Kekahi Disney Alii i ka maikam pale! (A Disney princess on the movie screen!) Moana hit theatres November 23 with a tide of emotions. Disney enthusiasts of all ages rejoiced when Walt Disney Studios announced another princess would be added to the famous Disney princess line. The movie, earning a whopping $56,361,401 on its opening weekend, features an all-Polynesian cast including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a pro-wrestler signed with WWE who is of Samoan and Black Nova Scotian heritage.

The story begins with the telling of a Polynesian myth by Gramma Tala (Rachel House). Maui (Dwayne Johnson) is a Polynesian demigod who steals the heart of Te Fiti, the goddess who creates life. While Maui is a friend of man and helps pull islands from the sea and lift the sky, he unknowingly harms the people of Polynesia by stealing Te Fiti’s heart. This harms the island and prevents Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), princess of the village and villagers, from retrieving fish from the sea and coconuts from the trees. Not only that, but it awakens old monsters from their slumber in the sea, who challenge Moana on her adventure to find Maui and persuade him to return Te Fiti’s heart.

Moana has a special connection with the sea, which only Moana and her grandmother, Gramma Tala, can see. Gramma Tala is convinced that Moana is destined to retrieve Te Fiti’s heart and make things right. Moana struggles between her strong and driving desires to travel the seas and her duties as princess of the village. On her deathbed, Gramma Tala gives Moana her necklace which contains Te Fiti’s heart, and finally convinces Moana to lead her life the way she wants to.

Afterwards, the movie is action-packed and can be emotionally intense at times; However there is a great amount of comedy, for children and adults alike, that lighten the mood. The soundtrack, co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer, director, and star of the musical Hamilton, features Polynesian songs such as “Tulou Tagaloa” and new songs like “You’re Welcome,” which is my favorite from the soundtrack because it is sung by Dwayne Johnson and serves as a comedy scene as the lyrics are Maui bragging about his triumphs to Moana.

The movie is especially interesting and appealing because it is the first Disney princess movie where there is absolutely no love interest for the protagonist, the princess. Moana is a tale of a strong young woman finding herself on an epic journey to save her village and prove to her family that there’s more to life than what appears.