Disney Rarely Misses when it Comes to Animaton, Moana is no Exception

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2016)

2016 while being a pretty screwed up year in a few different ways has been a solid year for animated movies. Zootopia and The Secret Life of Pets both did well and Kubo and the Two Strings is one of my favorite movies of the year. So where does Moana fit into this? I tried really hard not to compare Moana to the other terrific animated movies this year, which was really difficult to do, luckily Moana can stand up with those other movies, and in some cases exceeds them.
I want to begin with reviewing the music, and while I believe music is the most subjective piece of art there is, there is no doubting that the music in Moana is fantastic. It has been a while since a Disney musical has gotten songs, that's plural, songs that got stuck in my head. The trio of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i absolutely kill on the soundtrack with songs that really help to bolster the events taking place in the movie. If I were to pick the best part of Moana it would be the soundtrack.....or Moana is one of, if not the most impressive looking Disney movie to date. The lush setting of tropical islands really lets the animators do some incredible things, like waterfalls and trees with large green leaves. The water in Moana plays a huge role and man does it look good. There were moments where I was not sure if they had animated it or had combined the animation with real shots of the beach. The character animation is great as well, Moana herself being the best of the bunch. While I lean towards liking the animation in Kubo and the Two String a bit better there is no denying that Moana is the best looking animated movie of the year.
Moanas' plot is pretty straight forward, Moana is the heir to the throne of the island that her family lives on, and even though her father believes it is best for his people to stay in the safety of their reef, Moana is drawn to adventure out into the ocean. There is also a bit of a conservation message in there too, but talking about that too much will be a bit of a spoiler. While both good themes for a children's movie, I feel that by the end of the movie, they had sort of put those to the side and falls off the moral rails a bit. While not plot shattering, I think it is important for these movies to complete their theme and give kids something to learn about when all is said and done.
When I looked up the voice cast after the movie I was shocked to see that there were only 12 credited voice actors in the whole movie. Dwayne Johnson is great at so many things, and he is not a bad voice actor, he is actually a good one, but the performance of Auli'i Cravalho, both in singing and line reading is the performance that stands out in Moana. This young girl has a real talent and certainly a career ahead of her, and again to say that she out performs the Rock is no small feat.
Moana is really great. There is almost no better way to say it. It's enjoyable and just the right length for a good animated movie. Sure there are some corny jokes in there and some decent sized plot holes but overall you really can't beat 2 hours of great animation and even better songs. Weather you have kids or are a big fan of animated movies, I am sure Moana will not disappoint. Worst case it may be nice to sit in a movie theater, or on the couch while it is -17 degrees outside and look at a beautifully drawn tropical paradise for a couple of hours this holiday season.