We Loved Moana! :D

Last night, my mom, my aunt, and I all took the girls to see Disney's latest. And, as usual, Disney didn't disappoint. Moana was a great film with beautiful music, stunning animation, lovable characters, and a strong female lead whose motives of kindness and doing the right thing made her a heroine my daughters could look up to. 

I don't want to give any spoilers away, so I won't go into anymore detail, but I highly recommend this movie. There was pretty much no objectionable content, aside from some very mild toilet humor (that was actually kind of hilarious) and one unfinished "son of a..." phrase that stops right there. As this film strives to be a faithful representation of the Polynesian culture, elements of their beliefs are included in the film, but even as someone not holding to these beliefs, I was able to enjoy the film and the overall message it gave. I also feel that learning about other cultures is important, so that we can understand the worldview of others and where they're coming from. 

If you'd like a more in-depth review, you can check out Plugged In's take on the film HERE. 

I had hoped to have my review/comparison of the Disney Store and Hasbro Moana dolls up by today, in celebration of the movie's release, but we had company and a music practice that took up most of my blogging time (well worth the interruption on both counts). ;)

So, to tide you over, I thought I'd share a few photos from the movie theater, especially since Disney Store Moana joined us. ;)

The girls with the movie poster.

We each took turns posing Moana in front of the poster. This is my pose.

Little Gal did this one.

Middle Gal chose this pose. 

And here's Oldest Gal's pose.

Here is Moana waiting in line for our theater to begin seating. (Little Gal came up with this pose. I was especially thankful I'd brought Moana at this point of our night. Little Gal was having a tough time waiting, so playing with a doll made for a good distraction.) ;)

Moana, waiting for the movie to start. (And no, I didn't take this photo during the trailers, in case you were concerned. ;) It was during the "First Look" segment at Cinemark.) 

We had a great time, and the girls have been singing "How Far I'll Go" and "You're Welcome" nonstop ever since. The only song we didn't like? "Shiny." I think I could handle never hearing that one again, although it's not as bad with the animation. Definitely not one I'd listen to very often. :}

And here are a couple of photos from the upcoming review, with a few abbreviated thoughts from me:

This. Doll. Is. Gorgeous. Probably one of the most stunning Disney Store dolls I've ever purchased. A great gift idea for Moana fans or collectors. She retails for $19.95.

The hair shouldn't be brushed and will probably be a matted mess after a lot of playtime, but it's gorgeous right out of the box, and a spot-on representation of the movie. I love Moana's beautiful face and fuller figure. The only issue I have is that her legs are the rubbery click-knee legs like the older Barbies, and because her legs are so much thicker, it's rather hard to pose them. Also, because her legs are sticky, it's really hard to get her skirt back on correctly once she's undressed, because all of the little "grass" pieces get stuck to her rubbery plastic legs and don't want to point down like they're supposed to.

Other than that, no complaints. She is incredible. 💕 

Before I got my Disney Store Moana, I picked up one of the Hasbro ones in a local store. I was surprised to find the huge height difference between the two dolls. 

Hasbro Moana retails for around $12.97. She is much more posable than Disney Store Moana and has jointed knees instead of click knees. Her hair is not as nice (it matted pretty much right away), and her clothing is just printed on the cloth instead of separate pieces of material. I also personally prefer the amazing detail of the Disney Store Moana's face to the simpler design of Hasbro Moana. 

Of the two, I would pick the Disney Store version, but Hasbro Moana might be a better choice for younger Moana fans, as she's more posable and she's simpler to dress and undress. And even though her hair isn't as high in quality, I don't think the Disney Store Moana's hair will hold up to playtime much longer than Hasbro's version.

Many more details and photos to come in the official post, but I thought it might be helpful to share the basics for now. ;) 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends. :)