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Moana |OT| - "If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you're a princess"

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L

Lumination

'enry 'ollins
Watched this on Friday. Overall solid, but it was so close to being great.

+ I loved that this one felt like a journey. Moana travels to multiple islands, dealing with adversaries in each location and along the way.
+ No romance needed in this one.
+ Absolutely gorgeous. It's hard to say whether Zootopia or Moana looked better. I'd probably go with Moana just because of the locale and the water effects > fur effects.

- While the songs were strong, none of them really stuck to me like something those catchy Lion King or Aladdin tracks. Doesn't stack up to Let It Go.
- Pacing issues, probably due to the journey aspect of the movie. There was a decent amount of time where there wasn't too much happening. I don't remember the specifics, I just remember flipping from engaged to bored quite a few times.
- That chicken. A little overdone.
Beefy said:
Other version is better
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I wish they could find a way for the first version to flow into the reprise smoothly in one track.
 
B

Beefy

Member
Tricky I Shadow said:
NyyOjIH.jpg
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I like Alessia's voice better.

But this is the best song:
https://youtu.be/ubZrAmRxy_M
 
T

Tricky I Shadow

Banned
Lumination said:
- While the songs were strong, none of them really stuck to me like something those catchy Lion King or Aladdin tracks. Doesn't stack up to Let It Go.
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I kinda agree, however, I've seen a few people bring this up and I don't think it's really fair to compare new songs to songs that have had a lot of time to stay in your head.

People need to give the songs from Moana more time and listen to them more so you get more familiar with them. Let them breathe.
 
L

Lumination

'enry 'ollins
Tricky I Shadow said:
I kinda agree, however, I've seen a few people bring this up and I don't think it's really fair to compare new songs to songs that have had a lot of time to stay in your head.

People need to give the songs from Moana more time and listen to them more so you get more familiar with them. Let them breathe.
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I bought the Frozen soundtrack as soon as I left the theater. And when I forgot to put it on my phone, I was humming the tracks for DAYS. Moana didn't have the same effect, and I don't think it will. But hey, that doesn't mean the songs are bad, just not ascended to quite that level. And that's mostly ok.
 
T

Tricky I Shadow

Banned
Lumination said:
I bought the Frozen soundtrack as soon as I left the theater. And when I forgot to put it on my phone, I was humming the tracks for DAYS. Moana didn't have the same effect, and I don't think it will. But hey, that doesn't mean the songs are bad, just not ascended to quite that level. And that's mostly ok.
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That's cool.

Apart from the classics like 'Part of Your World' and 'A Whole New World' (just to name a few), for me a lot of the other Disney songs weren't quite GOD tier straight away, but as time has gone on they all got better and better as I grew more attached to them and the nostalgia drug began to take a hold of me.

I just don't won't people to be too quick to judge.
 
B

Blizzard

Banned
Lumination said:
I bought the Frozen soundtrack as soon as I left the theater. And when I forgot to put it on my phone, I was humming the tracks for DAYS. Moana didn't have the same effect, and I don't think it will. But hey, that doesn't mean the songs are bad, just not ascended to quite that level. And that's mostly ok.
Click to expand...
When we left the theater, we were humming / singing the Moana soundtrack.

Two of my friends listened to it like 5 times over the course of a weekend shortly after the movie came out. It's anecdotal, but it REALLY stuck in our heads hard after only one viewing.

Two of us also liked the Moana actress' voice better than the electronic-sounding pop version at the end, and I definitely liked her singing better than the forced yelling sound of Let It Go. I think I've liked literally every cover of Let It Go I've ever heard better than the movie version.
 
Astral Dog

Astral Dog

Member
Better than Frozen.

That chicken is better than Olaf too.
I do think it was annoying how the "Ocean" moved the plot though
 
L

Lumination

'enry 'ollins
Blizzard said:
When we left the theater, we were humming / singing the Moana soundtrack.

Two of my friends listened to it like 5 times over the course of a weekend shortly after the movie came out. It's anecdotal, but it REALLY stuck in our heads hard after only one viewing.
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Consider me very jealous. :)

Sub Boss said:
I do think it was annoying how the "Ocean" moved the plot though
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Oh, that's a really good point. Yeah, it was annoying that the ocean solved problems when it felt like it (and not other times), trivializing the challenges of the journey.
 
B

Blues1990

Member
I'm surprised more people aren't talking about the short film that accompanied Moana, 'Inner Workings.' It was a pretty fun animated short, and the redheaded sunglasses vendor is a cute design.
 
