Moana (2016)

ATTENTION! SPOILERS AHEAD

Ah, what a movie! Coming second on my list, Moana truly IS a piece of art. I mean, look at that water! But seriously, I don't know where to begin with this movie. All the different pieces that go into a typical movie are so well put together, it's extremely evident that this huge team of people really know what "there's no 'I' in 'team'" means.

Let's start with animation. The Disney animators have really outdone themselves. In this GIF, Maui's hair moves in the most natural way I've ever seen an animated character's hair move. They nailed facial expressions, plant life, clouds, wind, and of course my favorite, the ocean. Just look at this gorgeous screen cap of the sweet baby Moana surrounded with, what it looks to be, breathing water. The sea life swimming around her and the way the water reacts to Moana sticking her hand in it, is mind-scrambling. How can a computer do all of this? How can a simple program along with the right mind create such a livable experience? The more I write, the more I want to watch Moana for the 6 billionth time. Thank you Disney, and thank you animators. Just look at that lighting affect! The sand is so visibly wet, and the way is shimmers and shivers around baby Moana delights me to an indescribable amount. Tamatoa's bioluminescence is so vivid and bright, I found myself as mesmerized as his fish-dinners. Beginners...

MOANA:

See the light where the sky meets the sea... It calls me! It's like the tide always falling and rising...

TAMATOA:

Hey! Hey! . . . Did you like the song?

Yes, Tamatoa, I did. And that's a big thanks to my man, Lin-Manuel Miranda. While he was working on his hit Broadway show (...can you guess it?) Hamilton, directors Ron Clements and John Musker asked him if he could work on Moana. In an interview, Lin explained that Moana was his escape from the struggles of writing for the stage show. As do most Hamilton fans, I wish for more Disney collabs including him, especially for Mary Poppins Returns coming in December of 2018.

But onto the actual music aspect of the film! We Know the Way is my favorite song, mainly because of the fast paced progression of lyrics. It's a growing-up montage that I love to experience. I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors) is my second favorite song: the emotion behind Auli'i Cravalho's performance backs up the whole scene, and it really gives light to a deeper side of Disney. It shows that even though Moana is going through really hard times, what with being abandoned by Maui and the reminder that Grandma Tala died, she realizes she can still be brave and confident in her treacherous journey. Disney seemed to have a fascination with making the princesses 'helpless' without a prince, but with the more recent movies, Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Brave (2012), and Frozen (2013), headstrong and confident princesses are becoming more and more popular. Granted, Jasmine, Belle, and even Cinderella (in the sequel movies) can be very confident, but the only other fully-confident princess has been Mulan. But my point is, Disney is starting to stick their head out with each movie's release, and that's something that, as a Disney fan, I'm proud of!

The overall feeling of Moana has excited me since I had seen the (pictured above) concept art. It holds a special place in my heart, someplace only the few elite have entered. I'm stumbling across my keyboard to try and think of more things to write, but this movie hit me so hard and I love it so much that it's incredibly difficult to put my emotions and thoughts into words. So I guess I'll end it here.

A big thank you to you, reader, for taking the time to read the inner thoughts of a Disney obsessed teenager. I really appreciate you stopping by, and if you'd like to see more, feel free to leave a comment down below asking for which movie I should gush about next. From the jivest of turkeys, you're welcome!