2016 Dsiney film set in Polynesia / MON 2-27-16 / Understand slangily / Jean father of Dadaism / Cross-reference for further information

Constructor:Zhouqin Burnikel

Relative difficulty:Normal / Medium

THEME:two-word answers and reversals— three 2-part answers, and then three more answers where each of those three answers has their 2 parts flipped (w/ respelling of one part):

Theme answers:

• STARES DOWN / DOWNSTAIRS
• PLAIN PAPER / PAPER PLANE
• PEACE TIME / TIMEPIECE 

Word of the Day:"MOANA"(55D: 2016 Disney film set in Polynesia) —

Moana (/moʊˈɑːnə/) is a 2016 American 3Dcomputer-animatedmusicalfantasycomedyadventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 56th Disney animated feature film. The film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker,and co-directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams.  The film features music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i, and Mark Mancina. (wikipedia)

Not that exciting. Feels like it was lifted from a list of such phrases on the back of a kids' placemat at some chain restaurant. Half of the trouble I had with this puzzle consisted in my balking repeatedly at writing words into the grid that I *knew* I had already seen (e.g. PAPER). The other half, ironically, consisted in my muffing the freshest, most contemporary answers in the grid, i.e. "FEEL ME?" (24D: "Understand?," slangily) and "MOANA" (55D: 2016 Disney film set in Polynesia) The former just floored me. I had the "F" but that was useless. Needed most of the crosses to find the answer, partly because I couldn't believe the NYT would go for such a phrase (good for it), and partly because I'm used to hearing the question start with a "Ya" ...

The fact that I totally blanked on "MOANA" is many times more hilarious. First, it's a Maori word. My wife is from New Zealand. I'm usually on top of all pop culture NZ things. Second, it involves the musical talent of Lin-Manuel Miranda, and after The Year Of Hamilton, you'd think that anything he's involved with would've stuck in my head (I know he's developing Patrick Rothfuss's work for film, for instance ... and yet I blanked on "MOANA"?!). I had the "M" and my brain went "... [shrug] ... don't look at us; all we got's 'MULAN'." I have nothing else to say about any of this puzzle. See you on the morrow, good sirs/madams.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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