Moana Review: This film might win the Oscar this year!

Film: Moana
Directors: Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker, Chris Williams 
Cast: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemain Clement

What’s it about:
You see, it’s all about the sea. Well, the ocean, really. And one girl’s love for it. She lives on a big island where everybody’s happy and her dad’s the chief and she’s next in line to take over. But no, that’s not enough for Moana (Cravalho). Since her youngest days, she has wanted to set sail. Even tried once. And almost died. But don’t tell her dad, Chief Tui (Morrison) that.
It’s a secret her Grammy (House) took to her grave. A fiesty one, that crazy old lady. She taught Moana to follow her heart instead of doing what she’s told. And that the ocean chose her to find a demigod to right everything going wrong on their island, of late.
By and by, Moana fights the urges to undertake a voyage (much like her ancestors) and gets to said demigod, go goes by the name Maui (Johnson) and convinces him to help return the heart of the goddess Te Fiti, so all can be well with the world.
They have their adventures, fight a blingy giant crab named Tamatoa (Clement) to retrieve Maui’s magical fish hook, but together can they take on the lava monster, Te Ka and live to tell the tale?

What’s hot:
Let’s start with the all-star directors -- Clements and Musker helmed The Little Mermaid Alladin, Hall and Musker took charge of Big Hero 6. And despite what they say about too many cooks, this broth is stirred just right. 
A wholesome story that works for all ages, Moana is everything a Walt Disney Animation film is. It has a headstrong ‘princess’ who has a crisis of identity, a repulsion for the status quo and a hunger for the unknown. As Maui quips in one scene, “You have a costume and an animal sidekick, you ARE a princess!”. And coming to Maui, you see him as the fallen hero who’s supposed to be ‘rescued’ or ‘led aright’ by the princess, but it is she who has to be the heroine of her own story.
The story is not a new one, per se. You’ve heard this production house tell the same tale with different sets of characters and hit the bullseye nearly almost every time. But this time, it has a special something that hits all the right notes and makes you sing along whenever the characters do.
Auli'i plays Moana with much realness. As her mentor Maui, the hulking Dwayne Johnson is strikingly cast and brings his winning charm to the table yet again.
Then, of course, is the top-of-line animation. Each scene looks like it was worked on to perfection to the last detail. 
The music (Lin Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina), at the risk of sounding cheesy, is disarmingly charming enough to just hum along, even if you don't understand the words.
I’m betting on Moana to win the Oscar this year, if a better film in the category doesn’t come along. Yes. It’s that good.

What’s not:
There’s a little Life Of Pi hangover (you’ll know it when you see it). Moana has a bit of Merida (Brave) and a bit of Anna (from Frozen) in her and while we see the resemblances, we can’t shake it off and look past it. The face-off with the pirate coconuts was fun, but did nothing really to take the story forward. Tamatoa is something the kids will enjoy but again, it finds the film dragging its feet to create memorable moments that bog down the pace. 

What to do:
Moana celebrates every girl child, her dreams, her strength, her courage, her faith, her perseverance and the fact that if you never give up and follow your heart, victory has more than its just rewards. Highly recommended for children and adults of all ages.

Rating: **** (4 stars)