Sustaining the Disney legacy

Film review: Moana

MANILA, Philippines - Disney heroines and princesses are undoubtedly consistently remembered by both young and old viewers through the years. From Pocahontas to Mulan, even Elsa (Frozen) and Jasmine (Aladdin), the characters are ingrained in the minds of loyal Disney viewers.

Recently, Disney introduced the feisty and adventurous character of Moana in the film of the same title. Moana is played by 16-year-old Hawaiian actress Auli’i Cravalho, who bravely sets sail in the high seas to restore Te Fiti’s heart-shaped jewel earlier stolen by Polynesian demigod Maui (played by Dwayne Johnson).

“If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess,” hunky Maui tells Moana. Why not, when Ariel had Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, Elsa had Sven, the reindeer in Frozen and Pocahontas had Flit and Meeko, the awesome raccoon and hummingbird duo? Sadly, Moana has a forgettable pet rooster, Heihei.

Moana is a conventional Disney animated treat. It has a few distinct references to other past Disney characters. Rachel House is Moana’s lovable and doting grandmother Tala, who reminds everyone perhaps of Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas.

There is also Tamatoa, the giant crab, though hilariously voiced by Jemaine Clement, may be a bit scary for kids. A crab has much earlier become distinguished and lovable on the big screen when the critical and panicky Sebastian was introduced in 1989’s The Little Mermaid. In the brief, post-credits scene of Moana, Tamatoa was thinking out loud if he was a Jamaican crab named Sebastian, instead.

Moana has no love interest so it is rather surprising. In more than 70 percent of the film, the scenes are strongly ruled by Maui and Moana. Both their characters are dominant, so there was no need for a love interest for either of them.

The film is expectedly loaded with well-loved musical numbers — Moana’s How Far I’ll Go, Tamatoa’s Shiny, the Moana-Maui duet We Know the Way, Maui’s You’re Welcome — and it is a delight to hear Dwayne crooning on the big screen, for a change.

The stunning CGI (computer graphic images) visuals strongly complement the lush backdrop of the island and the deep blue sea setting. Again, there are traces of The Little Mermaid, especially its memorable, Under the Sea part.

Meanwhile, the green, “heart of stone” of fertile goddess Te Fiti in Moana is reminiscent of Rose’s memorable “heart of the ocean” blue pendant in James Cameron’s Oscar-winning Titanic.

The story of Moana is strongly appealing and undoubtedly carries the Disney legacy present in all previous films. This one will be fondly remembered through the characters, the songs and the story.