It's In the Telling

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2017)

This is a very well done animated feature, using Samoan culture and mythology. At some point there was an upheaval when a demi-god stole a heart, a green gem that needs to be returned properly to put an end to evil. A Samoan princess is enlisted by the ocean to go on a quest to return things to the way they were. She is forced into acting against her father's wishes, going beyond the limits he has placed on her. Of course, there are no surprises in the plot. We can parse this out without any trouble. The stars of this show are the special effects, the music, and some very interesting characters. But it doesn't offer a lot of new plot developments. If we see enough Disney films, we could line up the characters that seem to appear in just about everyone. Moana is a firecracker, but her endless talk and advice gets a little old. The best characters in the film are the Ocean (yes, the Ocean) and a hilarious walleyed chicken. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it, but I didn't find much new ground.