Perhaps you are right, pix, in that I see Disney animated films as a sub-genre, a genre I generally appreciate, and so I look to a new film to fit that genre, but also to give me something new within it. Moana fits that bill. I feel that Moana is a better version of their genre than La La Land is of theirs. I also think that Moana is a better version of the Disney animated film than Zootopia, although 1SO disagrees. It is typical for a Disney film to be short, so it would have fewer songs than a "full-fledged" musical, but still have as many songs. And actually, Moana and La La Land has as many official vocal songs (6 each), although La La Land is a half hour longer.
I think the characters are well developed in Moana, the songs are well written and produced. The animation, especially the ocean is remarkably well done, creating a character from an entity that one would have though difficult to do. While the morals aren't innovative, the hero's journey is well told and there are some surprises along the way. For a genre movie, I think it does quite well. For a movie, I really enjoyed myself and I can't wait to watch it again.