Disney have much depth
Moana (PG)
Walt Disney Animated Studios have been on a real roll of late – not since the timeless trio of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King in the early nineties has the ‘Mouse House’ hit the mark as often.
You have to go back to 2011’s little-seen Winnie the Pooh to find the company’s last dud, with the subsequent Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootropolis all ranging from terrific to genuine cartoon classics.
For their 56th production, the studio takes us back in time to Ancient Polynesia, where chieftain’s daughter Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) is forced into action when a terrible curse is incurred by demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson).
An astonishing four directors are credited here – led by Aladdin and The Little Mermaid’s Ron Clements – and the quartet are joined by another four writers on the screenplay and story.
It’s hard to see how so many cooks were needed for this particular broth as, though they don’t spoil it, the plot features Moana having to return a mystical heart to its rightful home and trace Maui – and that’s about it.
There are lots of flashbacks in the first half-hour and plenty of cute moments, warm humour and colourful, energetic set pieces, but the film lacks the emotion and depth of Disney at its finest.
The songs fall a little flat too, only coming to life when Hawaiian newcomer Cravalho’s soaring vocals fill the air.
Pre-release, a lot was made of Moana being a princess without a love interest and it does wonders for the titular heroine; Moana is independent, determined and brave, and instead of batting her eyelids at Maui, she trades witty banter with him.
Cravalho and Johnson are a delight, the latter voicing an egotistical demigod with “silky hair” and knowing putdowns (“if you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you are a princess”).
The aforementioned animal sidekick – a dumb, big-eyed chicken called Hei Hei – is an endearing creation and comic actor Jemaine Clement lends his familiar tones to droll evil crab Tamatoa.
The effects team are also on top form with pristine water, sunsets and moonlight framing the luscious landscapes, tattoos coming to vibrant life and a colourful “realm of monsters” reminiscent of the trippy domains frequented by Doctor Strange.
With its giant eagle, lavaspouting adversary and mission to take a small, shiny object to its final destination, the climax is strikingly similar to Lord of the Rings, but ends in a clever visual pay-off.
There’s no denying Moana’s laudable threedimensional heroine and rich visuals.
It just feels like an inferior re-run of better Disney tales, that’s missing a sprinkling of heartstring-pulling magic.