Direction: Ron Clements,
John Musker; Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera
Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk; Story and Screenplay: Ron Clements, John Musker, Chris Williams,
Don Hall, et al; Editing: Jeff
Draheim; Music: Mark Mancina,
Lin-Maneul Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i; Producer:
Osnat Shurer; Genre: Animation; Location: Polynesian Islands; Distributor: Walt Disney Studios a107 minutes;
Technical Assessment : 3
Moral Assessment: 4
CINEMA Rating: VA
MTRCB rating: GP
Maui (Johnson)
is a shape shifting demigod who wants to win favors with humanity. But his
latest attempt to steal the heart of Te Fiti, the island goddess, destroys life
and awakens Te Ka, the lava demon. Te Ka
attacks Maui and causes the heart of Te Fiti and his magical fishhook to sink
into oblivion and him to be cast away in an unknown island. One thousand years after, Moana (Cravalho),
the young daughter of the chief of Motunui, is chosen by the ocean to receive
the heart and eventually return it to Te Fiti when the time comes. Moana grows
up with a passionate desire to sail the vast ocean which her father, Tui (Morrison),
always rejects. But when food becomes scarce and Moana discovers that her
ancestors were really seafaring voyagers, she ventures to find Maui and return
Te Fiti’s heart to save her people. Together, Maui and Moana bond and discover
each other’s goodness and talents. But in a final twist, they learn how life is
interwoven and why it should be loved and respected.
Moana is a visual feat. Both the
animation and the artistry sit comfortably beside previous Disney master
pieces. The textures are alive and dynamic you could almost feel water splash
in your face. The storyline is another area of success with the rich dimensionality
of the characters and the narrative. There is a deep wisdom in how the ocean is
presented as a character itself. In the
truest sense, Moana is a family movie which appeals to the imagination of the
young and the maturity of the adults. However,
its music and songs lacked appeal. We missed the indigenous feel of Polynesia
both in the music and the rendition of the characters, particularly Maui’s.
There are also forgivable lapses in the interpretation of the Polynesian mythology—particularly
leaving out Maui’s goddess companion, Hina. Overall, Moana
delivers beyond what is expected of a Disney animation—entertainment and
values.
There
are several strong themes in Moana.
One, selflessness and courage in pursuing one’s destiny. Whether we are Christians or have other
spiritual beliefs, we are always called to do things greater than ourselves. It
is a gentle call that does not force but reminds that we are born to do things
for a better world. Mother Nature is the loving life giver—the image of Te Fiti—but
when abused, disrespected and mistreated, she becomes Te Ka—a vicious demon who
takes away life. This should lead us to
retrospection—we are Mother Nature’s stewards, not her owners. Three, beneath Maui’s brute self-centeredness
is a desire to be one with humanity. This
is admirable until he goes too far and steals life itself. While we understand our need to belong and to
be accepted, this need can never supersede what is right and moral, nor make us
escape the consequences of wrongdoing. There is an occasional crude humor in
the movie but overall, this is a wholesome entertainment for the entire family.
