MOANA (2016) Movie Review

"Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace." ( Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT)

Moana is another remarkable Disney movie portraying an independent and empowered princess with a defiant spirit and no love interests. She only has a love for her people as future chief of her ancient Polynesian island. It is a difficult job for which she spends her entire life training. She is selfless, fearless, eager to learn, and a natural problem solver.

It is because of this that she is chosen for a higher calling. It calls her beyond the island borders into the world beyond. Should she succeed, she will save her island from decay. What better way to begin her reign than to embark on such an important and live saving mission?

However, she must do this in spite of her father and her people. They are plagued with fear of the unknown and stuck in their safe routines. To remain in their routines would lead to their demise due to the decay that threatens the life of the island. Armed with the knowledge of how to restore life, she defies her fearful father and journey into the ocean beyond.

The task seems impossible from a certain point of view. From the point of view of a fighter, the natural thing to do would be to fight every obstacle that appears. Instead of fighting, Moana uses her insight to defeat her enemies and achieve her calling.

She motivates Maui, her egotistical partner, to become a better hero. She manipulates Tomatoa, the cannibalistic monster, by using his greatest desire against him. She sees the incredible secret behind the violent lava monster, which is the only way to defeat it and restore life.

Moana is chosen to be the savior of the world, because of her compassion, her insight, her passion, her courage, her independence, and her loyalty. She is a prime example for today young ladies. Let us all use her as a role model for our lives. Let us consider in what ways we can restore life to the world.