Mrs. Kelly completely misses the real effect of a film like Moana.  The title characters are Polynesian, and they are the heroes.  Yes, the heros of the film.

They are not the bad guys, as my ancestors were so often in so many cowboy western movies.  They are not some supporting character used as a foil for the hero, they are not Tonto or Dan-O.  They are the heros.

To an island child watching this they see people like themselves as the hero.  They can imagine themselves as the hero.  Not as a victim, not as an insignificant bit part.  This means everything to someone trying to find where they fit in the world.  

Everything else in the film is just theatrics and makes no real difference in the long run.