Moana

Set sail with Disney’s newest princess, Moana.
Set in the Polynesian islands, in an age of monsters and gods, “Moana” is a breath of fresh air in a genre normally packed to the gills with castles, fairies and dragons.
Moana is a capable teenage girl and soon to be chief of her tribe. She wants to do right by her people, but a desire to set sail on the open waters beyond her island calls to her. When trouble comes to her home, she must set off on an adventure across an ocean of monsters to find a demigod and restore the life force to her island.
“Moana” is another solid addition to Disney’s most popular property. It continues the company’s trend toward more independent and leadership minded heroines. Unlike her predecessors, Moana doesn’t want to run away from her responsibilities. She just wants to meet them on her own terms, and open her people up to the idea of change.
While there’s no doubt “Moana” offers a good role model to children, the movie really sparkles in its visuals, sometime literally. The design of the islands is lush and vibrant, and the monsters are colorful and occasionally phosphorescent.
The characters’ designs are also drawn in a much more realistic fashion. Any young girls who never felt they could live up to Jasmine’s or Ariel’s spritely form will find relief in Moana’s more realistic dimensions.
The music is the selling point in any Disney animated movie, and “Moana” adds a few more fun songs to the playlist. The movie does suffer a little bit coming out after “Frozen”, where nearly every tune was an earworm. This soundtrack is less a collection of catchy songs and more thematic scores. They’re beautiful, but the kids won’t have as many songs to belt out in the car, though after “Frozen”, parents may not mind.
Visually stunning, musically fun, and on point with its message, any member of the family should enjoy this voyage.