If HappyGoSunny and frankly, motherhood, had a heroine, it most certainly would be Moana.   Mulan was always my go to Disney princess.  Strong willed and ready to fight for her family, she was always tearing it up bringing honor to us all.  Yet Moana speaks to me so much more.  I love her so much that I’ve openly said I’d be willing to play a palm tree or Hei Hei the crazy chicken in any Disney show.  Scratch that, I’d play a rock just to be a part of it.  It should be of no surprise that the Easter bunny was kind enough to bring me my oldest son a copy of Moana for Easter.

Moana tells the tale of an island chief’s daughter and her calling to fulfill her destiny as the island’s protector.  She seeks this destiny by following a calling inside her and with relentless perseverance.  A huge part of the success is the soundtrack, written by Hamilton’s famed writer, Lin-Manual Miranda (who I caught live when he first did “In the Heights”…what can I say, I see genius before it’s mainstream).  How is it that the Disney movie about a young girl could resonate so much with a suburban mom?  Check out the below and download the soundtrack now.

As my children will very clearly be able to tell you, Moana’s anthem, “How Far I’ll Go” is is one of my favorites, by a mile.  Inspiration throughout.

I can lead with pride, I can make us strong
I’ll be satisfied if I play along
But the voice inside sings a different song
What is wrong with me?

Hellllllloooo motherhood!  Yup I’m going to be the mama bear.  Yes, children, you will listen to me.  Yes, I’m trying to find my place and our family’s place in this world.  But what IS wrong with me?  Is it self doubt?  Is it a desire to always have a more fulfilling life?  Is it just why for the love of goodness can I not get my kids to school earlier?  SO MANY REASONS this song is on repeat.

For cool further reading, see here about the making of this song and what an “I Want” song is.  This also speaks to why “How Far I’ll Go” is one of the best running songs.  SO GOOD.  And it seems like it’s calling out to me, so come find me. What’s beyond that line, will I cross that line?  Life goals.

Then the song reprises with one of the best verses of the movie.

And the call isn’t out there at all
It’s inside me
It’s like the tide
Always falling and rising
I will carry you here in my heart
You’ll remind me
That come what may
I know the way
I am Moana!

AMEN MOANA! AMEN SISTA! Can motherhood BE any more relatable to a Disney verse? Come what may, I do know the way.  And sometimes when I’m silly I’ll substitute with “I AM YOUR MAMA!” or even more silly “I AM RACH-ANA!” Case closed, love it.

In what Disney song can you simultaneously relate to both the hero AND the villain at the same time?  My kids were stunned to find that “How Far I Go” was my second favorite Moana song.  The winner goes Moana’s peaceful calling to villain Te Ka.  This is my calm down song both to my kids and myself if need be.  It’s my way of saying “I know something is up today.  Let’s make it though together.  I am here for you.”  The peace and beauty of this song is entrancing.  Here we have Moana singing to the villain.  Which, as a mother, the villain could be your kids, or yourself.  Sigh.

I have crossed the horizon to find you
I know your name
They have stolen the heart from inside you
But this does not define you
This is not who you are
You know who you are

I’d be remiss not to mention my kids favorite song, “We Know the Way.”  Upbeat and uplifting, I can’t argue with the call to both explore and find home.  My little one’s favorite is “Shiny” or as he calls it “the crab song.”

Dwayne Johnson does a fantastic job as demigod, Maui, and his theme song, “You’re Welcome” is a fun one.  True story, on my 6 hour portion of the ride home after Christmas, I came up a whole new version of the song where I told my kids “You’re Welcome” for all the stuff they didn’t realize I did for them.  It’s also the reason I know all of the English AND Samoan lyrics of the soundtrack.  Six straight hours of Moana.

Motherhood is calling and I’m back to the grindstone, but hope that this brought happiness to Where You Are.

Bonus for you: As if Moana can’t give you enough good vibes, check out the video where Auli’i Cravelho finds out she is cast as Moana  Too adorable ❤