Rating: 3.5/5

Be it a child or an adult, everyone gets attracted to Disney films and its characters. The extravagant animations, deep emotions draped with a beautiful message have always touched people’s hearts for many years now. But with changing times, Disney changes its thought too. The Polynesian protagonist from its new film ‘Moana’ claims she is the daughter of a chief and no princess and this is where Disney presents a new thought to its fans.

The film opens with the pleasing visuals of Moana’s village which gives you a feel good vibe. Raised as the chief’s daughter, Moana is destined to inherit the tribe and so, at an early age starts deciding the best for her community. Instances and experiences from the chief’s past stop him from allowing Moana to take some crucial steps, even like her wish to explore the whole wide sea. One fine day, the community starts facing trouble when they find no fish in the nearby waters. This creates problems in their living and alerts Moana, who adamantly sets out on a journey to save her community from the crisis. All this happens with the only support which she gets from her bohemian grandmother, who asks her to listen to the voice inside her. Will she do it? Who is Maui? Will the two face the trouble for the community?

Disney’s latest attempt has everything to be a success, be it the story, music and many characters with a high merchandise value. All said and done, the only thought one will have is Moana’s storyline in similarity with Frozen. Just like the protagonist herself, the movie initially sails on the sea of possibilities. The pace in which the movie grips the audience is a bit weak, for there are many moments which could have been avoided. Many elements from the movie like the coconut army, an idiotic chicken, the piglet etc add value to the film – some will make you laugh and some will make you go ‘aww’

Besides Moana, Maui is one another character one can fall in love with. She seeks his help to complete her mission and his charm is worth watching. His muscle play and the tattoo story accompanied with Michael Buble vocals are endearing to watch, so much so that you’ll wish to be as cool as Maui, at least once in your life. Dwayne Johnson lends his voice to the character and he does it to his best.

Overall, “Moana” is a movie about listening to the voice from the soul and dealing with situations. Disney thankfully has stepped out of the fairy-tale zone to give its viewers a taste of something new with a well known message. A simple story about the marvellous, mystifying possibilities of life, the one which are appealing to children, wrapped with stunning visuals and music is always treat to watch. Precisely these are the reasons why the audiences have been always looking forward to watching Disney, for decades.

To all the fans of Disney and animation films, watch Moana with no expectations and return with a smile.