Reviewing - The Lasseter Days (2008-2019)
Recognizing that they were falling behind in the battle for cultural dominance, Disney bought Pixar. They gained more than just a massively successful animation studio that would continue to release hit after hit. They gained John Lasseter, the former-Disney-animator-turned-Pixar-chief who would end up as Chief Creative Officer for BOTH studios simultaneously. Under his leadership, Disney gained back some of its lost glory, and even briefly returned to traditional animation for two feature films.
Although things were looking up, Lasseter’s creative brilliance would eventually be eclipsed by his sexual misconduct. And in the wake of his departure, a new CCO would take the helm in boldly dramatic fashion. Where Disney goes next is - for the first time in the company’s history - up to her.
Bolt (***)
In which a television studio tries to pull off a superhero version of “The Truman Show” on a dog
With a decent story and competent animation, Bolt marks a turnaround in the story of Disney’s oldest studio.
Replacing Walt Disney was probably always going to be an impossible task – but if anyone’s come close, it’s been John Lasseter. John worked at Disney Animation Studios for some time in the early 80s, but was actually let go in part for his determination to experiment with computer animation. It turned out to be Disney’s loss, because John went on to be a founding member of Pixar, the company that revolutionized the animation industry. It wasn’t long after Toy Story’s release in 1995 that Disney found themselves in a losing battle with a new art form. Where Pixar was releasing hit after hit after hit, Disney found their commercial success beginning to dwindle even in the midst of their Renaissance.
A year after Bob Iger became Disney’s new CEO after Michael Eisner, Iger negotiated the purchase of Pixar with Steve Jobs. The deal was that Pixar would fall under Disney’s umbrella of intellectual property, but that Pixar and Disney Animation would remain wholly separate entities. Iger didn’t want to mess up the community that Pixar had fostered – that said, John Lasseter was named Chief Creative Officer for both studios.
One of the major decisions that Lasseter made early on was the end of Disney’s direct-to-video sequels. As I’ve seen on my reviewing journey, the vast majority of those films have been underwhelming, and Lasseter seemed to see the detriment that these movies were having on the company’s reputation, DVD revenue aside. Sequels to Chicken Little and Meet The Robinsons were scrapped – which is probably for the best. However, apparently there were sequels to Pinocchio, The Aristocats, and Snow White that also got shelved; and I have to say I’d still watch those even if they ended up not being fantastic. Most interestingly of all, “Disney Princess Enchanted Tales” was cancelled. As an MCU and Star Wars fan, I find the idea of a shared princess universe (on principle alone) insanely interesting. Maybe we’ll see something like this down the road. We’ve had a glimpse through Ralph Breaks the Internet, and if that’s what it takes to let us see the Disney Princesses fighting an opponent together, then bring on Wreck-It Ralph 3. But ideally, they just need to make a Princess-Avengers style movie. “Who would see it”, you might ask? Who the heck wouldn’t??
When Lasseter arrived, Meet The Robinsons and Bolt were already in the works. My sense of things is that Meet The Robinsons was too far along for him to make any major changes (although he made a few smaller ones), but he had caught Bolt early enough to alter the course. Chris Sanders, the man behind Lilo & Stitch, was initially going to be the writer and director of the film. At that point, they were calling it “American Dog”, but Lasseter gave Sanders the boot after Sanders pushed back against many of Lasseter’s creative suggestions. The final product might not be in Disney’s top fifteen films, but it’s certainly not mediocre. What makes it important in my book is that it was the first decent (and commercially successful) film Disney had made in six years. Just as important is the fact that it was computer animated, a medium that Disney had resisted and failed to properly execute ever since Toy Story.
I actually don’t have much to say about the movie compared to its significance in the Disney timeline. The animation is much better than either of its two predecessors, Chicken Little or Meet the Robinsons. With regards to their aesthetic design, Chicken Little was too cartoonish and Meet the Robinsons was too bizarre. Bolt has charming character designs blended with realistic and uncluttered details. Bolt’s fur, for example, is much more lifelike than anything we’d seen Disney do in the past few years – but it doesn’t detract from his emotion-capable facial features. There isn’t anything here that’s jaw-dropping, but I have to admit that the design is just all-around better.
The story is simple, but it’s well-executed. A character who thinks their fictional role is the real deal isn’t a new idea (Buzz Lightyear coming to mind instantly), but it’s still a funny one. This film could’ve leaned too heavily into that and made this too dependent on humour and jokes, but they kept the film grounded by focusing on Bolt’s dedication to his owner Penny. Their relationship gave us emotional stakes and something to cheer for. The side characters were fine, but it’s really about Penny and Bolt. That climactic fire sequence really made me care about the characters, which means that the movie has done its job even if it hasn’t achieved greatness.
Saying that John Lasseter is the reason this movie succeeded is likely too simple of an explanation, but his return to Disney certainly coincides with an upward shift in quality. Thankfully, it’s uphill from here for a while.
The Princess and the Frog (***1/2)
In which a young woman instantly regrets a romantic encounter at a party
If Tiana is to be the last traditionally animated Disney Princess, she’s a well-executed and heartfelt farewell to a tradition spanning back more than seventy years.
