Moana: Analysis ||
Disney’s Moana has a lot to talk about when it comes to speaking with a Sociological and Archetypal approach.
Now, one knows that this is a children’s movie. Regardless, it has a script, scenes, characters and a plot. Should it be interpreted with actors rather than animated characters it would prove to be a better example for this task. However, ignoring the fact that it is a child movie, what archetypal elements can one find? What sociological elements does the movie have? All in due time.
First, what is Disney’s Moana? It is a movie that came to theaters December 2016, and grossed over eighty million dollars in just five days. But why? The answer is simple it deals with current sociological stances. The movie is current and appeals to the audience as such. This appeal is the phenomenon individuals that has shaken social media and society over the last two years: feminism, sexual ambiguity and post-racism. This feminism, racism and sexual ambiguity is a huge market for many multinational enterprises. One has written a short essay about this commercial use of such aspects in our current society. And how the reason this movements are now used is mostly to draw attention to a minority that makes the value they proclaim to fight for seem buffoonish. How is such argument related to the movie at hand? Well, the truth is that despite Disney having various other movies in which the protagonist is of color, the audience still crave for more augmenting that it is refreshing to see such company do something else other than whitewashing movies. Individual want to see the movie because it is different in the matter that it has a strong, independent woman lead character, whom also happens to be of color.
Now, one knows that this is a children’s movie. Regardless, it has a script, scenes, characters and a plot. Should it be interpreted with actors rather than animated characters it would prove to be a better example for this task. However, ignoring the fact that it is a child movie, what archetypal elements can one find? What sociological elements does the movie have? All in due time.
First, what is Disney’s Moana? It is a movie that came to theaters December 2016, and grossed over eighty million dollars in just five days. But why? The answer is simple it deals with current sociological stances. The movie is current and appeals to the audience as such. This appeal is the phenomenon individuals that has shaken social media and society over the last two years: feminism, sexual ambiguity and post-racism. This feminism, racism and sexual ambiguity is a huge market for many multinational enterprises. One has written a short essay about this commercial use of such aspects in our current society. And how the reason this movements are now used is mostly to draw attention to a minority that makes the value they proclaim to fight for seem buffoonish. How is such argument related to the movie at hand? Well, the truth is that despite Disney having various other movies in which the protagonist is of color, the audience still crave for more augmenting that it is refreshing to see such company do something else other than whitewashing movies. Individual want to see the movie because it is different in the matter that it has a strong, independent woman lead character, whom also happens to be of color.
Now, how does the movie respond to archetypal critique? One may wonder. The movie is well made and follows various archetypal character attributes. First is the hero, Moana, a word that means “Ocean” in Maori and Hawaiian, that sets on a quest, a quest to save her people despite her fathers will to impose. Moana has a Wise Old Man—well in this case a wise of woman—who is her grandmother Tala, which encourages Moana to look into her past and fight for a future. The herald that sets the whole ordeal in motion is the darkness that fall upon Moana’s village causing the island to wither. Meeting Maui in the process—a mythological demigod of the Polynesian culture—which is accredited the creation of the Polynesian islands, the orbit of the sun and the gift of fire to humanity, among others. This demigod plays the role of mentor to Moana, showing her how to read the stars as her voyager ancestors did before they settled in the island. The ally archetype is given to Heihei, a chicken with limited cognitive capabilities that manages to prove useful at times. Water is a major theme in the movie and the color blue, green and black play an important role, the last denoting death and evil. Mythology is a great part of this movie and as such, ancient archetypes are present in the majority of the film.
The movie surely has many other aspects of importance. Can you name a few?
The movie surely has many other aspects of importance. Can you name a few?
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