MOANA

US, 2016, 107 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Alan Tudyk.
Directed by Ron Clement, Don Hall.

Over the last few decades, the Disney studios have been concentrating on princesses or the equivalent of princesses in their animation films, from The Little Mermaid at the end of the 1980s, to Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, to the great success of Frozen. Here is the next contender, Moana.

Moana is a Polynesian name and the film draws on aspects of Polynesian mythology, life in the Pacific Islands, the Polynesians as voyagers. She is a young girl (Auli’I Cravalho), part of village life, with her parents and a wise grandmother. But, she also goes on a quest.

With aspects of creation stories, and symbols for life, especially in the heart, Moana wants to contact the great hero, Maui, who will help to restore life and order. Although she is not supposed to, she gets the boat and leaves on her quest, her only company being a rooster who is there as the inevitable bird or animal companion but, unfortunately, is too stupid to be really funny, despite a whole lot of efforts.

Storms, boat overturning, but with help from the life-spirit of the ocean, she eventually is stranded on an island where she finds Maui. Maui is of traditional Polynesian build, big and solid, which gives plenty of space for the range of tattoos all over his body, giving the narrative of his exploits, his participation in creation – and, at many times, the various panels coming to enjoyable animated life.

He is voiced by Dwayne Johnson, himself with some Polynesian background, often sending himself up, bursting into a song, You’re Welcome, with some comic episodes, but, having been stranded on his island for 1000 years, he is eager to get away and not eager to help Moana.

By hook or by crook (and Maui’s quest is to find again his spirited hook), he and Moana share quite a number of adventures (and the rooster is still there!). They encounter some mini-creatures with big ships and poisoned darts who capture the heart that Moana has been wearing around her neck, but she shows that she has the warrior touch as well. Oh, and she also has some songs – and so does the spirit of her Grandmother.

There is quite an adventure at what seems a high island, whose cliffs Moana can scale more quickly than Maui, but then a huge central core-hole where Maui finds his hook but they have to deal with this big crustacean, a bejewelled sea creature, who also sings with the voice of Jemaine Clement. It might be good to note here that the credits are very very long and one can listen to the music because Jemaine Clement’s Shiny creature has another minute at the very end of the film!
There is also the Lava Island, with a sinister dark giant creature that they have to confront, Moana standing firm, Maui helping on and off and then disappearing.

It’s not a spoiler to say that everything turns out well for the island, its new life, for Moana and her family in the village, and for restored hero, Maui.

1. A popular Disney story? A significant heroine? On a quest?

2. The animation style, the locations, the Pacific Ocean, the islands, the tropics? The dark islands, the lush islands? The underwater sequences? The animation of the characters, Polynesian, ethnic, tattooed, attractive women, large men? And the monsters and sea creatures?

3. The musical score, the range of songs, performance, themes, serious and comic?

4. Drawing on Polynesian mythology, verbal and visual, the nature of the myths, creation, the establishing of people, the earth, the sea, the islands? The power of creativity? The goddess and her becoming the island?

5. The legend of Maui, demigod, human parents, the symbol of the heart, creativity, taking the heart, stranded for 1000 years by himself on the island?

6. Moana, the young girl, on the island, have family, the village, the people, her age, activities, her experience, wanting to sail? Her parents, the grandmother and her advice, the island disaster, her going on a quest?

7. The role of the sea, the personification of the sea, the waves, rising up to help minor? With the heart? The search for Maui, her mission?

8. The comic effect of the rooster, stupid character, how funny? Involved in all the action?

9. The voyage, the boat, sailing, the experience, the rooster? The sea and the help? The vast storm, the boat overturning, on the shore?

10. Maui, Dwayne Johnson’s voice, his appearance, size, the tattooes, the tattooes coming alive? With Moana and the rooster? Singing the song You’re Welcome? Putting Moana in the cave, taking the boat, her finding his statue, toppling it, the whole, getting out?

11. The struggles on the boat, Moana are on and off, the role of the sea helping?

12. The little creatures, animosity, following them, the darts, the fighting, losing the heart, recapturing it? Moana and her retrieval? The boats surrounding Maui and Moana? Their escape through the small passage? The creatures and all smashing into one another, the boats crashing?

13. Maui, arriving at the island, to get his hook, forbidding Moana, her going up the cliff, his climbing, the opening of the hole, the vast depths, diving in, the discovery of the hook? The range of monsters, menacing Moana? The bejewelled creature, the song, Shiny? Moana as a decoy, Maui recovering his hook? The escape? And the creature appearing in a post-credits sequence, trying to get of its back?

14. The Lava Island, the menace, the personification of darkness? Maui, the hook, transformation into a variety of creatures, flying, comic part shark? The reconciliation with Moana? His using his hook to save her?

15. Moana on the boat, the grandmother, her appearance, song, advice?

16. Moana, the Laver and the parting of the ways, the confrontation with the monster? The transformation into the goddess? The restoration of the island, her lying down to sleep?

17. Moana, the restoration, the family, with everyone, her parents?

18. Maui, reappearing, and Moana and her exploits as part of his tattoo?

19. The family, the people, the Polynesian voyages, sailing together, the Heritage?