A couple weekends ago, I took my littlest brother to see Disney's newest princess movie, Moana. He was pumped, but I think I was secretly more excited to see it than he was. I had been listening to the soundtrack here and there, and I thought the songs were pretty fab. It definitely wasn't a chore to take him.
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This movie did not disappoint-- in fact, I'm a little bit obsessed with it now. It was so cute, and the music is my favorite from any Disney movie I've seen. The absolute opposite of a "knock-off Lilo and Stitch," as my step-brother calls it.
I'm not a hardcore Disney person, but this movie is definitely worth the watch. Here are a few reasons why:
The music
How many times can I mention the music in the first 200 words of this article? The answer is: not nearly enough times. It's so good! I've had the songs stuck in my head for weeks now, and I'm still not tired of them. I haven't sung in the shower in years (it's hard to do in college dorms without being persecuted), but I actually sing these songs in the shower.
I'm a child.
The scenery
SO PRETTY. Seriously, look at that! The entire movie is like this. It stays visually interesting for the entire hour and 53 minutes. Nice job, Disney.
The culture
Moana is part of some sort of Polynesian culture (the internet isn't sure which, but it's probably a mix of quite a few different cultures) and the movie focuses heavily on her island, family and customs. It is neat to see this culture- one that isn't often taught about in other places- in a new light.
The plot
Though the movie was a little hard to understand for my baby brother, I thought it was super interesting and very clearly aimed at the "older" Disney kids, like myself. I'm not going to give too much away, but I was on my seat for the entire movie...
... if I wasn't hiding at the back of my seat, wiping away tears.
The characters
I cannot talk enough how much I love these characters. There is not a single character in this movie that didn't speak to me on a personal level-- even the dumb little chicken, Hai Hai.
Moana herself is strong and independent-- not unlike other Disney princesses, but still my favorite. She brings a new kind of vibe to the Disney franchise that hasn't been seen in a long time, if ever... not even with Frozen.
Like I said before, this movie did not disappoint in a single way. In fact, I think it was one of my favorites I've seen all year. Sure, I'm a sucker for a good musical, but this movie is so much fun and so interesting in ways other than just music, too.
That being said-- go out and see this movie! Take your kids, your neighbors' kids, your cousins or just go by yourself. It's so worth it.
