More Than A Disney Princess

If you have been missing David Bowie, I have good news: His spirit lives on in the shape of a glittery, louche animated crab named Tamatoa, who lurks at the bottom of the sea collecting shiny objects to help him lure fish for his supper. 

A glam-rock crustacean is just one of the many charms of “Moana,” the latest outing from Walt Disney Pictures. Moana herself can proudly take her place among the Disney princesses, although she resolutely declares she is no such thing. But her sometime-nemesis, Maui, points out that she “wears a dress and has an animal sidekick,” so a princess she must be. Her animal sidekick, a very dopey, very amusing chicken named Heihei, helps anchor the film to the Disney tradition.

In other ways, it’s a glorious departure. It has more songs, more carefully researched cultural authenticity, the most gorgeous animation I’ve ever seen, and no love story — Moana isn’t out to find a prince. She has a more important task: To save her people.

Based on Polynesian myths, the film tells the story of the demigod Maui, who stole the heart of the goddess Te Fiti, creator of life. A thousand years later, Moana, the daughter of an island chief, longs to explore the ocean and find out what’s beyond the reef. She doesn’t realize that, as a small child, she was chosen by the ocean to find Maui, restore his magic fishhook and compel him to return Te Fiti’s heart. Her parents implore her not to go, assuring her that the island can give her everything she needs. But the island is dying, the coconuts rotting from within and the fish disappearing. 

Encouraged by her grandmother, Moana learns that her people were once voyagers and sets off in an outrigger canoe to overcome obstacles and ordeals on the way to restoring balance to the world. She’s on a hero’s journey, but wears the mantle lightly.

The songs are by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa’i, and they combine Miranda’s gift for complex rhymes and catchy melodies with the driving drums of the Pacific Islands. Moana’s big number, “How Far I’ll Go,” may not inspire quite as many 4-year-olds to make YouTube videos as Frozen’s “Let It Go,” but it’s a better song, and the rest of the score is full of earworms in the best possible way. 

Moana is different from other Disney princesses in more ways than her lack of a love interest. She is sturdily built and brown-skinned, as is every character in the film. Auli’i Cravalho, the 14-year-old Hawaiian actress who plays her, has a sweet, strong voice and stands up nicely to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s mischievous Maui, the demigod whose gigantic body is covered with tattoos that sometimes come to life. 

If you have young children, you’ve probably already seen it, but just in case, be warned that there are some scary bits — when my daughter was little she’d have been under the seats or in the lobby during some of the more intense scenes, such as a battle with the lava monster Te Ka. A teenager now, she and her sister and cousins giggled their way through the whole film, and also appreciated the gorgeous depiction of island and ocean. 

There’s a magical scene in the beginning where the toddler Moana is drawn to the water, which pulls back and creates a wall so the fish can swim around her like an aquarium. The movie keeps a sense of wonder and joy while throwing in plenty of wit and sneaky cultural references to keep the parents entertained. 

“Moana” is rated PG for peril, some scary images and brief thematic elements.