Moana

I have a 2-year-old friend who is obsessed with Moana, to the point she believes the ocean has personally selected her for leadership. I fully support this idea. As Disney-created role models for young women go, I can’t think of one better. Moana saves the world with her own courage, skill, and intelligence without resorting to sappy romantic tropes.

The classic Disney princess resume is not great. Snow White is a housekeeper for seven unmarried men. Ariel literally gives up her voice for a man. Cinderella’s long-term plan is “marry a rich stranger.” Mulan succeeds by pretending to be a man. Belle endures abuse and anger. And Sleeping Beauty spends much of the plot unconscious. This is not exactly a leadership academy.

These are the stories we tell our children.

By contrast, Moana sails into the unknown, argues with a demigod, fixes a thousand-year-old ecological disaster, and still has time to sing about it. No ballgown required. She is a barefoot badass. She isn’t distracted by nonsense. In fact, she makes it very clear that she is not a princess, despite being the chief’s daughter.

She has a job to do. No detours, no prince, no nonsense.  

If you haven’t seen the movie, you can wait for the live-action version, coming to theaters this summer. But why wait? You’re probably going to end up watching it twelve times anyway. You can even binge it with Moana 2, an equally compelling story with a more mature, confident protagonist who has gained some wisdom.  

I am a bit of a Hawaiian mythology nerd, and Moana draws its storyline from the great tales of Polynesian culture and history while taking a few liberties with the details. The demigod Maui is a shapeshifting trickster with a complicated relationship with the gods. He pulls islands up from the sea with his magic fishhook, lassoes the sun to slow it down, and is characteristically self-centered and insecure. He serves as a foil to the real hero.

I’ve seen Moana at least a dozen times this year, which is how you know a movie is either excellent or you spend a lot of time with a toddler. In this case, both. Her anthem is stuck in my head when I try to sleep at night. I don’t hate it. If my little friend wants to be Moana, I’m all in.

And honestly, some days out on the boat, I get it completely. I might even start to sing.

“The line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me. One day I'll know how far I'll go.”