The best Disney Animated Movie I have seen in a while!

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2016)

This week we were given the opportunity to attend an advanced screening of Disney's newest film "Moana".
What we loved about the film:

The cast is incredible! Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson are wonderful and you can feel the pride in their voices as they represent their Hawaiian culture - as well as doing justice in serving several other cultures of Oceania throughout this film. They are also supported by the talents of so many others including Jemaine Clement, Temura Morrison, and Nicole Scherzinger.

I love the family connections.The connection between Moana and her Grandma Tala was one I really felt strongly in my heart. Her mother understanding that she needed to go even though her father didn't approve. Her father welcoming her home with open arms even though she went against his wishes. It was all really powerful. A wonderful message of encouragement and forgiveness. She is also lifted up as a leader. She is given the chance to make decisions for her people. They trust her. It was incredible and wonderful!

The soundtrack is incredible! "Moana" features original songs from a team that includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foaʻi. My husband isn't a great fan of "all of the singing" (not a musical theater kind of guy) but even he said this music was pretty good.

The chicken, Hei Hei, is hilarious and wonderful. As my husband says, "stupid chicken jokes just never get old". It was serious comic relief and we all decided he was probably our favorite part of this movie. The Ocean also plays a huge role in the film and brought humor as well as empathy and you see the relationship build as the movie goes on.

Moana is an incredibly strong main character and young woman. She is not a princess - she says this in the film. This didn't feel like a princess movie to me, which I was so grateful for. I have struggled through several of them lately - just never been a "princess" person. That said Princess lovers will not be disappointed. Moana is a leader. She is a voyager. She is a hero. She is what every girl should aspire to! She is what I aspire to be! There is no love story here - other than her love of the ocean, nature, her family, her people, and eventually herself. She saved as much as she was saved and I found that so refreshing! She is fiercely independent and supported by all of the women in her life. She becomes a hero by learning and being open to situations. She thinks things through and problem solves. She is a force, yet is gentle and understanding and with all of these traits you fall in love with her and cheer her on. She has moments of weakness and finds the strength to overcome them.

I love that she looks like a real person proportionally. She is thin, but isn't rail thin like all of the princesses. I felt like I was looking at a real person rather than a stick figure that could easily be snapped in two. Thank you for that Disney!

The message of trying to save our oceans and earth is strong and wonderful. I also love the idea that the ocean doesn't separate us, but connects us. That is so powerful and if we thought like this more I think greater respect would be paid to one of the biggest givers of life our planet has.

I love the cultural message that ties several of the cultures throughout the Pacific together in this film. It was really lovely too. Disney and the film makers traveled to several island nations to bring Oceania's legends to life in this film. They share their rich oral histories as well as the traits the people have used for centuries. Moana's main outfit was designed so it would be suitable for an adventurer. Neysa Bové, the costume designer made sure the skirt has a slit in front to allow movement— whether she's swimming, running or navigating her canoe. So much thought was put into the development.

We highly recommend this film! My son says, "boys will really like it a lot because it isn't a princess movie and there is plenty of action plus the chicken is so funny". I say moms and dads will like it a lot because it is funny, there are several great messages, and it has a little something for everyone! In my opinion this is one of the best Disney animated films I have seen in a while.