(PHOTO PROVIDED BY DISNEY VIA GOOGLE)
Starring:
Auli'i Cravalho as Moana
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Maui
Rachel House as Gramma Tala
Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui
Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa
Nicole Scherzinger as Sina
Moana is the story of an ancient Polynesian tribe who begins to feel the wrath of a curse unleashed by Maui, a Demi-God who strives to be a champion for all. Moana, the next Chief of her tribe, sets out to find Maui and help him put an end to the curse.
Disney has done it again with this animated feature Moana. This film did not disappoint in any way whatsoever. Each member of the cast were perfect for their roles. Auli'l Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson had great chemistry as Moana and Maui. They are both equally important to the progress of the film and neither would be as entertaining without the other to play off of. Moana and Maui pushed each other to become better and grow together on their journey. I am not going to give any story elements away because I really do not want to spoil this movie for anyone.
All of us have grown up watching Disney movies and remember the magic we felt when the movies of our childhood were first released. Growing up, these films no longer hold as much magic as they once did. But we all have that sense of nostalgia when the holidays come around and our old favorites such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Hook and many more Disney classics are aired. Moana will be the next Disney classic. My wife and I have taken my daughter to see Moana three times already. I have found myself enjoying this film just as much as my little girl. My wife would say the same. My daughter does not stop talking about Maui, her new boyfriend, and Moana. She will sit in front of our IPad while we play the movie's soundtrack just to watch the Moana logo. Yes, she watches the single image and lets her imagination take her back into the movie.
Moana has the many of same qualities to Ana from Frozen and is very likable as a character. In my personal opinion, Dwayne Johnson steals the show as Maui. But I could just be biased based on my love of the WWE and wrestling. I have been a fan of The Rock for years. I honestly feel that Dwayne Johnson would be great as Maui in a live action version of the film on Broadway.
Moana was a lot of fun to watch. The music was all well done and the story was well written. I recommend Moana for not only families, but for those who just want to have fun at the movies.
Last note, the short film in the beginning was not to be missed.
