MovieChat Forums > Moana (2016) Discussion > My problems with Moana

My problems with Moana

posted 8 years ago by Steven2168
19 replies | jump to latest

Don't get me wrong. I really like Moana, I'd give the movie an 8 or 8.5/10. Ultimately, I felt that Zootopia was a better film (my 2nd favourite film of 2016 by the way). I understand that many feel that Moana is the best animated film of 2016 (I have not seen Kubo), but I just want to politely share the reasons I personally disagree.

1. Weak/Uninteresting Characterizations: Apparently, the movie's release was moved up because Disney was so confident that this would be another Frozen phenomenon, or maybe because they wanted to keep the Disney princess talk going. And boy does it show. I felt that the first act was quite rushed. I never felt that connected to the island nor did I feel that Moana was connected to her home. I never felt that she cared enough about her home and her people. I also felt that her character arc wasn't very clear and developed. It wasn't until I watched the interviews when I understood what they were going for. I would even go far as to say that the characters in Moana weren't as interesting as other Disney characters, even if they are acted very well. How many times have seen the strict father who is also a leader, or the selfish sidekick who just wants to be famous?

2. Lack of Anything New: I think most of us can agree that Moana isn't the most original thing ever in terms of its story. Hell, it even shares similarities with other Disney films. As a result, I felt that the movie was partly predictable. The final nail in the coffin for me was when Maui decided to leave Moana because his hook didn't work. Really? Firstly, that is not a good enough reason leave someone in the middle of conflict. Also, we know he's going to come back. We've seen this obligatory trope done before and better in other films. Zootopia even did it better. Nick had a legitimate reason to leave Judy. Nick also doesn't just suddenly come back just in time to help Judy, Judy convinces him to come back. This is one example of how another movie does an overdone trope better than Moana. Like Frozen, Moana does make fun of past tropes, but Frozen arguably did it better (and more often). I don't feel as if the movie is offering anything new we haven't seen before; aside from the Polynesian setting and themes.

3. Lack of anything Grand: This problem is the most important. I never felt that the it was epic or grand. Maybe this is in on purpose? I don't know. I was never truly invested in what was going on. I never felt that there were real stakes. I get that the boat scenes serve as a way to develop the characters. However, they often went on for too long, so you're just waiting for something else interesting to happen, especially when these characters aren't particularly interesting. The movie didn't make me care enough about what was going on to be invested. Even the music, it was really good but nowhere near as grand or as memorable as the ones in Frozen (although it isn't as annoyingly memorable), The Little Mermaid, heck even Pocahontas and Tangled. It also doesn't help that the movie is also predictable and uninteresting compared to other Disney films.

Overall, I don't think Moana is amazing as many others say it is, but that's just me. To be honest, I think the realm of monsters sequence is the most interesting thing about the movie, even if it is out-of-place. I still very much enjoyed it. Feel free to make rebuttals and arguments. Any further comments I have will posted as replies.

[–] UnvoicedApollo1 8 years ago

1. Moana - Emotionally articulate, headstrong, determined, overconfident, enthusiastic, unsure of herself.

[–] Steven2168 8 years ago

Fair enough. I've seen other reviews and interviews that help me better understand what kind of character Moana is.

[–] Herengone 8 years ago

You could not tell "what kind of character Moana is" by watching the film?

[–] Steven2168 8 years ago

I meant understand what they were trying to do with her character. I couldn't quite understand what made her different from other Disney princesses (in terms of her character and personality) until seeing the interviews and reviews. Man, I did not think out the phrasing of my comments.

[–] Hold_the_door 8 years ago

I personally found pretty much all the characters to be very well developed, even Tamatoa. There were some epic moments, the greatest might be the whole sequence of Te Ka transforming to Te Fiti. The story wasn't 100% original, but still had a fresh feeling to it.

[–] Steven2168 8 years ago

I do feel that Moana, Maui and Gramma Tala were developed enough. I just don't find any of the characters as interesting as other Disney characters. To be honest in my opinion, Tamatoa was the most interesting. His "Shiny" song alone made him such a weirdly fun eccentric character.

For me, Moana didn't feel fresh enough to ignore its similarities with other Disney films. But I'm glad you felt it was fresh.

