It’s hard to believe Disney will have another “Frozen” any time soon — that 2013 blockbuster clicked with audiences in just exactly the right way. Its billion-dollar box-office blizzard and future Broadway incarnation speak to how it hit a nerve.
Some of us still think “Tangled” is the best Disney cartoon of the last 20 years, but “Frozen” was a right-place, right-time phenomenon. So: Let it go, and take “Moana” on its own terms.
This is the first Disney “princess” picture since “Frozen,” even if it occasionally makes fun of princess pictures. Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) is the spunky daughter of a Pacific island king (Temuera Morrison).
The island provides a fitting metaphor for the locals’ attitude: They’re afraid to venture beyond the reef, and have no curiosity about what lies outside their isolated world.
Moana is different, of course. She dreams of exploration, and — oh, you saw this coming? — expresses her yearning in song. (The songwriters include “Hamilton” scribe Lin-Manuel Miranda.)
This leads to a big and sometimes scary adventure, in which she is aided by a tattooed demigod called Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Maui is huge and vain and selfish; he’s more like Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast” than a Disney prince, and thank goodness for that. His big number, “You’re Welcome,” is a truly hilarious ode to egotism.
“Moana” doesn’t fire entirely smoothly — its convoluted plot is a little hard to follow, for instance. Moana and Maui are adorable characters, however, and they keep us tuned in.
New Zealand comedian Jemaine Clement does a yummy turn as a secondary villain, a bottom-dwelling crustacean with a talent for phosphorescence. (That sounds like a Lin-Manuel Miranda lyric.)
There’s also a flotilla of coconut-headed pirates, who are funny even though it’s not entirely clear what exactly they are. Kudos to the animation team — led by directors Ron Clements and John Musker, who did “The Little Mermaid” — for indulging in some surreal zaniness.
If the story isn’t always perfect, “Moana” is great to look at (I saw it in 3D, but it doesn’t overdo, or really need, the process). The turquoise sea comes to life in all kinds of ways, and the night sky is lush with stars.
Given the oceanic setting, I wouldn’t expect this one to be turned into a Broadway musical. On the other hand, given Disney’s ability to mint money lately, anything’s possible.
“Moana” 3 stars
Disney’s first “princess” picture since “Frozen” features a Pacific island girl who dreams of adventure and a hilariously egotistical demigod who gets in her path. The story’s not always smooth, but the characters are fun and the seafaring animation is great to look at (with or without 3D).
Rating: PG, for subject matter
Showing: At many area theaters
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