Her Gone Life

One of the perks of my trip to L.A for the Disney's Moana Event was attending an advance screening of the movie. I've been sharing bits of the movie and characters for weeks, so I could not wait to see the full story on screen.

Note: Disney and ABC TV invited me on this all expense paid trip to Los Angeles for the Moana Event and ABC TV Event. While I will share different events and activities during the trip, any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

And then I did...and it was all so good. So good!


If you've watched the trailer or Disney's Moana featurette, then you know this is an adventure story. And while Moana's adventure with Maui is a great reason to see this movie, it's not all the movie has to offer.

So here are 3 reasons to see Disney's Moana (besides it's awesome!)

A new type of Disney Heroine

For the last few Disney movies, I've noticed a change in their female heroines. These amazing young women are longer waiting in a castle/under the sea/in a forest to be saved by a prince. They're going out and doing the saving for themselves.

I'm SO here for ALL of that.

The reality is that young women in modern times are go-getters. And Moana is a great representation of that...and more!

Moana offers females (and males) a view of a heroine they can relate to. A young woman who takes action to save her community and family. Even if that means sailing the sea, finding a demi-god and facing many of her inner fears along the way.

All of us (young and old) can relate to Moana's need to take this journey of self discovery and action.

Exposure to Polynesian culture

5 years of research has gone into learning about various Pacific Islands cultures including how they dress, types of food eaten and how they really sailed back 2,000 years ago.

The movie offers a peek into Polynesian culture with images, songs, and folktales being brought to life that will delight both kids and adults.

Mix of Adorable (and sometimes dangerous) Characters

Besides Moana and the demi-god Maui, the film is filled with amazing characters including human, animal and monster-ish.

• Pua is Moana’s loyal pet pig with puppy energy and an innocent puppy brain. He’s guileless and sweet—he’d do anything for Moana. Pua just wants her to be happy.

• Heihei, a not so smart rooster. When the clueless chicken accidentally stows away on Moana’s canoe, he lands a front -row seat for her epic journey. But when Maui targets the feathered fowl as his next meal, kind-hearted Moana sticks her neck out to save him

• The Kakamora, wild coconut-armored pirates who live on a trash-and flotsam-covered vessel that floats freely around the ocean. The Kakamora may be small ruthless warriors who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

• Tamatoa, a self-absorbed 50-foot crab who lives in Lalotai, the realm of monsters. The conceited crustacean covers himself in all things shiny, while fiercely holding onto his ever-growing array of artifacts, along with a nasty grudge against Maui.

I just shared a few highlights but really there's SO much that families will enjoy while watching Disney's Moana. Make sure to go see it!

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.


MOVIE SYNOPSIS

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people.

During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder.

Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.

Voice Cast: Auli‘i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk.


Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker, produced by Osnat Shurer, and featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa‘i.

Visit the official MOANA website - www.movies.disney.com/moana

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