There are two things in the new movie Moana that have made me very satisfied. First, we finally have ourselves a Polynesian princess to add to our Disney Princess’, and she is adorable. Second, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson finally voiced a character in a Disney movie.

Just recently released, Moana has quickly hit the top charts, bringing in a whopping $81.1 million, larger than what the new Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, brought in.

This film is about a girl who leaves the safety of her island on a journey to save her people. Drawn to the ocean her whole life, Moana (voice of Auliʻi Cravalho) begins to see her island deteriorate. In a last stretch to save her village, Moana goes on a journey to convince the demi-god Maui (Voiced by Dwayne Johnson), who reluctantly joins, to save her island. Together, they sail across the ocean, while Maui begrudgingly helps her to become a wayfinder, much like her ancestors who sailed before her. Along the way they come across many obstacles and encountering enormous monsters, all the while Moana begins to discover the one thing she’s always longed to find: her own identity.

My first thoughts as I began watching this movie was that the graphics of the movie were beautiful. The directors did an amazing job with designing the background, with intricate details and beautiful colors that brightened everything up. I absolutely loved how designers portrayed the Polynesian islands, with blue skies, gorgeous beaches, and vibrant plants all throughout the movie. Watching Moana definitely brought thoughts of visiting Hawaii.

The characters were easily lovable, and their personalities were sometimes very laughable. Moana (The actual meaning of this name being “ocean”) is a chieftain’s daughter who would rather be “dancing” with the ocean than preparing to become the new chief of her village, Motuniu. I could definitely feel the conflict between her sense of responsibility and what her heart seems to pull towards. Moana was a girl who wasn’t exactly funny, but she is fearless, confident, and she does everything with others kept in mind. Let’s not forget one of my favorite character’s, the demi-god Maui. Maui seemed very arrogant and narcissistic at first, but the movie went on I saw a much more captivating person. Personally, I definitely laughed at Maui’s seemingly narcissistic nature. With his magical tattoo with that

have their own personalities, as well as Maui’s seemingly uncaring mindset, this character was definitely a pretty good match for Moana.

The plot was good; I can clearly see a lot more conflict than what I’ve seen in previous Disney movies. The conflict between Moana and herself was definitely something that can, metaphorically, be relatable to a lot of people. There was actually a lot of details in this movie that people can definitely connect with. The biggest, and pretty much only, problem I had with this movie was that the humor was not that funny. It was very mild and the plot was a more self-discovering film.

Now to the important part. The singing. I feel that there wasn’t as much singing as there was in other Disney movies, such as Tangled and Frozen, which I think is a good thing. The movie had catchy songs and they all had a tropical, island feel. You could definitely feel a lot of emotion in some most of the songs. But, like it was established before, there was not a lot of singing.

All in all, I liked this movie and I think most people will. It shows a lot of girl power, but not too much that the plot is overwhelmed with it. There was also a lot of modern ideology, such as gender equality and the idea that a princess doesn’t need a prince. Again, beware, because the humor is mild. But remember, this is Disney we are talking about, so Moana is meant for all ages. If I had to give this movie a rating, it would be a 4.5/5.

For more information on the movie and trailers, go to Disney’s Moana