Phoenix RISING

Phoenix RISING

Banned
Blues1990 said:
I'm surprised more people aren't talking about the short film that accompanied Moana, 'Inner Workings.' It was a pretty fun animated short, and the redheaded sunglasses vendor is a cute design.
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Disney shorts are the best part of the feature IMO.

Always catches me off guard, too. Thought it was a trailer at first.

And yes, her curvaceous art direction serves to contrast the plain rectangular protag.

Lol @ everything leading to death.
 
G

ghostofsparta

Member
Kind of enjoyed it, certainly more than Frozen. The problem is there's just no single AMAZING climax. Disney movies are always a safe yet enjoyable watch.

Where You Are scene and song are lit. Jamming to it now at work

Also that lava monster looked sooo good. Made my gaming side squirm
 
M

Malyse

Member
ghostofsparta said:
Kind of enjoyed it. There's just no single AMAZING climax. Disney movies are always a safe yet enjoyable watch.

"Where You Are" scene and song are lit. Jamming to it now at work
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Buuuuuuuullllllshit.
Know Who You Are is goddamn hauntingly beautiful. Everything about that scene is stunning: the speed ramping, the multilayered thematic call back (going all the way back to the very first teaser for the movie), the music, the ten layered visual effects, everything.
 
F

Fixed2BeBroken

Member
Lumination said:
I bought the Frozen soundtrack as soon as I left the theater. And when I forgot to put it on my phone, I was humming the tracks for DAYS. Moana didn't have the same effect, and I don't think it will. But hey, that doesn't mean the songs are bad, just not ascended to quite that level. And that's mostly ok.
Click to expand...

personally I think "Let It go" sucks.
 
P

Palmer_v1

Member
Saw it last weekend and loved it.

I'm not sure if it's better than Zootopia, but I'd be much more likely to rewatch Moana multiple times.

I loved the Mad Max-style scene with the Kakamora's, though it was pretty random. Jermaine's song was also wonderful. You can definitely hear the Lin Manuel influence in a few of the songs, which is cool.

It just really seemed to exude a love of the culture they were exploring.
 
F

Fixed2BeBroken

Member
firehawk12 said:
The emotional resonance of Let it Go probably hit more than either of the big song numbers in Moana though.
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I felt nothing from Let it go....However "How Far I'll go" struck me hard emotionally.

maybe the notes used in Let it go just don't resonate with me, while the Notes used for How Far I'll go do....I mean, Lin-Manuel has a hip hop background so maybe that's why those notes struck me and made me feel something.
 
H

HiiiLife

Member
This and Zootopia are my favorite movies this year and movies I've seen more than once in theatre. Maybe I'm a little biased since the Polynesian lore resonates with me, but I absolutely loved this. Much better than Lilo & Stitch lol.

Also Auli'i version is much preferred over Cara.
 
L

Lumination

'enry 'ollins
I got the opportunity to watch this again (and I usually never rewatch, especially in theaters). I actually enjoyed it MUCH more the second time around. I think there were some pacing issues I had, but knowing how long a scene was sort of remedied that?
 
F

fivepersondude

Member
Just watched the movie. Been listening to "Shiny" since.... Best Villain song? The more I listen to it, the more I like it than "Be Prepared..."
 
R

Rumblebones

Banned
Forgot to post; I saw this over a week ago and loved it.

Great sound track too. I think Where You Are is my favourite song in the film, but they're all pretty much great.
 
N

NEO0MJ

Member
Finally watched it. It was pretty good, though I'm not sure if I'd say it was better than Zootopia.

You're Welcome was my favorite song. Did Dwayne actually sing it?
 
B

Blizzard

Banned
NEO0MJ said:
Finally watched it. It was pretty good, though I'm not sure if I'd say it was better than Zootopia.

You're Welcome was my favorite song. Did Dwayne actually sing it?
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Yes, and there is a great behind the scenes video of him dancing while recording it on YouTube. I can dig up the link if you can't find it easily.
 
N

NEO0MJ

Member
Blizzard said:
Yes, and there is a great behind the scenes video of him dancing while recording it on YouTube. I can dig up the link if you can't find it easily.
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Wow, I'm actually surprised he can sing so well. I'll look it up later because that sounds like a lot of fun to watch.
 
M

mrkgoo

Member
Watched this today with my daughter I absolutely adored this. Was emotional during many moments.

I'm not sure it's a how run, however. A lot of the plot feels like one of convenience. Like things happen because the plot says it does.

That said, I love the characters, their journey and arcs, the visuals and the music. Moana as a character seems like such a good role model as far as Disney Princesses go.
 