Of all of Disney’s animated films from the past twenty years, it was only this film and Fantasia 2000 that I hadn’t seen before embarking on this journey. I’m not sure how I missed this film in theatres or DVD. I remember hearing a bit of criticism from Christian circles, who took issue with the spirituality and voodoo present in the film. Regardless, I sat down with the intent of keeping an open mind as I watched the movie for the first time.
Firstly, I definitely enjoyed this film more than I had anticipated. Part of me was skeptical that Disney would be able to make a successful Princess film situated in a relatively modern environment. The movie took place in 1912 New Orleans – not exactly a traditional Princess setting, but they made it work. The attention to detail and vibrant animation made the setting come alive, so much so that even though I still wouldn’t have picked New Orleans myself, I still have to say that they did a pretty good job of it.
I loved the return to traditional animation, and it was specifically advertised as a “return” for Disney in the hopes that people’s memory of the Renaissance films would prompt them to buy a ticket. The characters are charming and fun without being caricatures, and I loved the costuming (if you can call it that) for the time period. The music was pretty good, having been composed by Toy Story veteran Randy Newman. “Almost There” is the one out of all of them that’s gotten stuck in my head. The story was almost totally new for me, being a slight twist on the “Frog Princess” story that we heard as kids. I liked the relationship between Naveen and Tiana – the way they grew together over the course of the film was believable and enjoyable, which is always great considering that their relationship is at the heart of the movie.
I’d probably watch this movie again, but I gotta say that I wouldn’t show this to my daughter anytime soon. I’m all for including a bit of scary stuff in kid’s movies. We’ve all heard the parents who don’t want there to be anything even remotely intimidating in a family film, but I think that kids don’t benefit much from a film that’s devoid of emotional stakes. Not having a scary bad guy can sometimes do that to you. So I’m good with a bit of spook or fright from time to time, but the horror of Doctor Facilier’s voodoo magic is a bit over the line as far as I’m concerned for a family film. We’ve seen ‘dark magic’ or something like it before in Disney films like Snow White, The Black Cauldron, or Hercules. There’s a few things that make this different. Firstly, this film takes place much closer to modern times than any of the previous films, and I feel like that can make the danger of the magic much more present or real to a kid. Secondly, the villain is harnessing a very real spiritual power – I don’t believe in the power of voodoo, to be clear, but I recognize its presence in society. That’s another way that the evil here can feel closer to a kid. Thirdly, who exactly are the bad guy’s “friends from the other side”? Are they demons? Ghosts? Evil gods? Whatever they are, they’re super spooky. As a grown man I can deal with it, but the idea of shadows sneaking up on me and dragging me to hell would probably give me nightmares if I was a kid. As such, I think I’m gonna save this one until my daughter’s got a firm grasp of real and imaginary threats.
We have John Lasseter to thank for this brief return to traditionally animated Disney filmmaking. He knew that the company’s reputation was built on this art form, and though we haven’t seen any feature film made like this since 2011’s Winnie the Pooh, it was a nice gesture for the Pixar pioneer to make. While not as successful as the pictures of the Disney Renaissance, this movie proved that there was still some good-old-Disney-magic left in the studio.
Tangled (****)
In which a woman kidnaps a baby, hides her within eyesight of her parent’s home, lets her keep her birth name, tells her her actual birthday, and gives her access to a full education - then gets surprised when the girl figures it all out one day
Traditional and yet full of life, Tangled successfully brings Disney’s Princess franchise into the world of computer animation.
Having missed “The Princess and the Frog” when it was released in 2009, Tangled was my first Disney Princess movie since Mulan. I loved it when I first watched it, and I still love it now. Tangled has everything that a good princess movie needs: a likable and earnest protagonist, a funny animal sidekick or two, great music, stunning visuals, and a believable love story. What’s so crucial about this movie was that Disney was able to give us all of that in computer animation. As much as I love traditional animation, it was clear by this point that audiences had largely moved on. Tangled brought Disney’s fairy tale genre to a new generation of kids. Without Tangled, Frozen may not have been possible.
Rapunzel is just terrific. Old-school and contemporary at the same time, she’s a perfect princess for the modern era. She’s got a good heart and she’s hardworking and clever, which carries on the tradition of earlier princesses. But her mannerisms and the words she uses are thoroughly modern, which makes her accessible to kids in a way that the older princesses might not be (Sleeping Beauty, as classy as she is, can be kind of hard to read sometimes). The way Rapunzel says, “It’s kind of the biggest day of my life” or “I am a horrible person” make her sound just like a teenager would today, but they don’t go overboard to the point where we start to resent her modernity. She’s fresh without being cliché.
The other characters each have their moment in the spotlight too. Mother Gothel is that kind of villain that you really love to hate. She has a bunch of lines that really get under your skin in the best way. Flynn/Eugene is a charismatic and sharp romantic interest for Rapunzel – more than just being her ‘Prince Charming’, he’s a character that young boys will definitely aspire to be. The scene stealer, though, is Maximus the horse by a landslide. Every time he’s on screen, he does something to make you laugh. Whether he’s acting like a hardened detective, a lovable puppy, or a bitter rival, his facial expressions and movements are hilarious from start to finish. His ‘swordfight’ with Flynn still has a special place in my heart for being something completely unlike anything else I’ve ever seen on film. And last of all, how could I forget Rapunzel’s parents? They make you cry without ever saying a word. The emotion on their faces and the little sweet moments that they have together really do add so much to the story. The moment when the guard rushes in to tell them that their daughter has been found is so rich with dramatic weight, even though there’s not a single line of dialogue. Wow!
