Moana (2016)

Moana is the daughter of an ancient Polynesian chief which makes her a princess. What a princess she is.

Like Pocahontas before her, Moana is technically a princess though some may deny it. Whatever you choose to view her as, she is a strong character. The strong princess character audiences have been hoping for.

It only gets better. She has a strong, toned body and looks more like a human than a doll. There is also no love interest anywhere to be found.

While Anna didn't necessarily need him in her life, she still had Kristoff. This makes Moana try;y unique. Of course, it is also delightful to look at.

Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) dreams of venturing further than her island but her father (Temeura Morrison) will not allow anyone to travel past the reef of their island Motunui. However, Motunui is starting to experience the curse unleashed by the demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) 1000 years before when he stole the heart of the goddess Te Fiti. The ocean chooses Moana as the person who must venture out, find Maui and get him to return Te Fiti's heart to its rightful place.

It's a relatively simple plot, but the things Moana sees and the creatures are anything but. She encounters the Kakamora (little pirates); a treasure-hoarding crab (Jemaine Clement); and Te Ka, the lava demon who also eyes Te Fiti's heart.

Moana's journey should be simple as she is traveling with a demi-god, but Maui complicates things more than he helps. He is vain and selfish and only going on this journey for the glory that awaits him when he makes things right. He has lost his magical fish hook and when he regains it, he can't get it to work the way it used to.

Yes there are similarities to Moana and past princesses in terms of their journey. It only makes sense as Ron Clements and Jon Musker directed various films during Disney's renaissance period, but they have improved upon their formula. Dwayne Johnson is also great as Maui. He is charming, witty and funny.

Disney struggled a little bit after their renaissance period ended, but they are gaining traction once again. Frozen, Wreck-It-Ralph, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia were not only box office gold, they were stories audiences were craving.

I enjoyed Moana more than Frozen, the only one in the aforementioned films it can really be compared to. Opetaia Foa'i, Mark Mancina and Lin Manuel Miranda have created a catchy and memorable soundtrack. The visuals are stunning and every color, every movement is beautifully rendered.

Moana is another Disney princess film. One that parents can approve of and children can look up to. Everyone should check it out.