Hey Friends! So Thursday was Thanksgiving here in the US and it was the first one in over a decade that we celebrated with our own little family. No awkward family dinner, no having to worry about political talk, and no having to fake liking turkey. We had pizza and pie. It was AMAZING.
[SPOILER BELOW]
Since we didn’t spend hours in the kitchen we decided to see Moana together. It did take a little bribing my son who is a total homebody. Once he heard Lin Manuel Miranda helped with the music and he would get his own drink, he agreed to go. After the film when I asked him what he liked he’s reply/review was “I like that Mr. Lin Manuel sang and the chicken. Oh man! That chicken was silly!”
Mini wrote her review and it was too cute not to share.
So cute right?
Now my turn, this may be in my top three Disney movies ever. Yeah, I said it.
First, It’s so stinking pretty. Like visually stunning, from the scenes on the island to the deep sea. It wasn’t gimmicky either. Like when you know someone’s trying to show off and does too much. It was a world I wanted to climb into and live. I want to have the ocean be my friend too, ok?
Second, the characters were awesome. They felt real. Moana, wanting to follow her heart while *actually* taking her responsibilities serious. She was doing what needed to be done while still unsure if it was her best. This aspect reminded me so much of Mulan. Moana, like Mulan, left to do what was best for the ones she cared about. Only here, Moana had the support of her mother and Grandmother. Oh and her Grandma was amazing. She’s who I want to be.
Maui was also real. We got his motivations and he wasn’t a one note comedy relief kind of character. He could have so easily been and I’m forever grateful they didn’t do that. Don’t get me wrong, he’s totally hilarious but not at the expense of his intelligence or humanity. I also loved that they explained the importance of his hook. That it means something more than a tool for fishing.
Third, the story was honest and well written. When I was going over all the aspects I loved about the story the one at the top of my list is it’s a perfect example of “impact vs. intent”. Maui had no evil motivations when he took the stone. He wanted to help others, to be loved. However it did have a negative impact and he had to deal with the consequences. More importantly, when it came time to apologize he didn’t make excuses and did it.
The movie also gave our lead the permission to fail. She was tired, she was beaten and she wanted to go home when all of a sudden her grandmother appears. Moana cries to her, and instead of telling her to fight through and go on, Grandma tells her “It’s ok. You can go home. You’ve done well and you should be proud.” That was so touching to me because it allowed Moana two good choices and that she was loved no matter which one she chose. We’re not always going to win and I think that’s an invaluable lesson to teach.
Now, Something I’ve seen a lot of buzz over is the fact there’s no love interest. I’m going to take a different approach and say I’m a little sad about that. Not because I think every women needs a man but because I think girls of color should know they are worthy of love too. I get that could force a heteronormative plot but then I think of Lilo and Stitch, which has no love interest either. Now, that’s not to say since one movie didn’t the other should but I feel like we should maybe not define the strength of a female character by her love life. Does that make sense?
Anywho this is a good one and gets the “Fan Fam” approval. See it and then learn about the peoples and nations who inspired it.