Single-Best Modern Disney Princess Movie

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2017)

Moana is a movie reminiscent of the classic Disney formula, yet the masterful manipulation of music, visual, and story render a much more powerful narrative. Imagine a Disney princess story mixed with the musical achievement of Elton John in the Lion King (1994) (in this case Lin-Manuel Miranda) to achieve a film of masterful rendition equal to the likes of a Broadway musical or La La Land (2016).
The piece is defined by the music, yet still delivers strongly with its plot. Expecting the typical chemistry of the Disney formula, we get a carefully calculated divergence from the recipe. However, instead of the confused ramblings of Frozen (2014), Moana takes the high road, turning Disney magic combined with the traditional musical style to create a wonderful new addition to the Disney princess catalog. Moana, the character, takes the adventurous personality of Ariel and the cautious courage of Simba. Finally, in the climax, every aspect of the film comes together in a beautiful point of parallelism and self-realization, making Moana an instant classic and the best traditional Disney installment since the turning of the new century.
However, the creators fumble by mixing up musical craft with the catchy songs designed for kids. There is but one misplaced song that is merely there to catch the essence of the "Disney magic". Additionally, what is a divergence from the traditional formula also adheres too much. Playing on the simple pathos and sympathy found all too often in kids movies and romantic facades, the film utilizes cliché rather than creativity to create conflict in a pivotal moment, unfortunately, reducing the impact of the plot.
Nevertheless, Moana is the single-best modern Disney princess movie, contending with the classics, but falters at moments.