I dare say that not only is “Moana” a better film than “Frozen” but the music is better. I know that’ll leave many aghast since “Let It Go” is a massive earworm (I personally prefer “Love is an Open Door”), but I think “Moana” is so much more well rounded and catchy. Everything from “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” don’t just contribute to Disney’s legacy of catchy traditional music, but they also do their job of establishing characters so much better. I loved “Frozen,” but I think “Moana” has a more cohesive pacing and interesting narrative.
Adventurous teenager Moana sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey she meets the once-mighty demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds. Along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she always sought: her own identity.
Ron Clements’ musical fantasy is very much in the vein of Hayao Miyazaki where the writers generally center their adventure around the idea of nature, and respecting the natural world around us. Moana is in a world where her people have taken from the Earth and now she needs to find a way to ask for so much more, lest her entire family be eradicated. I loved how, like “Frozen,” Moana’s entire existence isn’t based around finding a husband or having a child. She continues the modern trope from Disney of princesses that seek to do so much more than find love.
With “Frozen” and “Moana” we follow two unorthodox princesses that venture outside of their comfort zones to save their respective kingdoms, and that’s good enough for them. I don’t think we’re due for a sequel (since there’s a live action remake on the way), but “Moana” works as a marvelous and unique fantasy that balances out its modern themes with the more traditional Disney aesthetic of family, death, and unbearable loss. Auliʻi Cravalho does a wonderful job carrying the movie as the spunky and courageous Moana, while she’s supported by the shockingly hilarious turn by Dwayne Johnson as demigod Maui.
It does suffer from overstaying its welcome, as well as a detour with a monstrous crab that, while gorgeous, feels so superfluous to the narrative. Nonetheless, “Moana” is a very good bit of escapism with the top notch Disney music and important social themes about respect for nature.