Moana, Movie Review

Last November, Disney came out with their newest “princess” movie, called Moana. However, she is not a princess and the plot deviates from a classic princess story. Yet it is a fun and adventurous tale.

The story follows Moana (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho), the chief’s daughter from an island called Motunui in the South Pacific. She is drawn to the ocean and wants to sail, but it is forbidden to go beyond the reef. Without spoiling too much, she ends up meeting Maui, a demigod (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and they have to travel across the ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti and bring life back to the islands before it is too late. They encounter many interesting characters along the way as well as challenges they must overcome. There is quite an interesting plot twist at the end, which I won’t spoil, but I will say that I did not see it coming.

The animation in this film was beautiful. From the ocean water to the lovely creatures to the sometimes quirky character design, it was a perfect blend. The music was also amazing, with Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton writing lyrics and music for some of the songs, including the Oscar-nominated “How Far I’ll Go”. This was an epic song with beautiful vocals, in my opinion, outshining “Let It Go” from Frozen. Some have complained about Dwayne Johnson’s vocal performance in the song “You’re Welcome” and feel that he should have been dubbed with someone who could sing better. However, I thought that his performance fit the character and it didn’t need a better voice in order to be good. His voice drew us in with his comical performance along with the animation, which was energetic and amusing. The Polynesian-inspired music was also a nice touch to the aesthetic and tone of the film.

Overall, I thought Moana was a good movie with outstanding music and an interesting story perfect for a family movie night.

By: Francesca Delaney

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Fiddler on the Roof & Tradition

        In taking a closer look at the Aquinas Theatre Department this year, one cannot help but notice a certain morality in the productions. The fall production of The Snow Queen reminded us of the power of love and its ability to triumph over any evil. The blackbox show, a Jewish play, A Shayna Maidel, pulled (and I mean tugged) at our heart strings while depicting the power of friendship and family in getting through even the worst of times. Now, with spring just around the corner, it is time to experience the power of tradition with the well-known, lovably witty musical, Fiddler on the Roof.

        The show follows the life of a poor milkman, Tevye, and his family, which consists of his wife and five daughters. They live in the village of Anatevka, a Jewish settlement in Russia, during the early 1900s. This was a time when Jews were heavily persecuted. For example, Russian soldiers would perform pogroms, or demonstrations that resulted in the destruction of Jewish homes and property. Yet, even in the midst of this type of oppression, Anatevka is a proud community, thriving on their traditions and “constant devotion to God”. The particularly interesting thing about Tevye’s life is that he is constantly pushed to break tradition. In the family’s endeavors to marry off his five vivacious daughters, Tevye struggles to decide between tradition, which has kept Jewish culture alive for all these years, and true love. The fun-filled musical both shows us the importance of tradition- and when it is acceptable to break it.  

        Many theatre departments have attempted Fiddler on the Roof, but none have had as many obstacles to overcome as Aquinas does. AQ’s dedicated cast and crew of well over forty students (including yours truly) have worked tirelessly to ensure that this will be the best school production of the show since our very own alumni performed it. The show opens Thursday March 12 at 7:30pm, with shows on Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and Saturday at 2:00pm. 

By: Jasmine Benjamin
   

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