Formula is a dirty word when it comes to storytelling.  If you say a story is “formulaic” it’s always an insult, never a compliment.  But in the case of the latest “Disney Princess” movie, Moana, formula is exactly what makes the story remarkable. 

You know the broad strokes of the formula.  There’s the “I want” song, the loving-but-overprotective parents, the wise old woman with advice for the heroine, and of course the comical animal sidekicks.  Not every Disney princess movie hits ALL of these beats, but they’re familiar enough that we recognize them when we see them.  Recently some of the Disney Princess films have tried to correct the perceived failures of the films of the past with helpful messages such as “don’t fall in love with the first guy you meet, but the second one is fine,” or “you can’t just dream your way to happiness if you’re not white.”  But Moana doesn’t waste it’s time trying to rewrite the sometimes problematic history of the films that came before it.  Instead it writes a inspiring new chapter in that history

Moana is a girl living on a small island nation in the middle of the ocean.  She’s the daughter of the village chief, and next in line to lead her small nation.  She longs to sail out beyond the reef that surrounds the island, but her father fears the danger of the untamed ocean and forbids her to leave the safety of the bay.  There’s a bit of setup with a magical stone, and the coming of a curse to the island, but in these opening minutes the movie seems slightly rushed, as if it’s hurrying to get through the requisite introduction so Moana can get out of the village and embrace her calling on the high seas.  It’s also rushing to get to Maui, the trickster demigod voiced perfectly by The “Dwayne Johnson” Rock.  The chemistry between Maui and Moana is note perfect, and it’s the lynch-pin that holds the whole film together.  Maui is exactly the kind of guy you’d expect a demigod to be, charismatic, winning, and completely full of himself. 

He has no use for a mortal like Moana, and despite her rescuing him from a thousand year exile he tries to rid himself of her with every opportunity.  It’s impossible to say whether someone other than The Rock could make such a self-centered character likable, but it feels like the kind of role he was born to play. 

The progression of the plot itself is anything but subtle.  Moana and Maui’s journey together feels mythic in scope and frame, a mortal and demigod making a series of pit-stops on their journey to restore a stolen artifact and save the world.  It’s less a series of falling dominoes and more a highlight reel of Pacific Island mythology.  But the real story is how these two characters change over the course of the film, coming to understand themselves and each other. 

The animation on display here is lush and perfect.  You can almost feel the wind and the salt spay and the sun on your skin, and the water that fills so much of the film feels like real flowing ocean.  All the songs are okay, and some of them are great, but I can’t currently see myself listening to them on repeat with my kids as I have so often with the tunes from Frozen. 

But maybe the coolest thing is how the film handles gender.  Or maybe I should say how it doesn’t handle it.  We talked about formula earlier, and while Moana certainly follows much of what has come before, it diverges in one critical point.  Moana doesn’t have a love interest.  This isn’t a point that the movie beats us over the head with.  In fact it didn’t even occur to me that there was something “missing” until several days after seeing the film.  There isn’t a scene where she rejects the silly boys so she can pursue her love of sailing.  She never yells at anyone that she doesn’t need them to hold her hand.  No one questions her ability to lead her nation. 

Instead Moana plays out its gender politics in the relationship between Moana and Maui.  Maui is the film’s only significant male character other than Moana’s father, and Moana has to fight tooth and nail to prove herself to him.  Maui isn’t a “bad” guy, but as a demigod he believes he’s better than Moana; he sees her as inconsequential and weak.  It’s a brilliant way to set up the difficulties women face in the world, and it’s telling that Moana doesn’t have to defeat Maui, but rather has to convince him to work together with her to heal old hurts, to right old wrongs, and to bring balance back into the world. 

Moana is yet another worthy entry in the Pantheon of Disney Princess movies.  It’s beautiful and heartfelt, and it pays respect to its heritage while navigating forward into new worlds. 

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