Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Moana Movie (Quality and Family-Friendliness) Review

Overview
Moana is the daughter of a  chief, a chief who hates the ocean and allows no one to cross the reef that circles their island. But Moana's grandmother knows the old stories. The story of how the world fell into chaos when a sacred stone, the Heart of Te Fiti, was stolen. When Moana's grandmother unexpectedly dies, Moana goes on a quest to fulfill her last wish, return the heart. 

Positive
I'm happy to say that there isn't a single bad word or romantic moment in the entire film :). Maui and Moana both present good role models. Maui realizes that with or without his magic hook he is still worth something, and admits his wrongs and doesn't try to make excuses (Eventually). Moana learns to push through hard times and that her choices have consequences, even for people other than herself.
 
Negative
The movie's storyline is heavily inspired by Polynesian mythology and legends, which of course don't line up with Christian beliefs. For example, her grandmother becomes a Manta Ray upon her death, and Moana meets a monster that *SPOILER ALERT* is really a goddess, plus Moana also meets a so-called demi-god who can't do any magic so really more of a human (He admits this.) without his magic hook but still *END OF SPOILER*.

Conclusion
In my opinion, Moana has a good story and enough comic relief and catchy tunes to make a good movie, seamlessly merging Pixar's beautiful animation with Disney's obsession with songs. Maui and Moana's characters are developed perfectly, making for a poignant ending that I haven't seen since How To Train Your Dragon 3. The Polynesian spiritual side of it doesn't bother me very much because this is a story about Polynesian people and culture. It's enjoyable, funny, poignant, and even at times thought-provoking. 

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