Moana is Perfect Movie Myth-Making
Director: Ron Clements and John Musker
Starring: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk and Jemaine Clement
Studio: Walt Disney Studios
Rated: G
Running Time: 1 Hr, 43 Mins
Joseph Campbell would have been proud.
The legendary scholar (whose groundbreaking work in mythology and the history of human storytelling heavily influenced Star Wars and other epic movie sagas) would give Walt Disney’s Moana a big round of applause. Disney’s newest animated epic checks every box needed for a satisfying and enthralling legend; a likeable young hero, an elder helper, a larger than life Champion and an impossible quest full of monsters and adversity where innocent lives depend on the outcome. And it checks them really, really well.
Video: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Moana (voiced brilliantly by Auli’i Cravalho) is the future chief of her island, where people are content and safe from a dangerous and unknown outside world. No one ever ventures outside the safety of the reef, where a frightening and unforgiving ocean makes short work of the small boats her people use to harvest the ocean. While her father does everything in his power to groom her for her future role as chieftain, Moana’s fierce curiosity and thirst to venture beyond the confines of her island persists and is even stoked by her eccentric grandmother.
Just as it looks like Moana may finally be reigning in her wandering spirit and accepting her role as her people’s future leader, an ancient curse reaches the shores of her idyllic home and threatens their way of life. Fish disappear, crops begin failing and her grandmother warns of a powerful darkness infecting the island like a deadly virus. The only way to save her family and her people is to find the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson)-exiled for a thousand years for unleashing the curse that is killing Moana’s home-and have him return the heart of the Life Goddess Nefertiti. Moana has no idea where to start and a world of peril lies between her and her destination (including a terrifying lava demon who has bested the powerful Maui in the past). Chosen by the very ocean itself and armed with the truth about her ancestors, Moana sets out on a dangerous quest to save her people.
And everything about this film works.
Moana isn’t the first film to follow the Campbellian formula of a heroic quest, but it does it much better than most before it. Rarely do I give a shout out to screenwriters but in this case writer Jared Bush deserves a big pat on the back. While the characters and the quality of the animation are big reasons why this movie works so well, the story creates a structure that allows everything else to fall into place and mature into stronger elements. Moana’s journey isn’t merely a quest to save her people, but a journey of self-discovery and of a past long abandoned. A discovery of what it means to be a hero as well as a leader. The story creates the perfect narrative to allow her to adapt, overcome adversity, grow and push past failure and learn that cunning and understanding is just as important as courage. There are times she chooses to surrender when it all seems too much, but depends on the support of others (beyond just Maui) to not only guide and teach her, but strengthen her spirit as well. Its something she does for others as well, because while she may be the heart of the story, she isn’t the only character who grows.
The strength of Moana and Maui as characters also makes this movie a success. Moana is defiant, compassionate, headstrong, independent, brave but naive and innocent and she is played perfectly by newcomer Auli’i Cravalho. Both Moana and the talented young Cravalho represent a new generation of princesses for Disney. No one’s damsels in distress, they are princesses of both action and grace who embody all the qualities you want to see in strong, independent young women.
But don’t forget about Dwayne Johnson, who brings the arrogant, self-centered, boisterous, energetic yet slightly damaged demigod Maui to vibrant life. Whether Maui’s bragging about past feats, butting heads with Moana, sharing his inner pain or rushing headlong into battle, Johnson inhabits the demigod to a T and was the perfect choice for the part.
The chemistry the two share-even in an animated movie-is worth the price of admission alone. Polar opposites, the two go from fighting each other, to a reluctant partnership to an unlikely friendship and back again seamlessly. The dialogue is witty and modern but free of any absurd trappings, marrying the ancient and the new. And Johnson even sings. Yes, the man once known as the People’s Champ, the Brahma Bull, the Rock Who Layeth the Smack Down, sings. And he pulls it off.
Again, I’m not a fan of musicals either, and can really only tolerate it in animated movies. But the few musical numbers in Moana had me tapping my foot on occasion. The songs aren’t merely filler, but devices to carry the plot along and illustrate deeper depths of the characters. Nothing is wasted storytelling wise and the musical number during the film’s climax was captivating. Composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) did an excellent job and has justified the faith Disney has shown in him (that many others doubted).
The movie deserves credit for giving an educated, dignified nod to the Maori and Polynesian cultures (the producers and writers spent months researching the stories) and embracing some of their legends as part of its source material. The animation is vibrant and exciting and this may be the only movie you ever see where a chicken, a tattoo and the actual ocean are turned into fully developed supporting characters.
Moana is a great family flick and will truly be appreciated by parents looking for strong role models for their young daughters (especially in an age of Donald Trump and the “alt-right”). It’s a fairy tale for the modern world with modern sensibilities that pays homage to an ancient tradition. But it will also appeal to people looking for something fun and wildly amusing. Either way, you’ll get your money’s worth and then some.
Image: Walt Disney Studios