P

Poona

Member
Waddle Dee said:
I really liked the movie but can we all agree that Pua didn't get nearly enough screen time?
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Oh yeah, for sure. Just come back from seeing this on opening day (opened December 26 in Australia) and thought he'd be in it so much more due to the merchandise and advertising with him.

Anyway I liked the songs in the movie, and the water was great. Not my fave of recent Disney animation (tangled and zootopia are better for me) but at least it's better than big hero six.
 
T

Takyon

Member
Watched it today, I liked how Maui faced down fiery lava death with a haka. Eurobeat would have gone well with some of the fast canoe manoeuvres
 
M

mrkgoo

Member
I'm just going to add some comments:
I would've preferred Maui not getting a replacement hook. makes it more of a personal sacrifice for him then and also resolves having a demigod at the end of the story. If you just HAVE to give his powers back to him then maybe have him discover it was him all along and not the hook.

Also, I thought it was an absolutely wonderful moment to have the spirit ray appear and guide Moana. A kind of Su the way of saying her grandmother died at that moment and got her wish. The fact she returns as a ghost and also explicitly explains the spirit ray lind of fakes away from that a little.
 
F

firehawk12

Subete no aware
mrkgoo said:
Also, I thought it was an absolutely wonderful moment to have the spirit ray appear and guide Moana. A kind of Su the way of saying her grandmother died at that moment and got her wish. The fact she returns as a ghost and also explicitly explains the spirit ray lind of fakes away from that a little.
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I think that's mostly for kids who can't make that connection themselves.
 
M

Mistle

Member
Best Disney animation since the 90s? I'm a huge Tangled fan but am confidently thinking this is a better movie.

Was good to watch a movie that felt whole, and didn't feel like the result of too many hands.

Lin-Manuel knocked it out of the park also. Took the scenes to another level.

And icing on the cake is that Jermaine is in it being amazing.
 
T

Tricky I Shadow

Banned
Mistle said:
Best Disney animation since the 90s? I'm a huge Tangled fan but am confidently thinking this is a better movie.

Was good to watch a movie that felt whole, and didn't feel like the result of too many hands.

Lin-Manuel knocked it out of the park also. Took the scenes to another level.

And icing on the cake is that Jermaine is in it being amazing.
Click to expand...

Nah, I mean don't get me wrong, it's a very good movie, but both Tangled and Frozen are definitely better than it.
 
M

Mistle

Member
Tricky I Shadow said:
Nah, I mean don't get me wrong, it's a very good movie, but both Tangled and Frozen are definitely better than it.
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Totally fine with me that people would consider those movies better (I think both are fantastic, Frozen a bit less so), but to me Moana felt the most accomplished.
 
T

Tricky I Shadow

Banned
Mistle said:
Totally fine with me that people would consider those movies better (I think both are fantastic, Frozen a bit less so), but to me Moana felt the most accomplished.
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Story
Frozen > Tangled > Moana.

Characters
Tangled > Frozen > Moana.

Apart from the very standard story of Moana, I think the characters are sadly the weakest link. Moana and Maui are nowhere near as lovable as Rapunzel or Flynn, who both had incredible chemistry. Nor do I think they're as memorable or relatable as Anna or Elsa.

Animation
Moana > Tangled > Frozen.

Songs
Frozen = Moana > Tangled.

I feel like Moana is more even when it comes to the songs overall, however, it doesn't reach the highs of both 'Let It Go' or 'For the First Time in Forever'.

Overall
Frozen > Tangled > Moana.
 
M

Mistle

Member
Tricky I Shadow said:
Story
Frozen > Tangled > Moana.

Characters
Tangled > Frozen > Moana.

Apart from the very standard story of Moana, I think the characters are sadly the weakest link. Moana and Maui are nowhere near as lovable as Rapunzel or Flynn, who both had incredible chemistry. Nor do I think they're as memorable or relatable as Anna or Elsa.

Animation
Moana > Tangled > Frozen.

Songs
Frozen = Moana > Tangled.

I feel like Moana is more even when it comes to the songs overall, however, it doesn't reach the highs of both 'Let It Go' or 'For the First Time in Forever'.

Overall
Frozen > Tangled > Moana.
Click to expand...
I guess we look for different things in these movies as if I had to rank individual aspects it'd vary quite a lot from what you've got. But I don't really think about them in that sort of way, I take the movies as a whole and consider the sum of all the parts.

Keep in mind that even if my opinion differs from yours I think all three are achievements in their own right :) There's no correct order.
 
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