Last night, I had the privilege of seeing Disney’s latest 3D animation movie Moana at a local advance screening. Although the movie may have ran past the girls’ bedtime, they were so excited that they stayed up the entire time, even the car ride home, and they couldn’t stop talking about it.
Disney’s Moana Overcomes Her Fears And Wins The Hearts Of Many
In Moana, an energetic Polynesian girl named Moana goes on a quest to follow her heart. She knows in her heart she was chosen for much more than her father, Chief Tui, wished for her. To save her island, she breaks boundaries and sets sail beyond the safe waters. With demiGod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) guiding her on the wide open, rough waters of the ocean, she realizes she is much more than a princess. For Maui, it is a story of redemption, but for Moana, it is about overcoming fears and believing in yourself.
Vibrant Polynesian Visuals And Dance-Inducing Island Soundtrack
While the plot is not out of the ordinary (with a female lead journeying on an adventurous quest), the incredible visuals bring the animation to life. With lush, scenic views of the rainforests, islands, and volcanoes, I was swept away by the breathtaking landscapes. The tropical scenery was one of my favorite parts of the movie.
Another strength was the fun island soundtrack. When the island people sang a catchy tune about coconuts, I could pictures my girls asking to put the songs on for a family dance party. My other favorite was a silly and dramatic song by the gigantic, sparkly crab Tamatoa.
For a sample of the visuals and soundtrack, check out “The Way To Moana” Featurette. This short clip gives great insight into how the movie was made and researched with visits to the Polynesian Islands. I love the part where the filmmakers explain how they decided to make the ocean a character.
My daughter’s favorite part was that Moana did what she was inspired to do. The message of the movie is clear. Even when your dreams seem impossible, you can achieve anything if it is meant to be. I liked that children can see the power of trying again when all else fails. Although the movie has some intense parts, it has a feel good message and is empowering to young women.
With the release of Moana happening on Thanksgiving weekend, it has a timely focus on traditions. During your upcoming holiday family gatherings, this feel good, kid friendly movie serves as a reminder of what we love most about the holiday, spending quality time together.
If you’re looking for fun activities for the children, check out these free printables.
Coloring Pages
Crafts
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Disclosure
I received a free item, but it in no way influenced my opinion.
Love it
I love the recent strong femake lead theme in disney’s movies and this seems to be no exception. One to watch with the little niece I think ?
Yay! I can’t wait to see it with my daughter! We just took pictures with the fun backdrop at the theater too! Also, thanks for the free printables!
So excited to show this also to my little one. Looks like a fun movie.
Haha that kakamora is so cute! I’m glad you all liked it. We can’t wait to go next week!
Thanks so much for sharing these sheets, hopefully this movie comes out in Australia soon, it looks great. My kids would love it.
I cannot wait to see this movie with my daughters. I am also looking forward to sharing these activity sheets with them as well. 🙂
I love Disney movies although I preferred the drawings from the classic ones like Cinderella, Snow White and Arielle. But at least now Disney adjusts to stronger female characters which is a good lesson for all little girls watching the movies 🙂
Nadine Cathleen | Karateandcaviar.com
I love 3D movies, they are so much fun. Kids love it too and the kid in all of us must surely do too!
This looks like such a sweet movie. I love the fact that the main character is a female and that she is multicultural. It’s important for little girls to see themselves in the characters that they love.
Add this to our watch list! Love a fab new Disney movie… especially one with a strong female lead.
Love this! Thank you so much for posting, my kids are going to love it.
We’ve been so busy! I can’t wait to see this movie. I’ve heard so many great things about it. Hopefully this week while the boys are out of school.
Loved watching the trailer. Looks different and the exotic location makes for the best sceneries!
My 5 year old is dying to see this movie. Looking forward to seeing it after Thanksgiving!
Loving the new strong female leads Disney is going with – much better than the damsel in distress model!
Wow! So cool! Love to see female characters in super woman roles. It can create new wave of inspiration amongst young girls.
We are so excited for this movie! We get to see it this week!
Great review! I totally want to build my own Kakamora!!
I had a chance to see this last week but my mom was admitted to the hospital that night. It looks amazing.
Wow! How awesome that you got an advanced screening! I can’t wait to take my kids. 🙂
We haven’t seen this movie yet, but it definitely looks different than any other Disney movie I’ve ever seen. I totally want to take my kid to see it.
I am looking forward to seeing Moana. It will be so fun for the kids to have the activity sheets, thank you!
This looks like such a great movie! I want to take my little one to see it!
I can’t wait to see this movie!! I love seeing a strong woman lead character. Plus I love all movies that are based near the ocean.
We keep seeing previews for this movie and I can’t wait to take the grandchildren to see it. I’m going to print out the coloring sheets for them to do now! Thanks
I love Disney movies, and this one looks amazing! I can’t wait for my son to be old enough to go to these things, haha.
We’re definitely waiting for this movie. I just hope to see this soon. I love the activity sheets. I’ll surely print these for all the kids here at home!
We are counting down the days until we can see this movie. We love The Rock and the previews have been so good.
Omg my daughter would love these Mona sheets!!!! I showed her the trailer to this movie and she’s so excited to see it!!!
I can’t wait to take my kids to go and see Moana! It looks like such a cute movie and they’re excited!
I can’t wait to see this movie with my kiddos! This looks like a cute one!
Even though I’m an adult, I still really want to see this movie. It looks amazing and now I just might. Love the activity sheets, great for kids!
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