Disney's Moana…

… looks an awful lot like Roo.

Being from Hawaii, I have been pretty excited about Moana for months and months. But when I saw the most recent image from the movie, I did a double-take. The smirk, the leonine mane, the on-point eyebrows… Moana is a dead ringer for my first-born.

I'm looking forward to taking the kids back to Hawaii next month. Roo hasn't been since she was a toddler and Jasper has never been, so it will be nice to expose them to the place I grew up. We'll get to spend some time on Oahu with Grandpa Rod and Grandma Marie and also on the Big Island and Maui. Hopefully they'll embrace the culture a bit… and if they don't, there's always Moana to look forward to come Thanksgiving…


Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows why.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”) and produced by Osnat Shurer (“Lifted,” “One Man Band”), “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.

Hawaiian Playground CD giveaway

***WINNERS PICKED 3/11 WITH RANDOM.ORG***
CONGRATULATIONS:
One Crafty Mama!!!
My children love their Putomayo CDs (and so do I). I can't wait to hear this one!
AND
ladypawnbroker (non-blogger)!!!
my youngest daughter and I love Reggae music! So the reggae playground would be right for us!



I first discovered the concept of "world music" when I worked at Waterloo back in the day. One of the buyers was constantly trying to show the rest of us that lots of worthwhile music does not necessarily subscribe to the two guitars, bass and drums mentality… that, in fact, much of the world's music doesn't even feature guitars. Huh? He gave me a couple of sampler discs (probably mix tapes!) to peruse. I remember a David Byrne-curated Luaka Bop compilation and some Putumayo releases (who knew the hippie clothing brand distributed records?!) that seemed like anthropological expeditions in sound. I was hooked.

Almost twenty years later, Putumayo Kids is spreading the gospel of world music to the next generation. They've released a plethora of cross-cultural "playgrounds" and lullabies targeted at kids but enjoyable enough for the whole family to share. Their latest release is Hawaiian Playground, which is particularly dear to me because I grew up in the islands and have a soft spot for Hawaiiana.



Far from being a cheesy, touristy concoction, Hawaiian Playground is a gently swaying breeze of an album. It makes me want to be barefoot and eat spam musubi from a truck on the beach. Yes, that's a good thing. Even the token songs by non-Hawaiians put me into an island frame of mind. Joe McDermott's Come to Hawaii, is an old-timey romp that makes me want to pull out slack key guitar records and drink pineappley drinks with umbrellas on them. (Incidentally, Joe also fronted one of my favorite bands in Austin, Grains of Faith.)

If you'd like to win your own copy of Hawaiian Playground (a $15 value!), please comment on this post with your favorite type of world music and which Putumayo release you are most interested in! Entries will be accepted through March 10th and I'll pick two winners using Random.org. US/Canada readers only, please, unless you want to pay for international shipping.

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win! If I can't find your email, I will have to pick a new winner. Only one entry/comment per person, please.

If you prefer not to leave your email, you can also check for your name at Prizey.Fetch, a new site that compiles winners in one convenient place: