‎Moana (2016) directed by Ron Clements, John Musker • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Moana

2016 Directed by Ron Clements, John Musker

The ocean is calling.

In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.

Auli'i Cravalho Dwayne Johnson Rachel House Temuera Morrison Jemaine Clement Nicole Scherzinger Alan Tudyk Louise Bush Chris Jackson Oscar Kightley Troy Polamalu Puanani Cravalho

107 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Evan ★★★★½ 19

Not only is Moana the best animated film I've seen in 2016, it's one of the better films I've seen in general in 2016!

Moana >>> Frozen.

This is probably my favorite animated film since Toy Story 3. Yes, I enjoyed Moana that much!
Review by Arielrocks5 ★★★★½ 65

I can not put into words how happy this movie made me.

Ron Clements and John Musker have and always will be two of my heroes. Ever since I saw "The Little Mermaid" for the first time about three years ago, I've never been the same. They awoke something deep inside my heart that very few people did. The only others who have come close to doing the same magic are, most recently in fact, Charlie Kaufman and Duncan Jones.

Granted, it's an entirely different story with what the latter did than the former, but it doesn't change what the former did and managed to do once again here.

"Moana" reminded me of why I love Disney the way I…
Review by Kait ★★★★ 3

I had to go to the campus health center tonight bc I was having an anxiety attack and the nurse let me watch this on her computer so shoutout to jennifer
Review by Sally Jane Black 21

CW: erasure, appropriation, white supremacy/racism, capitalism, feminism/gender, trans stories, urine reference

A goddess of life, of verdure, of creation, is sought out by a masculine force of divine power, and for a time, becomes infernal, until she is restored in a moment of regret by the same masculine force. Then, spring returns. Her name is Persephone, kidnapped by Hades at the discretion of Zeus, then later restored (for part of the year) by Zeus again. The pieces, places, people are different. The story is structured in a different way. New elements are introduced in different versions. A woman knows herself, but dominant masculine forces erase it. She remembers herself when they are changed by her restorative powers; a woman knows…
Review by adrianbalboa ★★★★★

☝️ I 🖐 AM 🌸 MOANA 🌺 of 🏖 MOTUNUI ⛰YOU 👉 WILL 🚶 BOARD 🏃 MY ⛵️ BOAT 🛶 SAIL 🚣‍♀️ ACROSS 🗺 THE 🌅 OCEAN 🌊 and ✊️ RESTORE 👊 THE 💜 HEART 💙 OF 🏞 TE FITI 🌋‼️
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★ 2

74

So pleasing in its aesthetic depiction of elements corresponding along with Moana's main journey that you'll cry from the sheer beauty of each beat in its obstacle structure. The environment is seamless in how it represents emotion by literally rising to life as dancing textures and substances - renditions of internal state - within her familiar quest. Its specificity matters, clinging to the beauty of showcasing an underrepresented culture taking the reins in a decidedly accustomed Mythic system. Unequivocally gorgeous and warm.

Recent reviews

Review by JosephLoftgren ★★★

My favorite cinema game to play last year was 'who sings worse in a blockbuster movie?'

A - The Rock

or

B - Ryan Gosling
Review by Pethiyagoda ★★★★★

I am Moana of Mata Nui
You will board my boat
Sail across the ocean
And restore the heart of Tefitti
Review by Zachary Eslick ★★★

Watched the last 66 minutes of it with the fam.

Rating so far is below. Just marking it so I know how much I've seen.
Review by Thay Duarte ★★★★½

muito fofoletooo
Review by Sam Johnson

Still great
Review by RestlessJack ★★★

It's stunning on a visual level, and you can really feel that the animators did a ton of research so you'd feel immersed in another culture, not just getting a white person's approximation of somewhere "exotic." That said, the plot is bog standard for the first half (would you believe that Moana's dad has a very contrived reason for being adamantly opposed to his daughter ever leaving their home island? Or that there's a song about how you'd have to be crazy not to be happy on the island, which Moana sings ironically?), while the second half feels a bit claustrophobic after it narrows the focus down to just two characters.
Review by Dani Camarinho ★★★★★

One of the best movies I've ever seen. So much color, the songs are beautiful and not a bit annoying... hehe...
I really loved it!
Review by katemo ★★★★½

'you're welcome' gets me so lit
Review by cronopio ★★★★★

justo y necesario. Ahora es el soundtrack de las duchas.