A Beautiful Addition to the Disney Library

Rating: 9/10 (23 November 2016)

Moana is a fantastic movie. I have been looking forward to this movie even since I had heard of its release and I was not disappointed.
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the team who brought us the Little Mermaid and Aladdin, Moana tells the tale of a young Polynesian woman named Moana who feels like she's being called to something out in the great unknown.
Not only is the movie gorgeous to look at but the story is strong and the characters are great. Moana is fleshed out, given strengths and weaknesses. We also get to see her overcome her shortcomings and save the day. Moana is voiced by newcomer Auli'i Cravalho who not only did a good job with the acting but also with the singing. Her voice is fantastic! She teams up with Maui, a fallen demi-god, who is voiced by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and it's obvious the character was made just for him. While a bit of a braggart, he is very funny and likable.
The songs in this movie are also very gorgeous, taking inspiration from Polynesian culture. The songs were written by Opetaia Foai, Mark Macina and Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame. They fit with the setting perfectly and the songs are bursting with raw emotion.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves Disney and loves mythology. I cannot recommend it enough.