Movie has impressive casting, emotional scenes

Disney movies always bring people great joy, and amaze me with their catchy songs and stunning animations. And the new movie Moana brought all that and more, creating a film that reveals a new Disney princess controlling her destiny and saving her people.

The movie begins with the legend of Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a demi god, who steals the heart of Te Fiti, an island goddess who created all life. But the heart, a round green pounamu stone, is lost in the ocean after Maui loses a battle with Te Ka, a lava monster.

Now that the heart is stolen from Te Fiti, the island becomes cursed, spreading a slow-burning darkness throughout the sea. The legend says that one day, someone will be chosen to find Maui and have him put heart back where it belongs.

A millennium later, Moana Waialiki (Auli’i Cravalho), the daughter of the village chief Tui (Temuera Morrison), discovers that her island is dying. The trees that produce coconuts are growing black, and the fish no longer swim along the reef, which is as far as the villagers will go.

One of the things that stands out in this movie is that Moana speaks to her grandmother about everything. Her parents talk to her, but they don’t support her as much as Grandmother Tala does.

Grandmother Tala (Rachel House), shows Moana that 3,000 years ago, their ancestors used to be voyagers. They sailed from shore to shore, looking for new place to thrive in.

Moana knows that the only way to discover what’s going on on her island is to journey beyond the reef, like her ancestors once did. But her father doesn’t approve of it, saying it’s too dangerous. He wants Moana to stay on the island, and train to become the next chief.

The movie then terrifically shows how Moana chooses her own destiny, by sailing across the ocean with the demi god Maui to return the heart of Te Fiti to its rightful place. Along the way they meet creatures called Kakamora, travel through the Realm of Monsters, and sail on towards the lost island of Te Fiti.

Disney movies play on the viewer’s emotions, and Moana will be sure to bring tears. The relationship between her and her grandmother was really touching, and it showed how much of an influence she had on Moana.

Most of the recent Disney movies have developed iconic songs that get repeated everywhere. And after most people watch Moana, I think these songs will get stuck in their heads.

The movie’s theme song, How Far I’ll Go, was really inspiring, and whenever it was played, it made me tear up. The song is sung by Moana, and she sings about how wherever she goes, and whatever her father tells her, she is still led back to the ocean. She wants to know what’s beyond the reef, and longs for adventure.

Disney has really stepped up their animation game over the years, and it really shines through Moana and Maui. I love the way they made Moana’s eyes bigger so she stands out among everyone else in the movie, and how they made her body type more relatable to the viewers. And Maui’s giant figure and creative tattoos make him look interesting, increasing people’s curiosity.

I’m extremely happy with the casting of Maui and Moana. Dwayne Johnson is the perfect fit for Maui, offering a strong voice for the giant character. Although I didn’t know Auli’i Cravalho before the movie came out, I knew she was from Oahu, Hawaii, and her bright personality and amazing singing voice showed throughout the character Moana.

One of the only things that was disappointing was how in some scenes, the people used the Hawaiian language, and there were no interpretations or subtitles.

Overall, the movie provided an emotional story about chasing adventure, and inspired people to become who they want to be, not what someone else wants them to be.

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This author can be reached via Twitter: schultz_kamryn and via email at Kamryn Schultz.

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