Moana is another quality entry in Disney Animation's recent revival. Not to anyone's surprise, the sheer excellence of the animation continues to be improved on, and Moana is the most gorgeous CGI Disney film yet. The stunning vistas compliment some really fascinating hair. The best aspect is the character of the Ocean, which is always a beauty to just try to follow.
As for the film itself, it's good. Both Moana and Maui are fun characters to follow, although have major parts of their arcs skimmed over. Cravalho is a find, really owning the film despite Johnson almost stealing it on several occasions. Heihei is an animal sidekick who works in how silly he is, and the Ocean, as already mentioned, is just incredible. The story is fairly simple, as Disney musicals typically are, and that's fine because it allows the audience to go along with the ride. Some of the dialogue might make you cringe, but outside of one really awful Twitter joke, it's excusable in the same sense of the 90s vernacular from the Renaissance.
But for Disney musicals, the music is just as important as the film quality itself, and with Moana, it's a mixed bag. "You're Welcome" and "How Far I'll Go" are by far the best songs in it, which makes their frequent reprises welcome (no pun intended). Others, such as "Where You Are" or "Shiny," are ambitious but kind of fall apart. That said, the music is a marked improvement from Frozen, which has maybe two really great songs in it, surrounded by forgettable music. For all the failures of the two previously mentioned, they're at least memorable.
It might sound like I'm being harsh on the film, but I'm not trying to be. As already stated, the animation is absolutely stunning and the music is catchy in the best sense. Moana is a joy to watch, sure to make you smile multiple times throughout viewing it. Another Disney musical that will be enjoyed by generations to come.
