Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and first-time actor Auli’i Cravalho as the two main protagonists, Moana tells the tale of an adventurous girl on a quest to save her island from the darkness that threatens to destroy it. Long before there was islands and humans, there was only oceans upon oceans. Until the mother island, Te Fiti arose from the ocean with a heart capable of creating life itself. She shared her heart’s powers with the world and lived in harmony with the world, until the demigod Maui decided to steal it to appease the humans. Instead, he had awoken the lava demon, Te Ka, losing the heart to the sea and banished to an obscure island in the process. The prophecy foretold of one person that would find Maui, sail him across the great sea, and return the heart, restoring peace in the world, which is where Moana comes into play and the story unfolds. The story isn’t driven by the plot itself but is only elevated by the ethereal environment in which the story is told and the cultural tightrope the film walks across throughout. Like all Disney movies, Moana does an amazing job of ultimately bringing the older viewers back to their childhood roots and focusing on the overall magnificence of the film as a whole.
As I watched the film, I found myself immersed in the actual world of Moana. The actual animation graphics of the film were unlike any other Disney movie I’ve seen in recent past. Specifically, the scenes in which it was night time showcase the visual mastery of Disney animation. The constellations and colors of the night sky bring with it a degree of realness that makes you forget you’re watching an animated movie. The subtleties of the animation as a whole like the motion of the ocean waves and the flow of their hair blowing in the wind add another layer to the visual impact of the film.
Obviously, Moana is a film based on Polynesian culture, which easily sets itself up for harsh criticism about the way certain aspects or characters of the film are portrayed and understandably so. That is why Disney formed the Oceanic Story Trust, consisting of linguists, historians, cultural practitioners and much more from islands such as Samoa, Tahiti, and Fiji to name a few to approve of anything and everything that was done on the film to make sure their region was represented truthfully. With a movie steeped in the ancient and mythological aspects of Polynesian culture, attention to detail and the accuracy in which it was depicted is especially important to how the movie performed and how it was perceived. The actual character of Maui itself came under some serious backlash for the characterization of Maui as a goofy character that acted as the source of comedy through mockery and pure silliness. In Polynesian culture, Maui is looked at as a more confident and heroic figure and not one that is slightly foolish in a way. The look of Maui has also come under fire for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Polynesian people being generally overweight. The depiction of Maui in the many different cultures ranges from “slim and impish” to “typical beach boy” to a man with “enviable six-pack abs”. But never was he shown as a massive hulking man with a waist wider than a small car. Nevertheless, it was refreshing to see Disney put in so much effort and resources into making sure the product they were putting out to the world was not insensitive towards and accurate to the actual culture they were portraying.
At the end of the day, this is Moana, a movie made by the same company that has basically provided all of the entertainment we enjoyed as children, giving us nostalgia and bringing us back to those wondrous times in our lives. At least, that’s what it did for me. Despite the small grievances I may have had with it, the animation was beyond comprehension in terms of the quality compared to other animated films that I have seen in the past including other Disney movies. The story ebbed and flowed in typical Disney story fashion, but at the same time, deviated from the typical Disney story that gave it a fresh feel as I watched it that left me more than satisfied after finishing the movie. Their cultural accuracy might not be completely picture perfect as it is a Hollywood movie. However, I still recommend watching it and hope you appreciate the animation work put into this and the beauty of Polynesian culture as a whole and many other things you might see and love.
Sources
Ito, Robert. “How (and Why) Maui Got So Big in ‘Moana”. nytimes.com. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/movies/moana-and-how-maui-got-so-big.html?mcubz=3. 9/19/17
Robinson, Joanna. “How Pacific Islanders Helped Disney’s Moana Find Its Way”. vanityfair.com. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/11/moana-oceanic-trust-disney-controversy-pacific-islanders-polynesia. 9/18/17
Sciretta Peter, “How Disney Formed the the Oceanic Story Trust to Make Moana More Authentic”. slashfilm.com. http://www.slashfilm.com/moana-oceanic-story-trust/. 9/15/17
One thought on “Moana Movie Review”
Anna- this review was so unique in its complete approach to the film. It was in depth yet concise, and addressed important topics which may have been skipped over by other reviews. Though I have never seen the movie myself, your discussion (as well as images) of Disney’s almost surreal animations has painted it as a charming piece that I am definitely going to have to see. In addition to just aesthetic musings, however, you also addressed the potential scrutiny that Disney could have faced if they had gone about carelessly depicting Polynesian culture and history. This is an extremely relevant point, especially now, with cultural misrepresentation as an increasingly heated topic both in mass media as well as in everyday conversation. It is optimistic to know that such an influential company is producing not simply to entertain, but to thoughtfully and honestly tell stories. After reading about the discrepancies between Maui’s representation in the film vs in traditional lore, I’m curious to see if there were any other points of contention. Great review- I can’t wait to watch.