Jasmine Avila, Staff Writer

Disney’s long awaited “Moana” recently came out in theaters a couple days before Thanksgiving, and has received many amazing reviews. “Moana” is already number one in the nation and it has only been out for a week. Lately, Disney has been coming out with many princesses that are from different backgrounds so that young kids can relate to them all. Moana is the chief’s daughter, and it is her destiny to return the Heart of Tahiti to save her island. The Heart was taken away from a demigod whose name is Maui, and in order for Moana to return the Heart, she needs Maui’s help. No one on the island ever goes past the reef, but Moana makes the brave decision to set sail on her own to find Maui, restore his lost Maui’s hook, and take Maui to restore the Heart since he stole it. Overall, the movie is absolutely incredible. The animation is probably the best Disney has ever come out with. The storyline is something that teaches not only kids, but also adults that you should never give up on your dreams. “Moana from Motunui” was destined to return the Heart to save her people, and using her stubbornness and pride, she did it.

Moana was such a good movie, I watched it in both 3D, as well as the regular. Usually watching in 3D is something that many look forward to, but honestly, paying $15 for the 3D isn’t worth it. As much as I enjoyed the movie, I would rather watch the regular version, which costs $9.  There weren’t that many moments that you could notice the difference that you were watching it in 3D, it seemed regular the entire time. There were a couple of moments when they would fight with others and they would throw around darts which in 3D, it seemed like the darts were going to hit you in the face.

The characters as well as the music were phenomenal. Every character that was in the movie had significant value, no matter how big or small. The music was composed by the creator of “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda, and he did an remarkable job of creating songs that were not only relevant to the story, but also very catchy and upbeat. As soon as I came out of the theater, I had the chorus from the song “I am Moana” stuck in my head. What was also unique about this movie was that they had real Polynesian people sing in the movie which made it more authentic.

Moana is definitely a movie everyone should check out. Her confidence is so radiant that it leaves you with a feeling of empowerment. Moana repeatedly exclaims,  “I am NOT a princess, I am the chief’s daughter.”

I definitely give this movie a 10/10!