The story is a lot of fun because it manages to hold true to the story you know and love while still infusing it with enough freshness to make it new. When Flynn says, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair”, it doesn’t feel like a cheap laugh. It’s earnest and heartfelt, which has always been one of my favourite things about Disney fairy tales. There’s a time and place for parodies and lampooning films like Shrek, but there’s something to be said for a timeless tale told right. And with a great story, terrific music, beautiful animation, and instantly likeable characters, there’s not much bad to say about this movie. My only gripe is that I don’t really care for any of the patrons of the Snuggly Duckling. The “I’ve Got A Dream” song was fun and the gimmick of a bunch of rogue villains actually being sweet was good for a bit, but I think they drew the joke out a bit too long. The old diaper guy in particular was stretched far beyond his usefulness. Why on earth does he get to be the final shot in the film?
I heard that Disney came under a bit of scrutiny for naming this film ‘Tangled’ instead of Rapunzel. Apparently the decision was made in an attempt to attract a wider audience. Boys wouldn’t go to see a princess movie, but a movie called ‘Tangled’ with a cool-looking guy on the posters might. There’s speculation that part of The Princess and the Frog’s relative underperformance was due to the fact that it had ‘Princess’ in its name. And who knows – maybe that’s part of the reason I didn’t see it at the time. I can’t quite remember my reasoning. Either way, I don’t think it’s a big deal. Yeah, ‘Rapunzel’ would’ve been better, but if calling it ‘Tangled’ means more people see it, then that means we’ll get more movies like this in the future. And I’m okay with that.
Tangled earns her place among the pantheon of Disney Princesses with her spunk, grace, and the sheer beauty of her story. The lantern scene alone would’ve done it, to be honest. Disney’s done it again!
Winnie the Pooh (***1/2)
In which a stuffed imaginary bear hallucinates that his stuffed friends are actually inanimate honey pots come to life
Apart from the original, there isn't another Pooh movie as good as this one.
In the interest of keeping this post an appropriate length (if there is such a thing), I've cut out some reviews that can be found in other places. If you want to read the full review for this film, click here to head over to the Hundred Acre Wood.
Wreck It Ralph (***1/2)
In which an arcade owner wastes needless energy every evening by neglecting to shut down his games, no doubt contributing to his dependence on outdated units
By bringing us into a crazy new world with colourful characters and a universally applicable theme, this is a Disney film that feels more like Pixar than usual.
Though I haven’t reviewed the Pixar films yet (it’s on the horizon though), I know from previous screenings that a common theme for their movies is two friends with different perspectives trying to achieve a common goal. Look at Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., Up, or Cars for examples. Each time you’ve got two central characters that don’t always get along – but by the end of the movie they’ve learned to embrace their differences in order to get whatever it is they want. This movie fits within that category perfectly. Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz are thoroughly different characters that start off in stark opposition to each other, but over the course of the film they bond and learn a lot about themselves and their partners. John Lasseter served as executive producer here – and though the movie was apparently in some form of development as far back as the eighties, it seems apparent that the Pixar gene had rubbed off on Disney at least a little bit when production really started to take off.
What’s great about the world of the film is that it’s imaginative and expansive, but the rules are also clearly defined. A world where video game characters live and work together is pretty cool, but it could be easy for the writers to get bogged down with some of the nuances or difficulties of such a place. Here, the rules are simple – each game has its own rules, but the important thing is that if you leave your own game, you don’t regenerate. Dead is dead. It’s easy to remember, and it keeps the emotional stakes high in the moments where it really matters. I also loved seeing well-known characters from video games like Sonic, Bowser, or Pac-Man make an appearance, even if it’s never for more than a few seconds. The whole point of video games is to imagine that you’re inside them, so this is unarguably a fun idea for a movie.
My main critique with this film isn’t really anything that makes it a bad movie. My gripe is that whereas many of Disney’s best-loved films are essentially timeless, this is the exact opposite. Animation – in my opinion, anyway – has a much longer shelf life than traditional film does. Today’s youth probably won’t come across Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula” or “Gone with the Wind” unless they’re film students or something like that. But I think they’ll have seen “Snow White” or “Cinderella”. There’s probably more to this than just the fact that they’re animated movies, but I definitely think that an animated film can hide its age much better than a live-action picture can. My point is that this film is firmly set in a particular era – one that’s thoroughly modern in its scope. That’s not really a bad thing, but my favourite Disney flicks are the ones that happen ‘a long time ago’. I guess it’s just a matter of taste here.
But hey, just because this isn’t one of my favourite Disney movies doesn’t mean it’s not effective. When Ralph makes that big sacrifice at the climax of the film, it still hits me with all the emotion they were going for. It’s good stuff. This movie is funny, imaginative, and in many ways unlike anything Disney’s done before.
