arts // no. 8 theotherpress.ca Exploring Hawaiian culture in animation > ‘Moana’ film review Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist kkekekx f you saw Inside Out, you saw the short film called Lava—which is about a volcano falling in love with another volcano—and it might have reminded you of a trip to Hawaii. Now, imagine the same short film for almost two hours and you will be amazed by the things that you can see in Hawaii. Moana shows the early history of Hawaii and highlights the islands. The film has a lot of beautiful images of the villages in Hawaii and the canoes that they use. When the food on Motunui starts to disappear, the ocean chooses Moana Waialiki (Auli’i Cravalho) to find the shapeshifting god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to help her put the heart of Te Fiti back in the island before the rest of the islands disappear. I expected that Maui would be the main character of the film, but it appears that Moana is the protagonist. This continues a trend in Disney films today in which the main character of a film is awoman—like Anna and Elsa from Frozen, Rey from Star Wars Episode VH: The Force Awakens, Judy Hopps from Zootopia, Jyn Erso from Star Wars: Rogue One, and, now, Moana Waialiki. However, the film shows Moana and Maui working together during various situations. For example, when they try to get Maui's fishhook back from a crab Image via Disney.com named Tamatoa, Moana distracts him while Maui tries to get his fishhook back. The film has music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’l, and Mark Mancina. The songs in it may not wow you as much as the songs in Frozen, but there are four songs in the film that I like. There is the song in the beginning of the film, in typical Disney style, that explains the people on Motunui as Moana grows up. There is a song when Moana sees a flashback showing that her people were voyagers. And there is a song when Maui explains the many myths in Hawaii. Also, there is a song that Tamatoa sings that sounds like the style of David Bowie. Before Moana begins, a short film called Inner Workings is shown. The short is similar to Inside Out, except that it also shows the other parts of the body. The options that the main character in it has to choose from are similar to the options faced by the main character in Premium Rush. Moana shows the things that the people in Hawaii did in the past and the many stories that they told. There are interesting moments from Moana’s rooster, Heihei, and the tattoo version of Maui, and you will probably like them. The film could get the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in the Academy Awards next year, although there are other animated films that could win the award instead. Moana is sure to educate you about Hawaii and entertain you at the same time. Student composers shine 1n concert > Newly-written works performed by Music Department Caroline Ho Arts Editor | ae were entertained and enthralled at the Student Composition Concert on Friday, December 2 in the Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre. Part of Douglas College Music Department’s Fall 2016 Concert Series, the concert featured u1 original pieces composed by students over the past semester, and has been taking place twice a year since 1999. The performances were prefaced by an introduction by Doug Smith, head of music composition at Douglas College. He promised that the evening would deliver an eclectic, exotic mixture of songs, and the students and performers delivered in every sense. Some of the songs were solo works written for piano. Other pieces featured intricate harmonization between two or three instruments. A few were played by larger ensembles that included woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion, and more. Some of the pieces were spirited, uplifting works; others were hauntingly evocative and emotional. One of the most moving pieces of the night was Emil Wu’s three-movement “In Time with Him.” The piece was played by piano, guitar, and violin, with all three instruments picking up and weaving a passionate melody together. The song was accompanied by a slideshow showing the subject of the song, the grandfather of Wu’s friend, throughout his life. Music and visuals came together to create an incredibly effective experience. Every piece performed in the concert was exquisitely crafted, a clear demonstration of the composers’ passion, and a genuine delight to hear. Some of the performers launched straight into the music, immediately drawing listeners into the songs. Others began by giving a short introduction about their composition. Kylie Fonacier started off by jokingly announcing, “I'm Bach,” and then proceeded to regale the audience with a short speech full of hilarious musical puns. Even more fun than her introduction Photographs by Analyn Cuarto was her composition itself, a piece titled “Hard to Get Away.” Sung by Fonacier and accompanied by eight other performers, the song described a woman playing hard to get. Fonacier explained that it was based on a melody she has had in her head for two years, and it was influenced by her listening to a lot of jazz and artists like Michael Bublé and Barbra Streisand. Fonacier said she would like to write for musical theatre someday, and the performance of “Hard to Get Away” looked and sounded like it could have stepped straight out of Broadway. Having the opportunity to perform her own composition in this concert was “such a blessing, and a humbling experience.” With such a varied mix of styles, the pieces were ordered such that larger ensembles mostly alternated with solo works. The stage had to be rearranged slightly between performances, as instruments and music stands were moved around, but the transitions were very smooth and gave the audience a chance to hear each unique piece with fresh ears. The final performance of the night was Jaya Story’s “Quayside Flaneurie,” which also featured an ensemble of woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion, vocals, and Story on piano. Story, who has been composing since she was 12, said this was not the largest piece she has written in terms of numbers of players, but it’s probably the longest so far. She composed most of the first half in just a couple of hours in the very coffee shop where she first got the inspiration for the piece, although the motifs took somewhat longer to write. According to Story, writing fora larger ensemble can be a little more challenging, because you have to find volunteers willing to play the various instruments. Luckily Douglas College has a fantastic music program, with students full of musical talent. Finally, Smith came back onto the stage to close out the night. He thanked the audience for attending, and he thanked the performers—but most importantly, he thanked the composers for allowing the audience to share the beautiful musical experience created by these compositions.