How Moana has Become Such a Global Phenomenon?
While Frozen and Zootopia have both performed way better at the box office, neither of them matched the popularity of Moana in recent years.
If you’ll ask people (or kids) what is the most popular Disney animation movie in the last few years, the answer won’t be Frozen or Tangled, but Moana.
I remember how in 2016 lots of people thought that Moana, like Frozen, will cross the 1 billion mark at the box office. Eventually, the movie grossed “only” 680 million.
But since then, something magical happened – the movie became a phenomenon AFTER its theatrical run.
The main reason? Streaming service.
Since Disney opened their streaming service, Moana has dominated in the top 10 nearly every week, which is insane, no other Disney movie did that, not even Frozen or Zootopia (the latter was released in the same year as Moana and grossed over 1 Billion).
The only movie that managed to have a healthy and consistent performance on Disney Plus was Encanto, but Moana was still way more popular than that.
At this point, nearly every single person on the planet knows this movie, even if he hasn’t watched it.
You may not have watched Moana, but you sure know this movie.
Whether it’s the iconic songs like You’re Welcome or How Far Will I Go, or the funny moments between Moana and Maui, this movie is the definition of a global phenomenon.
So, what is Moana’s magic?
First, it’s one of the classic stories in history – the hero journey, the coming-of-age drama. There’s a reason why people are not getting tired of this.
Second, Moana is such a great character. Everyone can identify with her, because she has a single dream, and that’s all she wants. We all know that feeling.
Third, the songs.
Under the guidance of Mark Mancina and Lin Manuel Miranda, the movie delivered some of the best Disney songs in recent memory.
Iconic songs like You’re Welcome, How Far Will I Go, Shiny, We Know the Way, I am Moana – all of them are so beautiful and memorable. I’m still listening to these songs!
Lastly, the execution.
While the story is simple (and well-known), the execution is what really makes the film stand out. We got the beautiful ocean environment, the Polynesian atmosphere, the amazing and colorful animation… This is a movie where you want to spend your time in it and never let go.
And of course, the cast. Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson are so good together, and every scene with both of them is pure gold.
So there you go!
Moana is a classic because it has all of the right ingredients: A classic coming-of-age story, a strong female lead, beautiful songs, and above all, colorful animation!
Let’s hope Moana 2 will stick the landing!