Ralph Breaks The Internet (***1/2)
In which a video game character somehow opens a real bank account somewhere to deposit profits from a video streaming site...because if that didn’t happen there’s no way this movie is realistic
This movie is good on its own – but really all it makes me think about is how badly this world needs a Disney Princess-Avengers movie.
One of the first things that I thought when sitting down to re-watch this was the plot point about how Vanellope couldn’t leave her game because she was a glitch. That was a key element to the story of the first film – but here Vanellope had no trouble getting out of her game regularly with Ralph. Apparently there’s a throwaway line in the original film that makes this okay: “If she crosses the finish line, the game will reset and she won’t be a glitch anymore”. It’s clear we’re playing a bit loose with the rules, because obviously Vanellope still glitches out all the time (deliberately), but I guess we’re saying that she has that as a perk, not a bug. Whatever glitchy-ness prevented her from leaving the game before presumably got resolved when she crossed the finish line at the end of the original film. I suppose I can’t get picky here, especially since we’re about to enter a physical manifestation of the internet, which is anything but physical.
The Internet that Ralph and Vanellope enter is a wonderful interpretation of the Internet that we have today – it’s clean, bright, and bustling with possibilities. There’s nods to the less-pleasant side of the network, with mentions of the ‘Dark Web’ or the notorious comments sections of video streaming sites. But for the most part, this is an Internet that knows it’s in a family film. What’s nice is that although they cleaned the Internet up a little bit, they still showed the inherent danger within it. Watching our characters interact with peddling pop-ups, insect-like viruses, and web user responses was a fun and imaginative way to highlight the things about the Internet that aren’t so nice. The comments section scene in particular was one that I feel kids can really benefit from seeing. Some might call the moment a bit preachy, and I’m okay with that. Kids need to know that people are cruel on the Internet, and that we all need to try and not be that person.
In terms of the movie’s plot, I can’t say it’s any better or worse than the original. Ralph and Vanellope learning to redefine the terms of their friendship was fine, but I think there might have been a certain lack of gravitas because the emotional stakes weren’t that high. The big risk of the film was that these two friends wouldn’t be friends anymore – and let’s face it, we all know they’re gonna stay friends. The ‘Ralph virus’ thing was interesting as a climax, but if I’m being honest I have to say that the giant Ralph monster was pretty terrifying. It’s a writhing, frothing mass of zombie Ralphs all scrambling over themselves – not exactly the kind of thing I was expecting. The story and the moral are all fine, but I wouldn’t say this was one of the most potent Disney flicks ever.
What really makes this film one worth watching is the intertextuality of it – mainly with regards to Disney’s self-referentiality. We get to see lots of websites that we’re all familiar with, and that’s pretty fun. Much like the original film’s little cameos of popular video game characters, this film peppered in cameos of sites like Twitter, Ebay, and Google. The best site visit, though, is “Oh My Disney”. Getting to see a whole bunch of Disney characters all in one spot was just a blast to watch. Was it a glorified commercial for all of Disney’s other properties? Sure. A shameless plug for one of Disney’s top sites? Yeah, fine. But it can be those things and still be fun. And come on! We got to see all of Disney’s Princesses together for the very first time! That’s huge! Though we didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with them, we got to see characters that we’ve all grown up with interacting and just hanging out together. I loved that. What’s particularly great about this was that because these are all just Internet representations of the real Princesses, Disney didn’t risk messing up their own canon or reputation for these characters. If you don’t think they got one of the Princesses right, that’s fine because that wasn’t actually Elsa, Merida, or Pocahontas.
This movie shows us how badly we need an Avengers-style Princess movie. That climactic scene with the Princesses working together to save Ralph was nothing short of incredible. Not only did the girls bounce off of each other’s abilities, but the music worked in each of their themes as they took the stage. How great would it be to have a Princess movie where these ladies meet up and kick butt together?! I may be a grown man, but I’d be first in line to watch that movie. There’s nothing that wouldn’t be game-changing about a film like that.
If you weren’t a fan of the first movie, this one still might be worth a shot simply because of the creativity behind bringing the Internet to life. And if that doesn’t interest you, there’s the Princess Avengers to contend with. You can’t knock that.
Frozen (****)
In which there is a song that is literally so incredible the director had to make a public statement apologizing to parents about it
Beautiful, flawed, boldly new and yet wholly traditional. Love it or hate it, it seems the one thing we can’t do to the flagship of modern Disney animation is let it go.
The full review for this film - and the entire Frozen collection - will be posted in two weeks.
Frozen II (***1/2)
In which Elsa promises to stay with her sister and then promptly moves out of the kingdom forever
Visually and musically magnificent, Frozen II plunges us so deep into its world that some viewers may be at risk of drowning.
The full review for this film can be found here.
Big Hero 6 (***)
In which a purse and a mascot costume both somehow count as superhero tech
There’s nothing particularly wrong with Big Hero 6, but its commitment to formulaic storytelling keeps it from saying anything new.
One of the reasons that I didn’t care to see this film in theatres back when it came out had a lot to do with a similar thought I had about Wreck-It Ralph. Both stories take place in a modern or post-modern environment. The MCU is a lot like that, and I love the MCU. But I think that one of the charms of animation is that it can breathe life into worlds we don’t see anywhere else. The world of San Fransokyo is one that could easily have been created in live-action. An animated movie that takes place in a world very much like our own just doesn’t interest me all that much. I readily admit that this strictly an opinion – there’s nothing wrong with making an animated movie take place in the present day.
