Moana is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy-adventure of a young adventurous Moana who against her fathers fears sails out to the wild to find Maui; a demigod and together the they save their Land.
An absolute delight, a lush, exuberant quest fable full of big musical numbers and featuring perhaps the most stunning visuals of any Disney film to date.
Where Frozen was a defiantly chilly breath of fresh air, Moana feels somewhat stagnant. Despite a few fantastic deviations (including the lack of a love interest to hinder our hero's development), Moana is still very much a paint-by-numbers narrative.
The narrative is a fairly predictable hero's journey -- Maui even calls her "The Chosen One" -- but the movie is refreshing for its lack of a love interest; instead Moana learns how to chart her own course.
There is a lot about Moana that is extremely familiar to those who know the Disney formula, but it is tweaked with enough consistency and humor to make the trip worthwhile.
By giving us a heroine that acts the way heroes always have, perhaps Disney has finally given us a 'princess' movie that can cross that mythical gender divide.
This is Disney's way of having its formulaic cake and eating it, too: "We know what we're doing here, and we know that you know it, too. So please stop fretting and enjoy while the pieces fall into place."
