Date: 2016
List of Characters: Moana, Maui, Gramma Tala, Tamatoa, Tafiti, Hei Hei
Ranking in Animated Features: #55
Interesting Trivia:
-Lin-Manuel Miranda has said the character of Tamatoa the Giant Crab was a tribute to David Bowie.
-The genie's lamp from Aladdin (1992) can be seen on Tamatoa's shell.
-The first Disney film with a largely Polynesian cast: Dwayne Johnson, Auli'i Cravalho, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Oscar Kightley, and Troy Polamalu.
-Although it's a computer animated film, Maui's tattoos are hand-drawn. This is the first full-length Disney animated feature film since Winnie the Pooh (2011) to feature pure hand-drawn animation.
-Lin-Manuel Miranda signed on to write the music for this film before his Broadway musical "Hamilton" became a smash hit. After that, he would often chat with the rest of the crew through Skype from backstage, sometimes while still in costume.
-When Maui transforms into shark head Maui, his stomach tattoo changes to him with his shark head holding his hook.
-Alan Tudyk is the only main cast member who isn't of Polynesian descent. All other main cast members are of at least partial Polynesian or New Zealand descent.
-The original idea was for the film to branch away from the Disney Princess template and focus entirely on Maui, with the story a loose conglomeration of a few legends about him. The crew traveled to Polynesia, and became so fascinated with the culture that Moana was created as the new focus character.
-This is the fifth consecutive Disney animated feature for Alan Tudyk, after Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), and Zootopia (2016).
-Dwayne Johnson's first musical.
-Auli'i Cravalho said she didn't meet Dwayne Johnson until they did a photo shoot together, after all actors were done recording their voice work.
What I like about the film:
-Setting: I love the setting of this film, Polynesia is a rich and vibrant backdrop for this adventurous film. The shots of the ocean also make the visuals of this film super stunning! Polynesia is somewhere I've always wanted to visit so I was very excited when the release of this film was announced.
-Mythology: Many Disney films are centered around mythology and folk lore, but this is the first one to focus on Polynesian mythology. Before this film I knew nothing about Polynesian mythology but I was really happy Disney made this film and feel like a learned a bit about Polynesian culture from watching it.
-Progressive nature of the film: Over the last few years, Disney have been stepping towards more progressive films and Moana takes some steps in the right direction. First of all Moana is one of the most progressive female leads in a Disney film; she is active in her own fate, takes charge of her destiny and has no love interest. Also, Moana has a lot of Polynesian people behind the production of the film which was a way to avoid including cultural appropriation.
What I dislike about the film:Â
-Antagonist: I kind of feel like there is no real antagonist in this film and I wish we saw a more classic Disney villain. The closest character to a classic villain is probably Tamatoa but he is only in the film for one scene.
-The ending: I don't know why but the ending of this film is not as satisfying or as uplifting to me as other Disney films.
My Favourites:Â
-Character: Hei Hei
-Song: We Know the Way
-Moment: Baby Moana and the sea turtle!
-Location: Motunui
-Quote: “See the line where the sky meets the sea it calls me."
Disney Ratings:
-Humor:7/10
-Moving: 8/10
-Characters: 8/10
-Songs: 7/10
-Aesthetic: 8/10
-Story: 7/10
-Happy Ending Rating: 5/10
-Overall Rating: 8/10