My love for the MCU should indicate that I’m all for superhero movies, and that’s true. As superhero movies go, this is pretty standard. We have a hero who loses someone he loves in order to learn about great power and great responsibility. He has a small group of friends who help him in his quest for superhero-dom, and there’s a sinister villain who turns out to have a very close connection to our protagonist. None of these things are bad story elements – in fact, they can all be found in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is a great movie. But I think the thing with Big Hero 6 is that none of the elements are executed with enough finesse or variance to make them stand out. No one in this film has an iconic moment or unforgettable line. Baymax is probably the most fun character, but he just doesn’t have the onscreen presence that someone like The Iron Giant does. Nothing grips me.
I know a lot of people like this picture, and to their credit there’s nothing in the movie that I think was a massive mistake – apart from the super-powered purse one character has (whose idea was that?). This just wasn’t really my taste, but if you’re a fan of animation or superheroes, this couldn’t hurt to try.
Zootopia (****)
In which children are told to try literally everything and nobody can think of a single reason against this
It’s courageous, hilarious, and fun from beginning to end. Zootopia is a movie that the world desperately needs to see.
I’ll admit that when I saw the first trailer for Zootopia, I was a bit underwhelmed. We hadn’t seen a talking animal movie from Disney Animation since 2009 (The Princess and the Frog), and we hadn’t seen talking animals wearing clothes since 2005 (Chicken Little). And to be clear, I’m not counting 2011’s Winnie the Pooh because they’re STUFFED animals, and that’s different. At the time, neither of the films I mentioned were indicators that this was going to be a good movie. Anthropomorphic animals seemed a little cheap to me, reminding me more of Bugs Bunny or Disney’s Robin Hood than of their greatest films. Sure, there was The Lion King, but Simba didn’t wear a T-shirt. I just wasn’t convinced.
But man, was I wrong. This movie is great. The whole film is packed with jokes and gags about different kinds of animals – from the hamster tunnels to the elephant’s memory bit to the fact that our bunny protagonist has like two hundred siblings or something like that. And of course, the sloth scene is one of the funniest sequences in Disney’s cinematic history. It’s never gotten old for me. The filmmakers took every opportunity to show us the wildness of this world they’d created, and it was fun all the way through.
The animation is at the level of quality to compete with any of Disney’s other stuff from the time period, and the design of Zootopia is very cool. We get to see urban jungles right next to actual jungles, deserts of sand next to deserts of snow, and little mouse cities sitting comfortably amidst the comparatively enormous city for the rest of the animals. The world they’ve made where all these animals live and work together is really imaginative and fun – and even though it’s a bit hard to suspend disbelief at points because of the sheer unbelievability of it all, it’s still a good time.
Beyond the jokes and the creativity, though, what makes this movie a must-see is the message they’re trying to send through the guise of a multi-species megalopolis. Plain and simple, this movie is about racism, prejudice, and the assumptions we wrongfully make about other people just based on what we see. It’s by no means a light topic to delve in to, but what’s great about this movie is that they don’t hold back. This isn’t just a movie where our characters learn that differences are good. It’s a movie where characters are constantly making judgement calls about each other without really understanding the situation. What’s amazing about that is that when kids see this with their parents, they see the mistakes the characters are making and get the chance to say, “Hey, that’s not fair!” The mistakes many of these characters make are the same ones that we make all the time. This movie does a really great job of showing us how to respect others without the film coming across as preachy or too blunt. The points are made clearly, but never at the expense of the story. I love that.
What’s also great about this movie is that it isn’t a strict metaphor for racial prejudice in North America. It’s not as if the carnivores are only meant to be Black people, for instance, or as if the herbivores are only meant to be White. In the movie, carnivores are definitely the ones who get discriminated against and unjustly targeted – which makes them a poignant stand-in for any minorities who’ve been similarly treated. But carnivores are also ‘leading’ the city in many important ways. The mayor is a lion. A significant chunk of the police force are carnivorous. The movie doesn’t lump all animals of one sort into a particular economic bracket, which is great because it helps us see that no animal is any better or worse than any other. They’re equal. Kids may see themselves as the bunny or as the fox, and as a result they get to see both sides of the coin. Both characters have been discriminated against for different reasons, and this movie questions those reasons really effectively. If your kids haven’t seen this, what are you doing?
My only gripe with this movie is the song they paired with it. Shakira’s “Try Everything” is sort of meant to be the anthem of Zootopia. It’s an insanely catchy pop tune, and it’s a great way to introduce Judy Hopps to the city. But why would you make kids listen to a song that tells you to “Try Everything”?! There are a great many things that you should not try. Even in the world of the film, we can say that the animals should not try eating night-howlers. I know that the point was to paint Zootopia as the land of opportunity, but why not call the song “Be Anything”? There’s actually a few moments in the movie where characters say you can be whoever you want in Zootopia. That’s also a better message for kids – you shouldn’t try everything, because there are many things that are bad for you. But ‘be anything’ tells you to work hard for what you want and to be dedicated to your dream, and that’s a lot better. My wife actually came up with this lyrical shift and she’d kill me if I didn’t give her credit. The main thing is that this chorus has got to change...because man, it’s a catchy song.
