Grade: A+
When you think about a Disney princess, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Is it Snow White’s pale skin? Or maybe Sleeping Beauty’s big castle? Or even Cinderella’s Prince Charming?
There is a scene “Moana” in which she and Maui — a reclusive demi-god — are in a boat and he says, “If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess.” “I’m not a princess. I am the chief’s daughter,” she responds.
The story surrounds Moana, voiced by the amazing 16-year-old Auli’i Cravalho, who is meant to be the new leader of her tribe. She always had a fascination and a connection to the sea, but her father never let her explore it.
Her grandmother, who was considered the tribe’s crazy lady but turns outs to be the most knowledgeable of them all, tells her how life on earth is dying, and how she must find Maui — voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — and make him return a shiny, green little stone to Mother Nature herself.
She may not be a real member of the Disney princess club, but she is still the best one of them. Although her story may resemble the ones that have been told to little girls for almost 80 years, she is far from a simple doll. She is the one your daughter should be aspiring to be.
My first argument in favor of this statement is that she does not have a man. Maui is not a male lead with whom she’ll live happily ever after. Different from Cinderella, her goal is not to marry a prince. She is driven by a calling, a search for her true identity and to save not only her loved ones but the whole world.
Moana’s creators managed to bring together the best characteristics that beloved princesses already had and push them to a whole new level. She has a need to go beyond what is known, just like Ariel; an incredible connection to nature, like Pocahontas; a fierceness in following her dreams, like Tiana; and has untamable hair, just like Merida.
Also, I applaud Disney for going beyond the regular European and North American sites for this one. For the first time since Mulan, we get to know another part of the world, and man, how stunning are those visuals the movie brings. From Moana’s scenes in the sea to the starry sky to the wonders of Motonui, the South-Pacific island where Moana lives, everything was animated with perfection.
I’d also like to give another shoutout to the great songs in the movie. Songwriters like Lin-Manuel Miranda (man, that guy is everywhere!) and Disney veteran Mark Mancina are part of it, and they did a great job. The songs are not constant during the movie, like in “Frozen,” but instead perfectly placed in key moments. Also, Dwayne Johnson’s song “You’re Welcome” is just hilarious.
Speaking about funny moments, let’s talk about the rooster.
I particularly thought Moana’s cute little piglet friend would be the funny sidekick. Instead, that role is filled by Heihei, a rooster that snuck into her boat unnoticed that does not have a snitch of intelligence within her. Much like Becky and Gerald from “Finding Dory,” I was surprised that no one forgot her halfway through the movie.
At the end, I left the theater completely satisfied with what I saw.
It had everything a great Disney “princess” movie should have, along with high production quality. I hope that the company’s future holds more empowered, non-daughter-of-king role models and that maybe we’ll see a Moana’s Island at Disney World to share the beauty and the culture of somewhere that isn’t the occidental world.
Because after all, there are princesses, and non-princesses, everywhere.
