Moana

This pair of motivating Elements, which signal the crossover point between Character and Plot, shows up in a similar way in Back to the Future. Marty is all about living Free of restraints and breaking away from the McFly legacy, while George--and definitely Doc Brown--are all about controlling the narrative and keeping things contained.

As with other Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals, these two Elements feature prominently in the solo songs attributed to each character. In Moana we see Free in Moana's song, "How Far I'll Go":

The Element of Control shows up in how Maui feels how he is the one holding the reins over what happens in the world:

These two polarizing aspects of conflict drive the narrative from beginning to end--regardless of how weak the Antagonist may be in the finaly analysis.

A Story with Form but Little More

Light years apart in terms of storytelling, both Back to the Futre and Moana engage the same narrative story engine:

• Marty McFly is concerned with what he is going to do with his life, Moana is concerned with what will happen to her people (Main Character Concern of Future)
• Marty, the son of a "slacker," works to figure out his place in the universe, Moana, the daughter of a tribal king, works to figure out her place as the chosen one (Main Character Throughline of Universe)
• As Protagonist, Marty sees an out-of-control timeline a problem and sets out to direct things back to the way they were, making it possible for Marty to restore the timeline. As Protagonist, Moana sees Te Kā's out-of-control darkness a problem and sets out to direct things back to the way they were, making it possible for Moana to return the heart of Te Fiti. (Objective Story Focus of Free, Objective Story Direction of Control, Story Goal of Obtaining).
• Marty faces a stoic and obstinate adversary driven by ego named George. Moana faces a stoic and obstinate headed adversary driven by ego named Maui (Obstacle Character Throughline of Mind).
• Marty's emotional adversary George is given to running away from problems that eventually give way to an active pursuit of fixing things at the risk of losing his life. Moana's emotional adversary Maui is given to running away from problems that eventually gives way to an active pursuit of fixing things at the risk of losing his life (Obstacle Character Problem of Avoid, Obstacle Character Solution of Pursuit).
• Marty and George develop a relationship centered around the issue of devotion to family. Moana and Maui develop a relationship centered around the issue of devotion to the indigenous people of the world and to completing the journey to restore Te Fiti (Relationship Story Issue of Commitment).
• Both Marty and George find it difficult to grow closer together because of how much easier it is to take the easy way out of difficult situations. Both Moana and Maui find it difficult to grow close because of how much easier it is for each of them to find an easier way out of difficult situations (Relationship Story Condition of Temptation).
• Both Marty and Geroge change their relationship when they begin to act out a sense of doing what is right because of possible consequences. Both Moana and Maui change their relationship when they begin to act out a sense of doing what is right because of possible consequences (Relationship Story Adjustment of Conscience).
• Marty finds himself driven to take action when others tell him he can't do what he wants, and grows by holding out for others to stop thinking less of him. Moana finds herself driven to take action when others tell her she can't do what she wants, and grows by holding out for others to stop thinking less of her (Main Character Problem of Hinder, Main Character Growth of Stop).
• Marty stays true to himself and his worldview while maintaining the emotional fortitude to convince George to fundamentally change the way he approaches problems. Moana stays true to herself and her worldview while maintaining the emotional fortitude to convince Maui to fundamentally change the way he approaches problems (Main Character Resolve of Steadfast, Obstacle Character Resolve of Changed).

Note that not every story operates along these same lines. As of the publication of this analysis (December 2016), the Dramatica theory of story identifies 32,768 different unique storyforms. It just so happens that out of these 32,000+ forms, both Back to the Future and Moana chose the same collection of story points--a familiar collection visited and revisited frequently since the mid-20th century.

The key to Back to the Future's success with this narrative is its development and elaboration of the storyform with additional storytelling built on top. Moana's storytelling is sparse and light and builds little on the form (an unfortunate consequence of its 103 minute running limit). Add in a "Save the Cat" sequence that is so glaringly obviously ripped straight from the Blake Snyder legacy and you have a narrative that is literally by-the-numbers.[^numbers] Functional and serviceable, but transparently predictable.

Contrast this with the monumentally unique and imaginative Zootopia --a film that strays so far from the norm that it ventures to explore an Objective Story around fixed attitudes (an Objective Story Throughline of Mind)--and one sees how Moana represents a step to the side.

More than Story

Moana gets so much right. As a former character animator with over twenty years of experience, I can tell you that the character animation in the film is absolutely astounding. Whoever was responsible for the animation on Moana's grandmother Tala is a true artist who elevates the art form far beyond what Milt Kahl and Ollie Johnston were able to accomplish with their characters.

The music too is inventive and incomparable. As mentioned, before the song sequence with the coconut crab is an animation masterpiece worth watching several times over.

Moana is a beautiful and captivating film that delivers a sensory experience unlike any other. Know going in that the story stays true to form and expect little in terms of surprise and you will receive an enjoyable hour and a half of pleasant entertainment. And be sure to stay around until after the credits...

[^numbers]: And this from someone who strongly advocates the use of a complex story algorithm to help delineate and identify the deep thematics of a successful and functional narrative.