Zootopia is a world of fun, but it also teaches children and parents a valuable lesson in how to respect others and honour diversity in our own world. There’s no reason not to show this to your kids – and to be real for a moment, this is worth watching even if you don’t have kids. We need examples in film to show us the issues with our society, and this is a great one.
Last thing – and I know I said it already – but go watch that sloth scene again. Man, that was the best.
Moana (*****)
In which the ocean decides against returning a magical missing item to its desperate owner, instead choosing to give it to a baby because the baby helped a turtle
Elsa was the Princess that we deserved. Moana is the Princess we need.
Although Frozen II is the most recent theatrical Disney film at the time of writing this review, Moana was the final stop on my quest to watch through the entire Disney Animated Library. After 54 original films, 33 direct-to-video sequels, and 13 television shows, I was finally at the end of a six-month adventure. For any movie that spawned a sequel or franchise, I watched its follow-ups immediately after the original instead of waiting for their actual release date – which is why I ended up watching Frozen II before Moana.
And to be honest, Moana was the best way for me to wrap up this quest. It has everything that I love about Disney classics: great music, breathtaking animation, compelling characters, and most of all – a good story. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, Moana is very much reminiscent of their other films: Treasure Planet, Hercules, Aladdin, and the Little Mermaid. All of them have featured a young protagonist trying to find their place in a world that doesn’t quite understand them. There’s also a lot of narrative similarities to The Lion King, which of course is going to make me give it extra points. Where Frozen chose to chart a new course, Moana stuck to a tried-and-true formula. But where others have come across as too by-the-book, what keeps Moana amazing to me is the level of excellence in the storytelling – and also the crazy-deep parallels between Moana’s quest and the life of a Christian. We’ll get to that down the road, but if you read nothing else, let me sum up everything I’m about to say with this: Moana is one of Disney’s best, and we need more storytelling like this in the world.
Animation
To get the ball rolling, the animation is simply jaw-dropping. I know that my heart will always be with traditional animation, but I can’t deny the astonishing level of detail and beauty that today’s animators are able to pull off. Water is such a key element in this story, and they really made the ocean look alive and vibrant in every shot. It’s so good, you sometimes forget that you’re watching an animated film. I can’t even wrap my head around how the filmmaking team pulled that off. And that’s just the water. Te Ka is probably the most visually boggling character in the movie – a being of fire and molten rock. She’s terrifically awe-inspiring, and easily rivals any of Disney’s other great villains in terms of aesthetic. When Moana and Maui battle her for the first time, you feel the dramatic weight through Te Ka’s presentation. She’s a total boss. The other characters are wonderfully designed too – everyone’s likeable even before they open their mouths. Then there’s the islands, which are vibrant and full of life. Everything is just beautiful to look at – no disrespect to Frozen, but I’d much rather watch a story in the tropics than on a mountain where everything is white. There’s just such a range of colours, textures, and substance in every shot.
Music
Then there’s the music, which is some of Disney’s best. With songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (the Hamilton star) and a score by Mark Mancina (who worked on music in The Lion King), the music does so much more than tick a box or provide a catchy song for kids to sing to their parents. The music elevates and enriches the story, adding dramatic weight to scenes and helping us understand the characters better. “Where You Are” is a blast, and it immediately grounds us in Moana’s world to help us get why she’s a bit different from her father. “How Far I’ll Go” is Moana’s “Let It Go” or “Part of Your World” – it’s the big song where she sings about her desires in a super-catchy way. “We Know The Way” is absolutely terrific in no small part because of the fact that its entire first verse is in another language. I love how the filmmakers weren’t afraid to plunge us into that culture without anything but visual cues to understand what was going on. That whole first verse is just unapologetically different, and I loved it. We got to see Moana’s people loving life and doing their thing – and though we didn’t understand the words they were saying, there was something so infectious about that scene. It made me want to be there, and that’s what movies are supposed to do.
“You’re Welcome” is the super-fun ditty comparable to “Hakuna Matata” or “Friend Like Me”. It introduces us in a big way to a big character with a huge personality. And the fact that Dwayne Johnson actually did the singing was a big surprise – what can’t that guy do? “Logo Te Pate” is entirely sung in another language to serve as the music for a montage, but it really gets in your bones. The only song that doesn’t land for me is “Shiny”, which isn’t quite villain-ish enough to be intimidating and also just kind of feels weird. But hey, the rest of the music is great. I’ll get into some of the specifics later on when we tackle the story, but I think the fact that I still hear “How Far I’ll Go” on the radio four years later speaks volumes about the quality. And hey, it’s Lin-Manuel Miranda we’re talking about here. This was actually my first time hearing his music – but now that I’ve seen him in Hamilton and Mary Poppins Returns, I realize how great a win it was for Disney to get him involved in one of their animated films. He has such a distinct style that sets his music apart from much of the other soundtracks we’ve heard. Maui’s “You’re Welcome” rap in particular was genre-defying and such a blast. My siblings and I were all grown-up when we saw this, and we still belted out the song word-for word through the house. Don’t mess with Maui when he’s on a breakaway!
