Good Disney Entertainment

Rating: 9/10 (9 June 2017)

Actually it's 8.5 rounded up to 9. Beautiful breathtaking animation with a good Disney formula story. A pleasant enough songbook but not every song is a "stunner". Many Easter Eggs and Disney references throughout. ("If you wear a skirt and have a sidekick, you're a (Disney) princess".) ("You're not going to break into song again, are you?") Antagonistic villains include war-like Pirate Coconuts that act like Ewoks and magically multiply. A rather pompous giant crab that likes shiny things. A fire breathing monster that "morphs" back into the Green Goddess of prosperity and happiness and restores the islands after a thousand years. Maui (the Demi-God) acts a lot like a very-large-in- charge "Elvis". He is a shapeshifter which comes in handy for fighting all the "baddies". "Moana" does impossible stunts and dives and that's what fantasy animation is all about! All characters are treated with respect and there's no stereotypical nonsense, except for the chicken. I'm sure that the Polynesian "Gods" will upset a church or two. It's fun-to-watch and almost kept the attention of my two-and-a-half-year-old Granddaughter. Not even "Frozen" could do that! A bit too long for an animated feature but most enjoyable. The song that gets stuck in your head after the initial trance-like-state Disney Magic induces, is "You're Welcome". The story is loosely based on Polynesian legend and set in the ancient past. My three criticisms about the movie: "Maui" the demigod is very large and in charge which upset some critics as a bad stereotype. There is always at least one dead character in most Disney animations (Grandmother). The angry island goddess is very scary for very young children.