Mocking the craft does not excuse following it.

Rating: 6/10 (7 August 2017)

MOANA - 2016
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
Starring Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson
Plot Overview: ​When darkness begins to envelope her land, next in line to be chief, Moana(Auli'i Cravalho), rebels her father's wishes and sets sail across the ocean to awake Demi-God, Maui(Dwayne Johnson) and return the heart of Te Fiti to where it was stolen from.
I've heard people call this movie one of the best Disney animated movies and while it is certainly good, I personally think it's one of the weaker entries to the new Renaissance. Again, it is certainly good and it contains some qualities which I really like and hope are expanded upon but it's just not up to the quality of Zootopia, Wreck it Ralph, Big Hero 6 or - heck - even Frozen, as much as I've grown a distinct distaste for that film. Let me break my disappointment with this film down, step by step.
Firstly, the plot. As much as I really like the idea of mocking common Disney tropes, the film still follows them tropes and that makes the 'self aware' statement feel redundant. I'm all up for a new self- aware Disney but commit to change, don't dip your toes in the water. Even after that, the plot is pretty clichéd and weak. I think calling it a buddy adventure film is a good place to start but it just feels so disjointed and so much of it feels like filler. And I absolutely despise the ending. It is 100% a cop out and they clearly just wanted to rap it up quickly.
Character and voice acting. Auli'i Cravalho was good as Moana and she can definitely sing. Moana is a very strong contender for Disney princesses. She is independent, kinda interesting and has a strong will; she is a very solid character and I am happy with her overall arc.
I love Dwayne Johnson. He may not be a great actor but he sure is likable and insanely charismatic. He will be king of the world some day but, for the love of God, he cannot sing. He CAN NOT SING! As a voice actor: sure he was passable. As a singer: he is the Antichrist. Anyway, as a character, Mauii was a completely average Disney sidekick. He seems to be imitating(to a certain degree) Robin Williams' iconic genie and I'll say it here and now, he doesn't live up to him.
The villains in the movie were very weak. Some people argue that there aren't any but I disagree. The bandit things were certainly enemies(with no explained motivation mind you) and the Fire God was a villain for a short time. Both of these characters were uninteresting and boring.
Every Disney princess has a sidekick, yes? Yes. And I will happily say, Moana has possibly one of the worst. Hei Hei is such a useless, pointless joke of a sidekick that I cannot believe he was green-lit. His mere existence is a joke and that is REALLY annoying. Put thought into your sidekicks Disney!
The animation was stunning. It looked amazing and I really commend the animation department. We have water effects nearly on par with 'The Good Dinosaur' and really creative and inventive character design and visuals. The cinematography and editing were both pretty good.
I laughed at quite a few jokes but nothing on par with Aladdin or whatnot. The emotional payoff with her grandma was very touching and emotional and I am genuinely impressed with how they handled it.
As for music, I like the song 'How Far I'll Go' but they use it THREE times and that just makes the song hard to listen to. I hate every other song in the music, especially Johnson's and that god damn crab(screw that crab!).
In conclusion, I recommend this movie but I definitely think it is one of the weaker entries to the new Renaissance. You should see it but I wouldn't expect cinematic gold. I'll rate Moana 6 Crab Solos out of 10!