MovieChat Forums > Moana (2016) Discussion > Character Motivation

Character Motivation

posted 8 years ago by pinkled5
9 replies | jump to latest

I was trying to explain to my 10 year old son why I didn't like the movie much. I told him I preferred movies where the character's motivation and passion are clear and the plot is a series of obstacles standing in the way of their deepest desires. "What do you mean?" he asked, and here's how our conversation went:

"Well," I said, "what did Wreck-It Ralph want?"

"He wanted to be a good guy."

"Right! And the entire movie was a series of obstacles he had to overcome to get what he wanted. Now what did Ariel want?"

"She wanted to be human."

"That's right! She got what she wanted in the end, but it was a struggle, wasn't it? What did Anna want?"

"She wanted her sister back."

"Right again! And we wanted that for her too, we could relate with her. Now, what did Moana want?"

My son paused for a moment, and then said, "I don't know."

That, I thought, was very revealing and explained better than I ever could why I found this film to be so lackluster. I think Disney could have done a much better job developing this character and weaving a more compelling story.

[–] SuperBobster 8 years ago

She wanted to sail the sea and see what was out there, she wanted to explore, she felt it was her calling.

[–] pinkled5 8 years ago

She wanted to sail the sea and see what was out there, she wanted to explore, she felt it was her calling.

Yes, but how do you build a compelling, character driven plot when the character gets what they wanted 20 minutes into the movie? That's my point.

[–] Zaphenzo 8 years ago

She wanted to save her island. This is clear in the movie. It's why she leaves. She goes to her father and says there's a way to save the island, he goes to burn the boats as she continues to protest. Then they find that her grandmother is dying so they go see her, and the grandmother tells Moana to go find Maui and return the heart in order to save the island. This is also shown when Tala's spirit visits Moana and says she may have pushed her too early, but in the end Moana decides to go back in the ocean to get the heart again, and continue the journey to save her island. We see the fear, also, in her dream of the island crumbling to dust. I'm not trying to be mean here, I just don't see how that wasn't clear throughout the movie. She even chants it on her way to find Maui "I am Moana of Motunui. You will board my boat and restore the heart to Te Fiti."

[–] pinkled5 8 years ago

She wanted to save her island. This is clear in the movie. It's why she leaves. She goes to her father and says there's a way to save the island, he goes to burn the boats as she continues to protest. Then they find that her grandmother is dying so they go see her, and the grandmother tells Moana to go find Maui and return the heart in order to save the island. This is also shown when Tala's spirit visits Moana and says she may have pushed her too early, but in the end Moana decides to go back in the ocean to get the heart again, and continue the journey to save her island. We see the fear, also, in her dream of the island crumbling to dust. I'm not trying to be mean here, I just don't see how that wasn't clear throughout the movie. She even chants it on her way to find Maui "I am Moana of Motunui. You will board my boat and restore the heart to Te Fiti."

No, I get that, but every movie has that. Even the most shallow of characters in the most boring of movies have to have something to do for there to be a story. I'm not saying this movie is as bad as that, but I am saying there was definitely something missing.

[–] Herengone 8 years ago

Why are you starting a whole thread for this? We just had a back and forth about compelling characters and their motivations in the other thread that you started. You declared your emotional investment in Ariel's story and said that you were bored because Moana had little to no motivation. What do you need another thread for?

[–] pinkled5 8 years ago

Why are you starting a whole thread for this? We just had a back and forth about compelling characters and their motivations in the other thread that you started. You declared your emotional investment in Ariel's story and said that you were bored because Moana had little to no motivation. What do you need another thread for?

I found the conversation with my son interesting and I enjoy discussing movies. I apologize if you find my thread offensive or bothersome.

[–] Zaphenzo 8 years ago

No, I get that, but every movie has that. Even the most shallow of characters in the most boring of movies have to have something to do for there to be a story. I'm not saying this movie is as bad as that, but I am saying there was definitely something missing.

But your argument in this thread has either been 1) she had no motivation/no clear motivation (you said your son didn't know what she wanted) or 2) she achieved it too soon and therefore you lost interest (you said it's boring that she fulfilled her motivation 20 minutes into the movie). But neither of those are true. She did have a clear motivation: saving her island by returning the heart of Te Fiti. And she did NOT achieve it soon in the movie. They achieved it at the end, right before Te Fiti is revived, and then sends her back to her island where things are looking up and then her people return to voyaging. Like, seriously, there's maybe 5-10 minutes after her achieving her goal.

It's fine if you didn't like the movie or didn't like the plot. That's your opinion and you're free to have it. But your reasoning in this thread doesn't make sense.

[–] pinkled5 8 years ago

But neither of those are true.

I did not intend for it to seem like I was stating facts. These are strictly my opinions.

[–] Herengone 8 years ago

But your reasoning in this thread doesn't make sense.

It didn't make sense in the other thread, either. I think this is just a cast of the OP's fondness of redundancy and inability to decipher the difference between not appreciating the motivation of a character versus motivation being completely absent.