A Disney “fairy tale” unlike any other you’ve seen before, this fantastic family film explores familiar inspirational themes against the fascinating backdrop of Polynesian mythology.

Premise: A thousand years after the demi-god Maui stole the mystical heart from the island goddess Te Fiti, Moana (the daughter of the village chief on the Polynesian island of Motunui) longs to explore the forbidden seas beyond the reef that surrounds her island. But when the blight caused by Maui’s theft finally reaches Motunui, Moana has no choice but to set off on a quest to find Maui and force him to return the mystical heart to Te Fiti, even if this means facing the giant lava demon Te Kā.

Verdict:

There are three key aspects to the film Moana, and it’s their combination that makes this film such a breath of fresh air.

On the one hand, this could be seen as a fairly familiar family-friendly film, in which a teenage “princess” (she’s actually the daughter of the village chief, but as one character points out in a meta moment, “If you wear a dress, and have an animal sidekick, you're a princess”) goes on a journey to find herself. This is by no means a bad thing, but it is something that we’ve seen many times before. That said, the setting of this film, in terms of time and location (as discussed below), does mean that the journey Moana goes on to find out who she really is, is quite different from any I’ve seen before. And ultimately, if you really wanted to over-analyse films, you could argue that most films are, on some level, about the protagonist finding themselves, so this is hardly a criticism of Moana.

It’s in this context, however, that one could argue that Moana is a fairly typical Disney film, insofar as it includes the usual troupes of a feisty “princess”, a comedy animal sidekick (in this case, the intellectually-challenged chicken Heihei), a quest of some sort, and a travelling companion that the heroine picks up along the way (in this case, the demi-god Maui).

“…a friendship develops between Maui and Moana based on mutual respect and understanding…”

However, just as Frozen was in many ways a ground-breaking Disney film because it actively moved away from suggesting that all of the heroine’s problems could be solved by finding a man (or true love, if you want to be a bit more sentimental about it), in Moana the filmmakers have chosen to completely ditch any suggestion of a romantic sub-plot. Maui (played by Dwayne Johnson and his endless supply of natural charisma) is a millennia-old demi-god, and although a friendship develops between Maui and Moana, it is based on mutual respect and understanding rather than romance. This makes the inspirational themes in Moana far more impactful, as she truly is finding her own hidden strengths rather than simply finding someone to solve her problems for her.

The second key element to Moana is the songs. Not many of Disney’s recent films have actually been musicals (Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6 and Zootropolis/Zootopia were not, for example), but there’s no escaping the shadow of Frozen and its hugely successful soundtrack. That said, the songs in Frozen were far more like “traditional” musical songs, whereas what sets the songs in Moana apart is that they have attempted to incorporate Polynesian themes and influences into the soundtrack. The songs were co-written by singer/songwriter Opetaia Foa'i from New Zealand, and incorporate lyrics in Samoan and the Polynesian language of Tokelauan (as well as English, obviously), which give the songs a very distinct feel. The other co-writers for the songs are so-hot-right-now Broadway composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (who has an Emmy, three Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Oscar nomination to his name), and Mark Mancina (who also has two Grammys), so it’s safe to say that they are a fairly talented bunch. The end result is an incredibly catchy soundtrack, that’s also something that I would happily listen to as an album separately from the film (which probably isn’t the case with the soundtrack from Frozen).

“…makes a genuine effort to embrace and represent Polynesian mythology and culture…”

But it’s the third key element in Moana that really brings it all together and makes it something special, and that’s the fact that it has made such a genuine effort to embrace and represent Polynesian mythology and culture. The film is drenched in authentic Polynesian and Oceanic history, from use of the pounamu gemstone and the drua canoes, to the depictions of how ancient Polynesian sailors would navigate across the almost unimaginable distances of ocean between islands. The film even provides a fictional/mythological explanation for the period around 3,000 years ago when the exploration of the South Pacific islands appears to have abruptly stopped for around a thousand years for no discernible reason, before continuing again. There’s a great documentary on the Blu-ray of Moana that explains how the filmmakers formed an “Oceanic Story Trust” of experts from the South Pacific region who acted as cultural advisors for the movie, to ensure that it properly represented Polynesian culture and traditions. It’s this attention to detail that really sets the film apart.

“…head and shoulders above the vast majority of the kids’ films out there...”

As well as the cultural references, the focus on Polynesian mythology also makes this film feel fresh and new in comparison to the Western/European fairy tales that we’re all used to. The filmmakers were originally going to focus the film on the demi-god Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), but by focusing on the character of Moana (impressively played by newcomer Auli'i Cravalho, who was discovered after an open casting call), which makes the film more grounded and accessible. Focusing on Moana also allows the audiences to see Maui, Te Fiti and Te Kā – as well as Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters in which Tamatoa (the giant crab voiced by Jemaine Clement) resides – from the perspective of the Polynesian people, rather than from the perspective of the mythological beings.

There are some people who, quite understandably, will have no interest in seeing a Disney animated musical film. But for anyone looking for some family-friendly entertainment, this is not only head and shoulders above the vast majority of the kids’ films out there, but it's also a movie that should have something to offer all viewers of any age.