Moana

Moana

This has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. It is typical Disney at their very best. It has magic, choreographed dancing and singing and of course Moana is an archetype of the hero like Simba on the other Disney movie "The Lion King" . The animation is excellent and the ideas and concepts are inspired. The movie is inspirational and beaming with imagination and originality. The movie is so intelligent and draws its inspiration from mythology centering on Gods. The movies theme centers around self-realization and the premise of following the voice inside. It is Nietzsche's become who you are. It is the hero navigating chaos to restore order in the world. The movie is about the individuation process, the premise of staying true to yourself. Urban poet Kanye West once posed a rhetorical, he stated "Would you believe in what you believed in, even though you were the only person who believed it? ". We find out the answer to this question in this movie as Moana, nicknamed the "Chosen one" has to save the world by restoring the "Heart of Te Fiti". In the beginning there was only the ocean until the mother Island emerged, Te Fiti. Her heart had the power to create life and she shared it with the world, she created Islands and multiplied life. Until one day a daring Demi-god known as Maui, a shape shifter who could change form stole the "Heart of Te Fiti" to give to the mortals so that they can have the power of creation. His expedition didn't go as he planned as he encounters a foe that makes him lose the heart and in the process banishing him to an Island for thousands of years. With the heart now lost to "Te Fiti", she rages on becomes the Goddess of destruction, "Te Kar" unleashing monsters to kill off life. Moana's Island experiences this destruction as all the coconuts rot and the fish die. As the Chief of her people and the "chosen one" specifically elected by the ocean to restore the heart of "Te Fiti" one day, she must save her people and the world. To do this, she needs the help of Maui, Demi-god of wind and sea, the entity who started all of this. 

"Te Fiti" is mothernature, the nurthurer and the life bearer. She represents life, senerity and order. After her heart is stolen from her she becomes "Te Kar", the Goddess of destruction. She represents death and chaos. Maui is a Demi-god, who was abandoned and thrown in the ocean by his mortal parents when he was born. Luckily, he was found by the God's who made him a Demigod and gave him a fish hook that enabled him to change form. He became a hero for the mortals by stealing fire from the gods and giving it to them, he created coconut trees and pulled Islands from the ocean. He stole the heart of "Te Fiti" in order to give the mortals the power of creation, of life, everything Maui does, he does to please the mortals. Moana is a young girl who will one day be the chief of her people. She is the descendent of voyagers and her father tries to surpress this because of his dealings with the ocean. When he was young, he ventured into the ocean with his friend and catastrophe happened and he wasn't able to save his friend. The incident changed how he views the world and he is the figure who dissuades Moana from ever leaving the Island. He advices her that the Island is all she will ever need. His father represents the tyrannical father, he represents the predictable, he represents explored territory, he is musculinity, he is order. Moana is the direct opposite from her father. She is a venturer, she explores the unknown, she is bravehearted and spirited, she is open minded, she represents feminity, she represents chaos. As a young child, a toddler, the ocean chooses her as someone who will someday restore the heart of "Te Fiti" and restore the balance in the world. Her father's teachings prohibit her to be who she truly is and this struggle is one day broken when she learns about her heritage and is forced to choose. She chooses to venture out into the unknown and the movie follows her on her journey of self-realization.

The story of Moana teaches the importance of self-knowledge and self-attainment. It teaches the audience the importance of paying attention, it teaches the importance of self-awareness and the role it plays in enabling you to be the truest version of yourself. It teaches goal-attainnent and delaying gratification in the pursuit of your dreams. The story of Moana teaches the audience how to live a meaning life. This is important because meaning makes life worthwhile. We are goal oriented beings who are always in pursuit of something better and meaning gives us a target to strive for. The life of the hero is the only way to live because it consistently makes us better. It forces us to learn from our mistakes so we can grow. It makes us see the value of the people in our lives. Nietzsche has this to say on his classic "Thus spoke Zarathustra": Alas, I have known noble men who lost their highest hope and henceforth they slandered all high hopes. Henceforth, they lived imprudently in brief pleasures, and they had hardly any aim beyond the day. Once they thought of becoming heroes: now they are sensualists. The hero is to them an affliction and terror. Do not reject the hero in your soul! Keep holy your highest hope." When you lack meaning in your life, you are in danger of being swept up by novelties because you lack a campus and roots to keep you on the ground. Jose Ortega had this to say:" Adventure shatters the oppressive, insistent reality as if it were a piece of glass. Each adventure is a new birth of the world, a unique process." Goethe continues: "Everyone holds his future in his hands, like a sculptor the raw material he will fashion into a figure." The life of the hero gives you control of your life, your decisions, your destiny. Ultimately, it's the only way to live. So like Moana, go explore like a voyager because only you can restore the heart of "Te Fiti", you are the chosen one, the hero!