Stars (vocally) Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jermaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk Directed by Ron Clement and John Musker with Don Hall and Chris Williams Well, that was different. While not quite unlike anything Disney Animation has done before, Moana is still a coming-of-age fable at its Disneyfied core, but coupled with some solid ideas and forgoing a typical villain. We still have a Princess-of-sorts; after all, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) is the daughter of the village chieftain/leader/ruler, which makes her almost anything a child of a leader would be save in naming her Princess. The outside force that threatens her village takes its time to make itself known and then it’s off to try to rescue her home. All without the aid of some hunky prince. What we get, is an egotistical demigod, Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Along the way, Moana discovers her heritage and her own inner strength, occasionally thanks to Maui’s actions, interactions or eventual education. Basically, that is it. Bu as with fables as these, it’s the journey that counts, and there are some interesting wonders along the way from those tiny coconut armoured renegades from a Mad Max film, to a glittering jewel encrusted giant crab (Jermaine Clement) and a revival of the water tentacle from The Abyss, albeit a helpful and playful one. What really caught my eye was the animation of the water and hair, two things that have been notoriously difficult to realistically render in CG animation. They have been given full life and form this time, bringing a satisfying realism to the world of Moana without going too far and breaching the Uncanny Valley. It also adds to the magical world the directors and artists have created. And then there’s the music from the amazing rousing and adventurous score by Mark Mancina coupled with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa’i. Yes, it is a very different kind of adventure given the logistics of the story and the nature of the main characters. It’s not unlike many other anime features, (calling Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind a close cousin to Moana herself may not be that much of a stretch), but a the same time, it is fairly and uniquely Disney. Rating ****/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here.
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