The Story
More than the music or the animation, though, what really sets Moana apart is the story. A young girl who dreams of bigger things gets her wish – and it’s more than she bargained for. It’s a story of self-discovery, responsibility, and family – and while it’s similar in its path to many stories that have come before it, it’s a narrative that has not - and likely will not - ever grow old. What I love in particular about Moana is how the story focuses on the restoration of her relationship with her family. Elsa leaves her family behind -in BOTH movies, I’ll remind you – and in the first movie she’s only returned to the family unit by her sister’s act of sacrifice. It’s not really Elsa’s decision that brings her back. It’s Elsa’s reaction to Anna’s action. Moana isn’t like that. Moana returns to her family and elevates the whole unit to a new, better status quo. As much as Moana sings about her desire to be on the water, at the end of the day she recognizes that there are greater responsibilities than fulfilling her own desires. Sure, she eventually gets what she wants, but think about all the decisions that Moana made for her family instead of for herself. She accepted her duty as chief, did battle with Te Ka, and saved her island. Also, notice the circumstances around Moana’s departure from her island. When she sings “How Far I’ll Go”, she sets sail out of her own desire to see what’s beyond the reef. Unfortunately for her, the ocean blasts her back to shore. It isn’t until she’s given the task of finding Maui that she’s actually able to leave the island – in other words, it isn’t until her motivation is morally praiseworthy that the ocean allows her to leave. Loved that.
You may not be a person of faith, but even if you aren’t I think you’ll find some of the parallels I’m about to highlight pretty interesting. I should preface this by saying that not everything I’m gonna mention is a revelation I’ve had on my own – a big part of this train of thought came from a conversation I had with my sister Elaina, who definitely got the ball rolling.
Moana’s story is a terrific analogy for what the life of a Christian is supposed to look like. Chosen by the Ocean, Moana is given a responsibility that she feels ill-equipped for. However, the Ocean guides her every step of the way, putting the right people in her path and occasionally stepping in directly to assist her. By the end of the film, Moana’s been a part of the Ocean’s plan to restore the heart of a lost soul – and in the process, Moana has learned who she really is. And that’s just talking broad strokes – check out some of the nuances here.
When Moana is an infant, the Ocean chooses her and gives her the heart of Te Fiti. It seems like the Ocean chose her because of her innate goodness, since she had just helped a baby turtle right before being ‘chosen’. As the Ocean chooses her, we hear this beautiful song sung in another language. We, the audience, don’t know what it means, but based on what’s going on onscreen, it seems safe to say that this song has something to do with the Ocean choosing her. And as it turns out, the lyrics mean that exactly:
“Your eyes so full of wonder – your heart an innocent warrior – there’s a task for you – our dearest one.”
The Ocean’s given Moana a task that she doesn’t even understand yet – she’s going to be the one to restore the heart of Te Fiti. It’s kind of like when the biblical King David was anointed with oil years before he actually became King. It was God placing that responsibility on his shoulders and saying that this guy was gonna be the guy who got stuff done. Now, the task at hand is saving Te Fiti, someone who had their heart stolen from them. In the same way, Christians are called to ‘spread the good news’ throughout the world. We believe that Jesus is the only way to true happiness – both presently and eternally – and there are millions upon millions of ‘lost souls’ who need to hear about Jesus’ plan for their lives. There are people whose hearts have been stolen by the evils of the world, sewing more evil and brokenness around them because of their own loss. We’ve all been that person at some point. If you’re familiar with the parable of the lost sheep, Te Ka is the lost sheep. And the Ocean has chosen Moana to go out and get her.
It’s so cool, then, when Moana isn’t allowed to leave her island until she’s ready. Like I said earlier, Moana’s first ‘escape attempt’ goes horribly wrong – and I think it’s because she was leaving for the wrong reasons. Once she had decided to go with the purpose of fulfilling the Ocean’s call on her life, then the Ocean surged her forward. Think of the story of the woman at the temple who gave two pennies in the offering plate, and how Jesus loved her heart more than the hearts of the guys who were pouring in buckets of cash just to look good.
So Moana is guided by the Ocean towards Maui, another ‘lost sheep’ who will be found by the end of the movie. What’s great about their meeting is that the Ocean doesn’t make it easy for Moana. Moana doesn’t know how to find Maui on her own, so the Ocean builds a storm out of nowhere to get her to where Maui is. She actually asks the Ocean for help right before the storm hits – and then when she finds herself shipwrecked, she storms up to the water and yells,
“Um, WHAT?! I said HELP me!”
She doesn’t yet realize that the Ocean has led her to exactly where she needs to be. We don’t always see where God is leading us. Sometimes we just see the storm, and we can’t fathom where God could be in the midst of it. Sometimes, God is the storm. God leads us in a whole bunch of ways, and sometimes it’s not super comfortable. But He knows what He’s doing, even if we’re stomping our feet and protesting His methods. And I love that Moana had that moment to be like, “This is NOT what I had in mind!” It’s such a human moment. And it happens before she understands the significance of her circumstances.
