Moana (2016)

As much as I enjoy Disney movies and having watched a lot of those princess films in my younger years, this is the latest of those princess ones (in which I have somewhat lost interest). It's decent for me but anyone who likes Pacific Island motifs would find it fun. Dwayne Johnson was the best part as the demigod. A lot of my friends can't stand him because he's a former wrestler but that seems like such an unfair judgment and an utterly ridiculous reason to dislike a celebrity. He's made some decent movies, so what's not to like? I enjoyed him in the Scorpion King. Anyway, back to Moana. I enjoyed the themes that went into the movie, especially the Pacific Island motifs, Moana's mission, and the clash between spirits, humans, and demigods. It's almost like Avatar: The Last Airbender that way. Oh, but to put it honestly, it's not my absolute favorite Disney film, but the visuals were stunning. If you wanted a different kind of Disney princess who isn't your average damsel in distress, look here!

This was possibly the best Disney movie I've seen this year. The songs are wonderful, the animation fresh, spectacular and not overblown. Everything sparkles with originality. The cast is, well, perfectly cast. If you enjoyed The Croods then this is the next step up. Hugely enjoyable.

I was amazed! The astounding visuals compared with the surreally beautiful soundtrack make this a new favorite on my Disney list! The story is well written, paying an appropriate and accurate tribute to Polynesian culture. Moana breaks the mold in many ways. This is a must see!

Pretty much a pacific Islander version of Brave, only you replace the Celt with an Islander, the crazy killer grizzly with a volcano creature, the crazy witch with a crazy grandmother, and the 'overbearing'(ha ha) mother/oddball father with an overbearing father/demi-God. But, hey at least they got their basic Neo-Disney formula down(I'll give you a hint it rhymes with 'human-empowerment'). However I do find that the pig on the cover is a bit 'misleading due to the girl's grandmother having more of a role in this movie than that scared little piggy(I think they were trying to lambast the 'cute' Disney companion stereotype and just went with the chicken, but then again they did the same thing in Mulan and the 'little brother' character). But all criticism aside, this movie is viewable and relatable on almost all fronts, which makes it a great reviewable movie. Maui makes it a breath of fresh air due to his misogyny, which tends to be rejected in MOST Disney movies rather than embraced (Yeah he get's dropped down a few pegs, but hearing Moana call him a 'son of a-' makes you get the idea). Another good point is that it reaffirms a message of 'equality' vs superiority, given that Moana and Maui both contribute in the restoration of the heart(unlike Maleficent, which makes men look like total daughter kidnapping, wing-stealing, power hungry douchebags). The last point I'll make is that the movie 'empowered' women without 'overpowering' them, which is a faddish archetype seen in MANY titles that seldom makes the movie lose its charm(basically it makes us forget that the main character is a girl and portrays her just like a dude, IE Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman and Alice in the 'New' Alice in wonderland series) a feature easily found in Mulan where they literally portrayed every male stereotype possible; good or bad (Don't get me wrong it was still funny as hell). It also avoided the hammer to the face REAL LIFE politically driven subject matter which can be seen in Zootopia(another recent Disney title, which I still enjoyed)... well unless you look at the fact that Maui was basically aborted by his parents as seen in his backstory.But all in all Moana made me laugh and my wife and kids enjoyed it(even if it is 'just another Disney movie').