Self Made Mashable Voices Tech Science Life Social Good Entertainment Deals Search

Movies Disney

'Moana' will put your family in a sparkling, sing-along mood

this Thanksgiving
This thing is a bliss-bomb, all 103 minutes of it.

By Josh Dickey  on November 23, 2016

How far will you go, Moana? Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios

Mashable Choice is a badge of honor, reserved for the absolute best stu6 you can see, use, or do.
If it's Choice, it's worth your time.

> Entertainment > Movies

Walt Disney Animation Studios is on a blinding, nearly decade-long streak of

moviemaking brilliance, momentum that has carried us all the way to Moana, the most
dazzling and joyous thing on a holiday movie screen since, well ... Frozen.

Laced with magic, mystery, mythology and the marvelous music of Lin-Manuel
Miranda, Moana is like a tall glass of good-mood juice that will all but guarantee a day
or two of family harmony and impromptu sing-a-long this Thanksgiving weekend and
far, far beyond.

ADVERTISEMENT

SEE ALSO: Watch Dwayne Johnson sing an original Lin-Manuel Miranda song in
'Moana'

Here is a technical marvel -- water has never looked this gorgeous in animation, but
then neither have humans, or plants, or undersea creatures -- matched flawlessly with
adventuresome characters, belly-laughs, cheeky Disney references and a final sequence
that will forever change the way you look at mountains.

Moana O'cial Trailer

Link kopiër…

Bekijken op

A bliss-bomb that had tears welling in my eyes for

the entire 103 minutes

It's a ravishing delight of a bliss-bomb that somehow added up to tears welling in my

eyes for pretty much the entire 103 minutes. And I am pretty sure that has never
happened to me before.

ADVERTISEMENT

That constant upwelling of emotion is largely the fault of its soaring songbook, much of
which was written by the now-famed Hamilton librettist, along with veteran
Hollywood composer Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i, the New Zealand-based Pacific
music singer-songwriter (for whom Moana is his first IMDB credit).

Several of Moana's tunes will stick in your ear -- and be coming from your kids'
speakers -- for months to come. We apologize in advance.

It is worth noting that Disney made great pains to include several Pacific Islanders in
the making of Moana, from elders as cultural consultants helping out with the story to
the voice casting. Newcomer Auli'i Cravalho -- the very last girl to audition, according
to the Disney lore -- got the title role after a search throughout the Pacific Island
region. On the movie-star side, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a descendant of Samoan
chiefs, voices Maui -- the trickster demigod from Polynesian mythology.

Maui is a forceful and gleefully antagonizing foil for Moana's teen pluck and
determination, and together they are as much at odds as they are united.

Moana (2016) Featurette - Casting Moana

Delen

Bekijken op

If I had one quibble with this movie, it's the raggedy, tiresome "Chosen One" narrative
that propels -- literally, propels -- our heroine across the ocean. If one more legend
tells of a "chosen" hero who will journey to find the thingy to save the world from a
grave threat I will just scream and scream some more. Oh my god. So many "Chosen
One" narratives.

ADVERTISEMENT

And of course, there are beats here that you'll recognize from every Disney Princess™
movie that came before this one. She does all the Disney Princess™ things, has the
Disney Princess™ longings, looks after the Disney Princess™ animal sidekick and
sings the Disney Princess™ songs.

Moana admirably nods to these tropes, and our hero makes pains to say out loud that
she is not a princess, but -- she is, through and through.

And for at least this go-round, that's more than OK.

Besides, isn't that what you came for, you old grouch? Now finish up the dishes, get
grandma up off her La-Z-Boy, strap some shoes on the kids, buy the damn tickets and
let the fizzy warmth of Moana wash over you all together.

By the time you get home, a gooey feeling in your chest and a song in your throat, you'll
wonder just how far you've really gone.

Mashable Image

ADVERTISEMENT

More in Disney

Josh Dickey

Josh Dickey is Mashable's Entertainment Editor, leading Mashable's TV, music,

gaming and sports reporters as well as writing movie features and reviews.Josh has
been the Film Editor at Variety, Entertainment Editor at The Associated Press and
Managing Editor at TheWrap.com.A finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club's Best
Entertainment Feature in 2015 for "Everyone is Altered: The Secret Hollywood
Procedure that Fooled Us for Years," Josh received his BA in Journalism from The
University of Minnesota.In between screenings, he can be found skating longboards,
shredding guitar and wandering the streets of his beloved downtown Los Angeles.

Recommended For You

March Madness and M3GAN: The 9 best tweets of the week
Points were made.
03/18/2023 By Tim Marcin

Feminist Facebook group Pantsuit Nation is abruptly shut

down
The Facebook group went viral in 2016 as a safe haven for Hillary Clinton
supporters.
03/17/2023 By Rebecca Ruiz

Hard Mountain Dew's new LiveWire flavor is too much of a

good thing
Citrus overload.
03/17/2023 By Alex Perry

Beware of the tax advice you're geJing on TikTok

Not all 'experts' are experts.
03/16/2023 By Tim Marcin

TikTok will finally let you reset your For You page
For You? For who?
03/16/2023 By Christianna Silva

More in Entertainment
Online resources make International Read to Me Day fun and
meaningful for families
Support your child's literacy journey with virtual lessons, read-along videos, and
other ways to bring books to life.
03/18/2023 By Chase DiBenedetto

Today's best deals include a P73 robot vacuum, 34% oU a

Margaritaville frozen drink maker, and an MGM+ streaming
discount
We're feeling lucky.
03/17/2023 By Christina Buff

Today's top deals include the M1 MacBook Air, Arlo video

doorbell, and Acer 516 GE Chromebook
Scroll for more deals from Apple, Amazon, Arlo, and more.
03/16/2023 By Christina Buff

Small business spotlight: 4 spots worth checking out this month

From hand-poured, Latinx-inspired candles to luxe maximalist dog gear, these
are all the small businesses you should know about.
03/15/2023 By Jae Thomas

Celebrate National Crafting Month with some all-time low

Cricut deals — plus more of today's best finds
Scroll for savings.
03/15/2023 By Christina Buff

Trending on Mashable
Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for March 19
Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #638.
03/18/2023 By Mashable Team

HustleGPT is a hilarious and scary AI experiment in capitalism

It already has investors.
21 hours ago By Cecily Mauran

10 big ways 'Shadow and Bone' Season 2 is diUerent from the

books
New storylines, a game-changing ending, and more.
03/17/2023 By Belen Edwards

Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for March 18

Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #637.
03/18/2023 By Mashable Team

How to get access to GPT-4 right now

The new model is out now, but not for everyone.
03/14/2023 By Mike Pearl

The biggest stories of the day delivered

Email Address Subscribe
to your inbox.
By signing up to the Mashable newsleMer you agree to receive electronic communications from Mashable that may sometimes include
advertisements or sponsored content.

TECH SCIENCE LIFE SOCIAL ENTERTAINMENT BEST DEALS

GOOD PRODUCTS

About Mashable Contact Us We're Hiring Newsle:ers Sitemap

Mashable supports Group Black and its mission to increase greater diversity in media voices and media ownership. Group
Black's collective includes Essence, TheShadeRoom and Afro-Punk.

©2005–2023 Mashable, Inc., a ZiV Davis company. All Rights Reserved.

Mashable is a registered trademark of ZiV Davis and may not be used by third parties without express wriMen permission.

About ZiV Davis Privacy Policy Terms of Use Advertise Accessibility Do Not Sell My Personal Information AdChoices