Along the way, Moana struggles with self-doubt and even her belief in the Ocean’s authority. There’s an interesting scene where Maui questions her:
“If the ocean’s so smart, why didn’t it just take the heart back to Te Fiti itself? Or bring me my hook? The ocean’s straight up pooky-dooks. But I’m sure it’s not wrong about you...you’re the chosen one.”
It’s a fair question to ask both within the context of the film and in the context of a Christian’s life. Why doesn’t God go and get the lost souls Himself? If He’s so powerful and if this is so important to Him, why not just snap His fingers and get it done? Why would a father waste his time involving his children in something he doesn’t really need their help with?
I’m not gonna answer those questions, partly because the movie doesn’t, either. We don’t get an answer to Maui’s question of why the ocean doesn’t do the job itself. And to be honest, I love that, because it helps us understand what Moana’s going through. When we don’t get an answer, we’re left wondering just like Moana is. And as Christians, we never have all the answers. You can believe that God is real and that He’s good and that He’ll win ultimately in the end...but you’ll probably never have the easiest time trusting Him in the storm like Moana. You might find yourself asking the same questions Maui asked in the midst of your travels. And you might not get an answer to all of them in this life.
There’s a point where the self-doubt gets so big for Moana that she actually gives up.
“Why did you bring me here?” Moana asks the Ocean. “I’m not the right person. You have to choose someone else.” She reminds me a lot of someone else in the Bible in this moment.
“Who am I,” Moses asks God in the burning bush. “That I should go to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
This is the first of FIVE different ways Moses tries to get out of leading the Israelites in the span of ONE conversation. I’ve always found it hilarious that by the fifth one, he’s basically just begging.
“Lord, please send someone else,” Moses begs. “Choose someone else,” Moana pleads. And while Moses didn’t get out of his job, God does usually give us what we want. Think of the rich man who wanted to follow Jesus, but chose not to after learning he’d have to give up all his possessions. Think of how Jesus let Judas betray him, or how in the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father let his son run away with his inheritance. God doesn’t usually force us to do things His way, and in the same way, the Ocean allowed Moana to give up. Thankfully, she got back on board, but I thought it was cool that she didn’t have to keep going. It highlights the importance of your own decisions in your walk with God. It’s not a relationship unless there’s give-and-take, after all.
The coolest part of the movie is undoubtedly Moana’s confrontation with Te Ka. Obviously it’s cool watching Moana walk slow-motion as the water parts before her to meet a giant fire monster, but there’s more to it than that. As Moana walks, she sings these words:
“I have crossed the horizon to find you. I know your name. They have stolen the heart from inside you, but this does not define you. This is not who you are. You know who you are.”
First of all, wow. What a powerful set of lyrics. Moana sees past the hurt and pain that Te Ka is experiencing, and sees her true identity within. It’s a lot like Mufasa’s moment with Simba in the clouds:
“You are more than what you have become...Remember who you are.”
It’s a declaration that Te Ka is more than the sum of her pain. Te Ka’s identity is deeper than that, and I love how Moana affirms that by saying, “You know who you are.” Our pain can make us forget who we are. We can become so hurt by the world that our pain actually replaces our identity. But who you are cannot go away. Just as Mufasa says, “You are my son”, Moana says “You know who you are.” And it’s in that moment that Moana restores the heart of Te Fiti, and she’s able to cast that pain aside. Wow, that’s good stuff.
But here’s where it gets even cooler. This moment is the moment that the entire film has been building up to. This is the task that the Ocean has given to Moana, years ago when she was just a child. Remember the voices that sang in that scene?
They’re back.
As Moana sings to Te Ka, the song that she heard as an infant echoes behind her. It’s as if this song was a song that was meant for Te Ka the whole time, but the Ocean has chosen Moana to send that message on its behalf. It’s as if Moana is the hands and feet of the Ocean, calling Te Fiti back to her true self. And maybe the reason the Ocean chose Moana was because in choosing not do this thing itself, it helped not one, not two, but three people realize who they really were.
Maybe God’s given you the responsbilities that you have for your sake just as much as for the sake of the people he’s placed under your care. Maybe there’s a Te Ka in your life that God wants you to talk to – a song that He’s given you that they don’t know how to hear.
That’s why this movie blows me away.
As I end this review, I also end the journey that began over six months ago. Once this is done, I will have officially reviewing watching every single Disney animated film, sequel, and spinoff series. It’s been a crazy journey, with some movies that have blown me away, some films so bad that don’t even deserve to be called movies, and plenty in between. For what it’s worth, I’m glad I did it. I learned a lot about storytelling, animation as a genre over the decades, and how a massive company like Disney responds to the circumstances outside its control. If you’ve read any of these reviews and shared in some of the joys (or frustrations) that I’ve felt, then that’s pretty cool too. I couldn’t have picked a better movie to end on than Moana.
To the animators, producers, writers, and dreamers of Disney Animation Studios, thank you. Thank you for telling the stories that have defined childhoods for generations, and for showing the world how to elevate an art form far beyond what anyone had anticipated. Thank you for keeping family at the heart of your stories, and for inspiring future storytellers to work hard and share their dreams. You have made beautiful, beautiful things together, and I’m happy to live in a world where I get to see them.
Thank you.