Moana, the latest film from Disney Animations studios, is a hit by any measurement. So far, the film has grossed almost $284.5 million dollars in the U.S. alone, and currently has a 95% rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The titular heroine of Moana is the daughter of a chief. She must journey across the ocean to find the demi-god Maui and rescue her people, an adventure that’s a nice change of pace from earlier princess movies.
As the follow-up to Disney’s wildly, insanely, still-incredibly popular Frozen, Moana was destined for success, but the film has an ace in its pocket. How many movies can boast music and lyrics by librarian-favorite Lin Manuel Miranda? Librarians LOVE Hamilton -they really, really do. Moana represents an opportunity to share Miranda’s lyrical mastery with a much younger audience. The songs are joyous ear-worms that incorporate traditional Polynesian music and language. On top of the excellent soundtrack, the voice work in the film is outstanding, and the animation is stunning.
Disney is billing the film as an original story, so book purchasing opportunities are limited to Disney branded tie-ins, of which there are many. I have written before about my library’s loose “no tie-ins” policy, but Moana represents a different issue to book selectors.
The newest Disney film is not without its critics, who take issue with the way the film blends Polynesian cultures and myths together. I found this article to be a helpful guide to the history of the Polynesian people and a good outline to the various criticisms of the movie. These include depicting the demi-god Maui as a stereotypical overweight Polynesian man. These criticisms make me even less likely to buy the Disney tie-in media, but they do make me anxious to stock our shelves with authentic versions of the myths and history Moana draws on in its story. This book would be a great start, but it’s not available in the U.S. as of this blog post.
Are you seeing an increase in Moana requests at your library? If you know any great Polynesian mythology or history books, please share them in the comments below!