspirational tone that will have young and young at heart hitting repeat over and over again. The soundtrack was perfect for this movie, and yours truly loved the islander twist to spice the tunes up.
DISLIKES:  Not as exciting as other adventures  Unnecessary scenes  Missed potential
While Moana was fun and beautiful, it wasn't the most thrilling tale to grace the library. The film lacked suspense for me, never finding myself at the edge of my seat fearing for our heroes. Perhaps it was the obvious foreshadowing, or the fact that very little of the threats seemed deadly, but more cuddly and silly. Plus, the character development was a little lacking at times, so there didn't seem the looming threat of Disney killing a favorite character. Without the excitement, the adventure did grow a bit dull in terms of thrills, but fortunately the fun and animation make up for it. An even stronger dislike was how unnecessary some of the scenes were in the film for me. A few of the moments, were impromptu sequences meant to instill a sense of urgency, an effort I appreciate. However, the urgency had already been established and these scenes added little to the overall emotion or plot of the story. Unfortunately, the biggest sting was entering one "supposedly" dangerous island that Maui builds up. It had such build up and potential, and then they dropped it. This island could have been a very unique and dangerous world that added some edge and diversity to the film in regards to bizarre flora and fauna. Yet, they quickly skimmed over this part to get to an obnoxious character (the conflict with him rather lackluster), which left me a tad disappointed. Sadly, no other creatures or beasts appeared from the depths to enhance the adventure, nor any major challenges to gradually enhance the skills of our heroes. The bottom line of this dislike, is that the editing was slightly off track for this reviewer and could have been expanded upon to add more depth and excitement to the film.
The VERDICT
Moana is another fine example of how awesome Disney is at animation. Beautiful visuals bring alive a unique world that will make you crave to be on the majestic waters of the pacific islands. In addition, it's a very fun movie that contains both laughs and music to instill the positive energy that Disney films love to do around the holidays. Despite all of this though, it wasn't the most exciting adventure for me and I really would have liked to see more of the mythology brought into the tale to further develop our lovable characters (and more of the cute pig too). Still, this film is worth visiting in the theaters for all ages and will spread some early holiday joy over you and those you love.
My scores:
Animation/Adventure/Comedy: 8.5 Movie Overall: 7.5