Just a head’s up: there are spoilers in this article. If you haven’t watched the movie, don’t read any further. This is for your own sake.
Released at the end of last November, Moana is a popular film and a somewhat atypical Disney movie. Unlike Lilo and Stitch, which takes place on Hawaii but focuses very little on the culture, Moana is inspired by Polynesian myths. It features lovable, complex characters, a beautiful soundtrack, an inspirational message, and and I, personally, love this movie and while it may never be the next Frozen, I think it should have received more attention than it did.
Before I continue, I would like to clarify that I don’t think Moana was a perfect movie. There are plot holes. It isn’t deep and a social commentary like Zootopia. Its story is an amalgamation of lore from different cultures. It is not a proper representation of any one culture. It is, ultimately, a Disney movie which treads the line of fantasy enough that viewers ought to understand this isn’t how things “always are on the islands,” so to speak. That being said, I still enjoy this movie as a movie, even if it is not a perfect cultural representation.
1. She’s not a princess
Disney tried a little too hard to make this clear. Maui calls Moana a princess and she corrects him, so it’s super explicit that she’s not a princess. She’s the daughter of a chief. “Same difference,” you might say, but it’s actually not. From a young age, she is trained to be the next chief. You might think this is the typical “princess-doesn’t-want-responsibility-and-wants-freedom” trope (think The Little Mermaid), but it’s not. She loves her island and she wants to be the chief. But she wants to do what’s best for the island, which happens to involve challenging traditions.
2. There’s no romantic interest.
“But wait,” I hear you saying, “what about Brave? What about Frozen?” Okay. Hear me out. Merida was just annoying. I know she was supposed to be the strong, independent role model that we’ve been waiting for, but she just came off as stubborn and disrespectful, with only her own interests in mind. She did things to spite her mother. As for Anna and Elsa, Anna obviously ends up with Kristoff and people keep asking for Elsa to have a girlfriend, so they're clearly not over the whole “main-character-needs-a-significant-other-to-be-complete” thing. Please. No romantic interest is even posed in Moana and she does everything out of pure love for her island and family. And the ocean.
3. The characters are all more than they seem.
I love complex characters, with their backstories and character growth. Onions have layers, complex characters have layers and Moana is full of multi-layered characters. Except for Heihei, who is exactly as he seems, though my siblings and I low-key want Heihei to actually be a demigod in disguise.
4. The villain isn’t a typical villain
There really aren’t any true villains in Moana. Tamatoa just likes shiny things and utilizes the shiny things to attract his dinner. He’s fabulous. Plus, he has every right to hate Maui for, you know, cutting his leg off. And we all know what happens with Te Ka. These antagonistic characters aren’t inherently evil or even against Moana. They are simply characters within a story larger than just Moana’s. This is important because the world isn’t a dichotomy between “good” and “bad” guys.
5. The soundtrack
Lin-Manuel Miranda, you did a good job. I love the soundtrack. Or maybe I’ve just resigned myself to loving it since it’s been stuck in my head for ages.
That's a real conversation between my roommate and myself. I could not get "Shiny" out of my head, but I wasn't able to sing it since no one in my family had seen the movie yet and I didn't want to spoil anything for them.
6. Moana’s hair
It’s curly! Okay, again with the “But Merida had curly hair, too.” I know. I know. Two things: 1) people with curly hair can have more than one person representing them. It's okay. and 2) Merida’s hair was more like her most defining feature. Moana’s hair wasn't particularly defining, but it was constantly getting in her way. It was relatable how the moments that she wanted to be dramatic or serious were interrupted by her hair getting in the way.
7. A woman in power
A female chief is part that is not necessarily culturally accurate, but I love that Moana is the undisputed next chief. She doesn’t need to be married (think Princess Diaries 2) and you actually get to see her making decisions for the island (unlike in Frozen, where Elsa runs away before she can do any ruling and Anna puts Hans in charge of running the kingdom while she searches for Elsa). Her sex is not a concern to how she might lead her people or even in her going on an adventure across the ocean.
8. Both of her parents live
I mean, not everyone in the movie lives. But come on. She gets both of her parents. In a Disney movie. It’s a miracle.
9. It’s self-aware
We really love meta things. In Zootopia, Chief Bogo says, “Life isn’t some cartoon musical where you sing your insipid song and magically your dreams come true. So let it go.” People thought that was hilarious, both the Frozen reference and Disney poking fun at its own musicals. There’s a bunch of moments like that in Moana, usually from Maui. Disney points out its tropes and it’s great. Like, all of the characters are aware when they’re singing and so is everyone around them.
10. Moana is selfless
She’s not the first to be selfless. There are characters like Mulan or Belle who both put themselves in danger in order to protect their fathers. However, despite being drawn to the ocean, she is actually willing to put aside that desire and be the grounded leader the island needs her to be. The only reason she goes back to the ocean is because her island is in danger and there are no other options. She actually puts aside her own personal dreams in light of her love for her people.
Moana isn’t perfect and you can probably pick at its flaws a lot if you really wanted to, but remember, folks: you can find happiness right where you are.
