Teen Review – Moana: The Perfect Disney Movie
Review by Vyshnavi
When one thinks of Disney princesses, they probably picture your average young white maiden, who is a magically talented damsel in distress. Said damsel in distress would obviously need a young, strong, powerful prince to save her. Not to mention both princess and Prince are drop dead gorgeous. How typical of Disney. Moana breaks all of these stereotypes.
Except for the talent aspect because Moana is extraordinary. She’s never treated as a damsel in distress, she’s treated with equal respect as her male counterpart. She doesn’t have a prince that saves her, or a love interest. And she isn’t just some white maiden. In fact, she’s not even a princess. Moana of the island Motunui is the Chief’s daughter. She’s a Polynesian girl who lives on an island that seems to look similarly to the islands of Hawaii and Samoa.
This movie was ground-breaking for Disney, for several reasons. Firstly, for the first time in American pop culture, Polynesian culture has been represented with a high level of accuracy. There was no whitewashing of the characters beautiful brown skin. There were no signs of European colonization. The dresses and culture of the people represented the culture of present day Polynesians. The creators of the show put meticulous planning into making the movie culturally accurate, and they did a spectacular job. For the first time in a long while, little girls (and boys) can relate to a Disney ‘Princess’ with skin as dark as them. There’s no more awkwardly wanting to be Cinderella for Halloween and realizing you look nothing like her.
Secondly, despite Moana being a POC she is relatable to young children in so many other ways. For one, she isn’t drop dead gorgeous. She looks like an average human and it is her personality that makes her shine. She also isn’t extremely skinny with the waist size of a Barbie doll. She’s just an average teenaged girl. What stood out to me in particular is her long curly hair, which not a lot of Disney characters have. This allows me to relate with Moana, and that makes me very happy. J
Thirdly, the soundtrack and production of the film was outstanding. The soundtrack was beautiful, and included the soul and rhythm of Polynesian music along with hints of western music. It truly sounds like the islands of Polynesia. The music producers worked with Polynesian music producers to make music that stayed true to the theme and culture of the film. Not only that, but Moana is Disney’s most technologically advanced film in computer animation. The visuals of the movie are breathtaking and stunning and make you feel emerged in Moana’s world. The movie is about 16-year-old Moana of Motunui. Ever since she was a baby, Moana was attached to her namesake, the ocean. When she was a baby the ocean chose her as the savior and gave her the heart of Te Fiti, the mother goddess. However, the Polynesians had stopped voyaging for a long time, and Moana was forbidden from the water. And according to Disney’s plot it is because the demigod Maui stole the heart from Te Fiti, leading the world into an ecological disaster. Moana is advised to stay away from the water but with the help of her grandmother she sets of on a voyage to cross the ocean, find Maui, and restore the heart of Te Fiti. Throughout Moana and Maui’s journey there are several musical numbers, laughs, and misunderstandings. Moana is trying to figure out who she is and finds herself in a self to self-conflict. She is confused as to why the ocean chose her and several times wishes to give up. The theme of the movie is Moana finding out who she is meant to be. She loves her island and her people but she also loves the sea. In the end, she restores the heart with Maui and her people begin voyaging again. She ends up finding inner peace with herself and prepares to become the next chief.
Moana was such an extraordinary movie. Moana herself is just so adorable and strong. She’s brave and ambitious, and is forced to defy her family to voyage on her quest. She’s so motivated and determined and acts as a role model for young girls. I see myself in Moana, and even looking similar to her makes me feel ecstatic. Disney really managed to successfully make a story of compassion, journey, finding yourself, and learning the bigger meanings of life. I’m so utterly proud they managed to make the movie culturally accurate. I can now confidentially recommend this film to people without having to overcome the awkward “Well no, it isn’t super accurate but… what did you expect from Disney? I mean it’s more accurate than Pocahontas was!” Moana has a strong heroine, an amazing plot, beautiful music and visuals, and is so advanced in our progressing society. Not only that but it still holds true to the traditional aspects of a Disney movie: a happy ending, lot’s of music, love, and happiness. It’s the full package! I now have so many expectations from Disney and I’m sure they’ll satisfy them. Fingers crossed the next princess is from India so I can be even more relatable! I highly recommend that you all watch this film. In fact, I went and saw it twice, and am willing to go a third time.
One thought on “Teen Review – Moana: The Perfect Disney Movie”
I watched Moana with my little sister and we both loved it. Disney movies are so adorable. The soundtrack helps to dive into the atmosphere of the movie.