Could you think of a better way to spend your Sunday night than watching the latest Disney film? I most definitely cannot. The great Ron Clemens and John Musker did it again with this blockbuster hit. Not familiar with those names? The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules are just a few movies they have worked on together.

Another big name that worked on the film is Lin-Manuel Miranda. This illustrious actor/composer/rapper/writer has written and starred in two musicals, In The Heights and Hamilton, which both won multiple Tony awards including Best Musical for each. He also has a Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer Prize, and MacArthur Fellowship award. At only 36, Miranda has done an entire career’s worth of successful projects, but now his talents were put to the test on the big screen. Miranda wrote a big portion of the music in Moana, and is also credited for his vocals in a few of the musical numbers.

The movie itself has a solid plot and vibrant characters to tell the story. Moana starts off in a world where there is only ocean. The island goddess of this world, Te Fiti, emerges with a special stone that creates life. The stone is stolen by the demigod, Maui, who wants to give it to humanity as a gift. He uses it to pull up islands from the water for humans to explore. We are then introduced to the title character, Moana. From when she is a child we see she isn’t like the other children. She has an urge to see what is beyond the reef that everyone is told to never cross. She is the island chief’s daughter, and slowly becoming the new chief by taking on more and more responsibility. It seems as if she can solve every problem put in her way. Finally, a problem that cannot so easily be solved is put in front of Moana and the island. Fish start to disappear from the once popular and reliable fishing spot, and coconuts and other foods quickly spoil for no reason. Moana’s grandmother, Tala, knows the reason for this.

She tells Moana that Maui’s theft of the life stone from Te Fiti is the reason for all this darkness on the island. On her deathbed, Tala gives Moana the precious life stone that she has kept safe for all these years. When Moana was very young the ocean “chose” her to take this journey by having the stone wash up on the shore while Moana was near the ocean. A young Moana did not know this at the time, but her grandmother collected the stone and saved it for Moana. Moana accepts the stone as she says her final goodbye to Tala, and then she sets sail on a journey to find Maui and return the stone to Te Fiti.

This movie by Disney has definitely raised the bar for all animation in the future.There were over 80% “visual effects shots” in Moana. An example of this is the ocean splashing and having a natural and real look. Since the ocean is a very prominent part of Moana, this really brought the whole film together. The creators of Moana admitted the technology to make the film was so advanced, it could not have been done five years ago.

Another way Disney raised the bar was by ditching their typical princess mold. Instead of creating a damsel in distress who needs a male hero to save her, Moana proves to be the opposite. She takes charge and sets sail by herself without the need of a man. Moana is also the first Polynesian Disney princess (joining the ranks of other diverse characters like Jasmine, Pocahantas, Mulan, and Tiana).

The film itself isn’t being diverse just to be diverse. The film accurately follows Polynesian traditions and myths. Disney has a history of telling folk tales from Western European culture, starring blonde-haired and blue-eyed girls. In the past few decades, however, with films like Pocahantas (1995), Mulan (1998), and The Princess and the Frog (2009), the traditions and folktales of non-white, non-European cultures are celebrated. Children today can grow up enjoying a library of films that showcase not just one region’s culture but the traditions and stories from all over the world, and in this way, they will be citizens of the world instead of just citizens of one corner of the world.