Review: "Moana"

“I am Moana of Motunui” is the most quotable line spoken by the title character in Disney’s Moana. Originally first delivered by voice actor Auli’i Carvalho in the animated version released in November of 2016, ten years later, Disney brings the beloved character to life in physical form, portrayed by Aussie native Catherine Laga’aia. Here is my review:

Moana is an adventurous girl who has always been fascinated by the water. On Motunui, where family lives, her parents have always done the best they could to keep her safe by forbidding her to ever leave their island. But Moana yearns desperately to venture out into the ocean.

Moana later learns more about her people’s ancestry through her parents and her amusing grandmother. The history includes that a demi-god named Maui stole a stone, “the heart of the nature goddess Te Fiti,” which made Te Fiti crumble, preventing the ability for Moana’s people to grow their island’s crops. Moana sets out on a mission to retrieve the stone from Maui, but learns that while he has a swollen ego, she actually might be meant to team up with him to restore the heart of Te Fiti, instead of by herself.

Besides Laga’Aia, Dwayne Johnson reprises his beloved voice-over role from the original as the arrogant, but soft-hearted Maui, and Jemaine Clement reprises the role of the crab Tamatoa. John Tui and Frankie Adams portray Moana’s parents and Rena Owen plays Grandmother Tala. The film also brings back the soundtrack of the original featuring the songs of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa’i. Miranda also wrote a new song for the film’s end credits “Along the Way,” performed by Laga’aia, Cravalho and Johnson. It is directed by Thomas Kail, who previously directed the Disney+ livestream of Miranda’s Hamilton (2020).

Overall, Moana is a well-made film featuring breathtaking cinematography, exceptional performances, and entertaining music. There’s isn’t much that makes it different from the original, as it tells the same great story about how adventures help us to embrace our full potential, even at young ages. But it can still be appreciated by all fans of the character, and/or the original animated film.