[–] arnez88-237-649302 8 years ago

Agree with everything. Typical copy/paste Disney. Lets make another Frozen in another continent. 4 out of 10 cause it looked good.

[–] OhNooos 8 years ago

It felt epic to me! I was excited by the time the movie end and felt that I had just been on an adventure. For that reason, I prefer Moana to Zootopia. I like adventures.

It's too bad it didn't meet your expectations, but not every movie is going to connect with every viewer.

[–] danielbjones 8 years ago

Sorry I got no idea what you're going on about, Moana is another fantastic Disney animated story rich with emotion , story telling, character progression.

As a 35 year old man who watched it with his 6 year old son, we both really enjoyed it. I love that the lead is a strong willed female with the heart to push her self beyond what anyone gives her credit for.I think it sends the best kind of message to all children to push them selves and to never give up!

I think Disney have made a classic that is as good as Hercules or Beauty and the Beast.

Also to note the Music was beyond awesome, such great sound and diversity it really carried the narrative of the scenes and drove the story forward.

I gave it a 9/10 but I could have given it a 10 if it had few more interesting characters in it.

[–] Steven2168 8 years ago

Good for you that you found more enjoyment that I have and that's perfectly fine. Although, I disagree that it is a "classic" on the same level as Beauty and the Beast.

[–] Zaphenzo 8 years ago

I challenge anyone to describe on the top of their head the character of Moana without using the words "nice" or "strong and independent".

Why would I try and describe her without mentioning the two key parts of her character. Try describing Judy Hopps without using the words "enthusiastic and determined" and "kind". Like, that's just pointless.

The final nail in the coffin for me was when Maui decided to leave Moana because his hook didn't work. Really? Firstly, that is not a good enough reason leave someone in the middle of conflict. Also, we know he's going to come back. We've seen this obligatory trope done before and better in other films. Zootopia even did it better. Nick had a legitimate reason to leave Judy. Nick also doesn't just suddenly come back just in time to help Judy, Judy convinces him to come back.

First of all, Maui losing his hook was a good enough reason to come back, because we see throughout the movie how important the hook is to him. He associates his identity to it. That's why the first place they went was to get it back, and why he initially felt so confident ("Maui's back yahooooooooo!") when he got it back. It was what made him powerful, a demigod, which was the only way he could feel wanted. Nick and Judy's situation was completely different. Judy had to convince Nick to come back because Judy had done something bad, and had screwed up their friendship by unintentionally insulting him. In Moana, Maui was the one in the wrong, so he had to come back after he realized what he'd done.

Lack of anything Grand or Epic

I have to very strongly disagree with this. The animation in itself is grand and epic, and the scene when Te Ka tranforms is jaw dropping.

[–] Steven2168 8 years ago

It's perfectly fine that you disagree.

Why would I try and describe her without mentioning the two key parts of her character. Try describing Judy Hopps without using the words "enthusiastic and determined" and "kind". Like, that's just pointless.

You do make a good point with that. My thoughts on that have changed. However, I still think that she is not as interesting as other Disney characters or even other Disney princesses.

First of all, Maui losing his hook was a good enough reason to come back, because we see throughout the movie how important the hook is to him. He associates his identity to it. That's why the first place they went was to get it back, and why he initially felt so confident ("Maui's back yahooooooooo!") when he got it back. It was what made him powerful, a demigod, which was the only way he could feel wanted. Nick and Judy's situation was completely different. Judy had to convince Nick to come back because Judy had done something bad, and had screwed up their friendship by unintentionally insulting him. In Moana, Maui was the one in the wrong, so he had to come back after he realized what he'd done.

I know that these two situations are different. However, I cared more about Nick and Judy's situation than Maui's situation. I get that this is important to his character arc. However, this particular trope of leaving the protagonist then coming back again has been done before and done better in other films, so I wasn't particularly encouraged. There are other better ways to pull off this part of his character arc without having to resort to this trope.

I'm glad for you that you found more greatness in Moana than I have.

[–] Herengone 8 years ago

I challenge anyone to describe on the top of their head the character of Moana without using the words "nice" or "strong and independent".

Dutiful, proud, and compassionate.

[–] inaliciro 8 years ago

completely agree with everything you said. i had the exact same opinions. Overall, while entertaining, it just wasn't the best this year. Doesn't help that it's going against such great films.