Moana / Vaiana
2016
***
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Cast: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, Oscar Knightley, Troy Polamalu
According to ancient Polynesian mythology, a cocky demigod named Maui stole and lost the heart stone of goddess Te Fiti. Years later, the ocean gives the heart to Moana, a brave young girl from the island of Motunui, who ventures out to return it to its rightful owner. This formulaic but entertaining Disney animation attempts to recapture the magic of Frozen, but it doesn't have the story or the songs for it. As the musical interludes disrupt the action every ten minutes, the first third is a bit of a drag. However, when the movie begins to focus on the story and its two main characters, it turns out to be rather delightful.
