A new take on the princess formula with better songs than the über redundant hit from Frozen. I had no idea that Dwayne Johnson could sing.
The premise, the usual, a strong young woman upsetting the status quo. In Moana’s case, venturing beyond a reef near her island home to restore a magical stone (a god’s heart) that was stolen by a mischievous, vain demigod named Maui. There’s a couple songs but at least they don’t jolt the movie’s pacing.
Why is it worth seeing though? For me it was seeing Disney diversify itself. The Pacific Islanders retain their features, they’re not (especially Moana) Aryanized like most princesses. The other was Jemaine Clement’s appearance as an ocean monster singing a Bowie-esque song.
The kids will love it. The girls have Moana and boys have Maui. Heck, I’m sure there can be a gender swap on what the kids will like. Adults? It’s predictable and still formulaic but it isn’t as boring as Frozen.
Alamo Extras: We arrived a bit late so we only caught a Felix the Cat cartoon of his underwater adventure and some old films showing Polynesian musical acts from the Thirties.