Reviews

I recently went back to watch some old kids shows with my girlfriend. I have to say, this show is almost as good now as it was when I was a kid. The humor can be outdated at times, and the first season isn't as good as the rest, but all-in-all, this kids show, much like many of the other Cartoon Network / Nickelodeon Animated shows from the early and mid-2000 holds up well and has a very nostalgic feeling to it.

With all that said, there are some negatives. For starters, Cheese. When he is introduced, he works by himself for one or two episodes. But the show took it a little to far every once in a while, throwing in annoying characters that worked for about five seconds before making me wish they were gone. Luckily, the main characters also would get annoyed with them, so it's not that bad.

Some of the episodes are genially great. Some are hit-or-miss, and some are bad. Most TV shows are like this and you can't escape it.

All-in-all, this is a great kids show with some discreet adult humor sprinkled throughout that makes it much easier for adults to watch this. But with that said, most adults (that I know at least, and millennials) could watch this show no problem without the head- banging annoying goofy over-the-top colorful migraine inducing characters and animation that brand new shows have.

This is how Disney should portray their princesses. Don't get me wrong, there will always be a place for that damsel-in-distress or "I must find a man" mentality from Disney movies... but really, we don't need any more of those. Moana is a strong-willed progressive female who shows us how a "princess" (daughter to the chief) can be her own person and not rely on some buff brave man to come and save her every time. A good change of pace from the older Disney movies where women had a very conservative attitude about them. Not necessarily saying that that's bad, if you have that mind sent, but its refreshing to finallysee it in a huge blockbuster Disney movie, especially with the changing attitudes of the world today.

My only complaint is that there isn't a lot of character development in the film. She starts out brave and a leader, ends with some more knowledge about sailing and is more brave and more of a leader. Don't get me wrong, I love her character, but it would have been nice for more development.

Let's get it out of the way and say this is a good film. However, some of the cultural aspects of the film will be lost on a non-Spanish culture (a lot of America). That's not a bad thing, it's just an observation. If you never took Spanish class or never seen Spain or a Spanish-speaking country, some of the things might seem weird. Or maybe I'm overthinking it.

The film offers a great critique on the culture of Spain, showing, while not directly saying it, that sexual assault in Spain is a problem that needs addressing. The film doesn't try to hid how these acts affect people, which is a rarity in films even today (although this is changing fast). The film also shows how family structure differs from us over here in the US. With all that, this film would be a good intro if you want to learn about the culture and realities of Spain.

My only real complaint is that some of the pacing in this film is a little off and some of the acting, especially by the character Sole, can be a little over-done. But that's my only two complaint. Color, symbolism, metaphor and a touch of reality help elevate this film to a level that is unique to avant-garde film, without being so artsy that only super film buffs will like it.