5 Reasons Moana is the most progressive Disney princess movie yet

Moana is the first Polynesian Disney princess to date and the first Disney princess of colour since The Princess and The Frog in 2009 (that's almost 8 years ago!) Also unlike previous Disney movies such as Mulan, Pocahontas and Aladdin, which have been criticized for inaccurate and stereotypical portrayals of various races and cultures, Disney employed a whole team of consultants for Moana working to ensure that the film was respectful to the history and culture of those it represents.

Moana represents a slight (but still significant) departure from the typical Barbie-like body-type of previous princesses. In addition to being shorter and stockier than the other Disney Princesses, she has a waist that is actually somewhat proportional to the rest of her body, as well as thicker eyebrows and a thicker, frizzier hair texture.

Unlike the majority of Disney princess movies (including Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Atlantis and Frozen), Moana's mother is not only alive at the beginning but survives the entire film! Not only that, but unlike Princess and The Frog which subverts this trope by killing off the father instead, Moana is lucky enough that both her parents survive the whole movie.

Moana continues the trend toward strong, positive female relationships seen in recent Disney princess movies such as the friendship between Tiana and Lottie in The Princess and The Frog, Brave's mother-daughter relationship and of course the relationship between sisters Anna and Elsa in Disney favourite Frozen. Although the main focus in Moana is the relationship between her and Maui, her mother and grandmother are both really positive, influential figures in her life. She has a deeply close and loving relationship with both of them and they trust and support her in the decisions she makes.

As fans of 2012's Brave will be quick to point out, Moana is far from the first Disney Princess movie without a romance plot. However it's still nice to see another strong Disney protagonist whose arc has nothing to do with romance or a true love's kiss. Moana shows its title character growing into a wise and capable ruler with the support and guidance of her still-living parents, and her main priority is the safety and well-being of her people. Instead of longing for romance, Moana longs to explore, and her true love is not a handsome prince but the ocean itself. All in all it sends a positive message to kids that you don't need romance to have a happy ending.