Moana

MOANA

Directors : Ron Clements and John Musker

Year : 2016

Genre : Animation

Rating : ****

Having utilised classic fairy stories and national folklore for inspiration in the past, the Walt Disney Company now turn their sails towards the little-explored myths and legends of the South Pacific for 'Moana', a wonderfully vibrant, exquisitely conceived, visually incredible and beautifully written gem of a film that once again sees the illustrious studio regain it's place at the forefront of the medium. Set amongst the luscious islands and the crystalline waters of Polynesia, the film tells the epic tale of Moana (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho), the rebellious daughter of a chieftain who defiantly takes to the ocean to find the shape-shifting demi-God Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and save her home from an impending eco-catastrophe. 

Much has already been written about the brilliant songs and orchestration courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia F'oai and Mark Mancina and while not quite on par with 'Frozen', many of the catchy tunes they have written for the movie have the same earworm quality that made 'Let It Go' and 'Love Is An Open Door' such commercial behemoths - although I could have done without the Tim Curry-esque crooning of the treasure-hungry hermit crab voiced by Jermaine Clement. 

The vocal talent on show here is also great with both Dwayne Johnson and newcomer Cravalho lending great emotional resonance and forthright prescence to their performances. Johnson is especially enjoyable, expanding on the self-deprecating comedic promise shown in this Summer's surprise buddy comedy hit 'Central Intelligence' while Cravalho injects her performance of Moana with defiant gusto - a welcome deviation from the traditional ditzy, passive Disney princess archetype. Together, the two form a really funny and really likable big brother/little sister style relationship and it is clear in the quality of their work that the two are having a great time just being in each others company behind the microphone. But while the characters are all given depth and believable motivation, they are all upstaged by the hilarious Heihei, Moana's gormless pet chicken who, without saying a word of dialogue, becomes one of, if not the funniest movie character of 2016. 

Veteran Disney directors Ron Clements and John Musker ('Aladdin', 'The Princess & The Frog' to name just a few) may be relative newcomers to the art of CGI but they deftly make the transition from cel animation to computer graphics with ease and as is the case with their previous hand-drawn work, 'Moana' looks absolutely stunning from start to finish. I am still rooting for Laika's stop-motion masterpiece 'Kubo & The Strings' to bag the Academy Award next year but on the strength of its visuals alone, 'Moana' could steal the gold from right under Kubo's feet. 

Perfectly blending together the techniques of modern cinema with the traditional storytelling techniques of old, this is a wonderful Christmas present of a film and with the help of stellar voice work, a number of fantastic songs, a likable and relatable lead protagonist and some surprisingly profound messages about identity and cultural diversity, 'Moana' is the perfect way to conclude what has been a truly fantastic year for the art of animation.