Only beaten by Zootopia

Rating: Null/10 (6 January 2017)

Two words: beautiful, spellbinding. This is perhaps among Disney's best since their venture into 3D animation, with the most spectacular animation I've seen in any film. The beauty of the visual effects was complemented by the well-written plot and songs, the gorgeous voice of Auli'i Cravalho, and the typical Disney comic relief through Heihei and Pua. My only criticism could be two things: there were a few moments that seemed slightly mis-paced, such as Maui's defeat by Te Ka, learning to use his hook again and the appearance of Gramma's ghost, which all seem to have been rushed elements of the plot. Further, some of the characters and plot points seem slightly cliché - however, the clichéd plot elements can be forgiven thanks to the exploration of a largely unnoticed culture on Earth, the spellbinding music, and the fantastic animation. Dwayne Johnson was a pleasant surprise in the role of Maui. Originally, I was concerned that he did not suit the style of the character, nor the typical voice actor that Disney animation movies needed. But, he lived up to the role and then some. Maui was funny, lovable and bad-ass, and he added so much to the film through his joking arrogance and humour. This is, in my opinion, Disney's second-greatest modern animation. While it doesn't appeal in the same manner as "Frozen", I feel that it was better-executed and more entertaining than the major blockbuster. For me, only "Zootopia" rivals "Moana" in Disney's new era of incredible 3D computer animations.