John Musker and Ron Clements (also, Moana discussion)

[Daikun]

Disney announced its newest movie coming in 2016.

The film will tell the story of its titular character, a teenage girl and "born navigator" who "sets sail in search of a fabled island," according to a summary from Disney. "During her incredible journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, to traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore," Disney reveals.

There's also already a crapton of fanart since it was accidentally leaked last year. Um... Oops?

And while we're at it, I'm also going to dedicate this thread to Moana's directors, John Musker and Ron Clements. They've had a long history with Disney spanning back nearly 30 years. They did great hits like The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. They've also had a few not-so-great movies (although they still have their moments) like Hercules and Treasure Planet, and they helped erase the company's notoriety with Home on the Range being their swan song for 2D by collaborating on The Princess and the Frog. Moana will be their first CGI film.

[Avaitor]

But Home on the Range wasn't theirs.

Musker and Clements are definitely important names to Disney, though. I think each of their films have their strong points that make them prime for rediscovery, even if I'd consider The Little Mermaid somewhat overrated and Hercules among the weaker Renaissance films. Great Mouse Detective and Aladdin are strong enough for them to earn good will from me, while the Princess and the Frog was a great return to form for the studio that delivered on what Meet the Robinson and Bolt promised.

Treasure Planet isn't perfect, no, but I think its heart was in the right place regardless. I'm about to redeem a copy from DMR, actually, so I might get into that a little more in the near future.

While I'm a little disappointed that Moana is replacing Giants (which IIRC, is either on hold or being pushed back a bit further away), I'm still quite excited for it. I'm tired of the Frozen and Tangled hype (which definitely still exists for the latter, even if Frozen mania is the big deal right now), but Disney really have been on a winning streak for a while now, so I don't doubt that this will continue it.

[Daikun]

But Home on the Range wasn't theirs.

I didn't say that.

[Avaitor]

But Home on the Range wasn't theirs.

I didn't say that.

I'm reading your post again, and you're right. I misread that, so my bad!

[Daikun]

It's cool.

[Avaitor]

Dwayne Johnson is going to be Maui.

Huh, for a sidekick, he'd fit pretty alright.

[Avaitor]

Concept art and info!

Moana looks great! She looks strong and feminine with great ease, which sounds perfect for her character. I don't really recognize the people behind the music, but I have faith that the score will deliver. I just hope that the Fifth Harmony girl isn't picked to play her...

[Avaitor]

The voice for Moana is... not from Fifth Harmony!

Good on Disney!

[Daikun]

A bit of news regarding one of the duo's previous films...

Unreleased footage from Aladdin (namely, outtakes featuring Robin Williams) will be featured on the movie's Blu-Ray release. Check out a clip!

[Daikun]

First footage released from Moana.

[Daikun]

Teaser trailer!

[Avaitor]

Did anyone get to see this yet?

I thought it was really good, although I am not a Lin-Manuel Miranda fan.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I must refrain from watching Moana for a few days because of bi/pan WOCs telling me how this dehumanizing media is meant to belittle the Pasifika while triumphing white supremacist patriarchy.

[Avaitor]

I saw this again tonight, with my girlfriend, and I liked it a little more. If you're interested in a quick pros/cons list, I'd say that

+Moana is a hell of a lead, even if she isn't a princess
-Maui's a little familiar. He follows Disney's current smartass male co-lead trend to a tee, just with arguably stronger backstory than most of them. Dwayne Johnson does a good job of him, though
+We get a couple of really good songs, the best combining the film's Pacific theming to Miranda's talents...
-...but his songwriting skill aren't all that wide, and the more comedic songs are pretty tedious
+No surprise villain! The conflict is solved in a surprisingly sweet manner, in a way reminiscent of Ghibli, or Kubo if you prefer
-Twitter and piss jokes
+Fucking gorgeous animation. The water effects are fantastic, while Maui's tattoos are the closest we'll get to hand-drawn in a while, and it works well

I do think this is well worth seeing, even if you're still burned out on Frozen. It's a better movie, and worthy of the praise. I'd also rank it above Tangled, but if we're talking modern princess movies, below PATF. Hopefully this won't be Musker and Clements' last Disney movie, since they've still got it.

[Daikun]

Gaijin Goombah distinguishes the original Polynesian mythology from the Disney-fied liberties.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emn1TdkQmNs

Surprisingly, Disney was a lot more accurate than their earlier "cultural" movies.