‎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 Kait ★★★★ 2

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 Arielrocks5 ★★★★½ 63

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 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 fannydarling ★★★½

i laughed, i cried, i appreciated the lack of a romantic interest - but not much happened really? maybe that's nice for a change though, with all the children's movies nowadays being rushed with 200 things happening in 20 minutes. hm. lovely, nevertheless.
Review by Kevin Matthews ★★★★

Another winner from Disney. The songs may not be as memorable as some of their other infectious tunes but the story is sweet, the characters are great, there's a hilarious chicken comedy sidekick and both the water and fire animation work is sublimely smooth. A wonderful piece of work.
Review by Tom Grinnell ★★★★★ 1

💙
Review by Krystian Mychel Eriksen Bynum ★★★★

Great music & animation.
Review by Collin Lent ★★½

Yes, I understand this is a movie for kids, but this movie was just a little too unrealistic for my liking. I thought Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's character did not match voice with appearance. Also, I thought the songs throughout the film fit the movie's tone and style. But I have to admit, I love Disney Animation endings even though they are extremely cheesy and Moana's ending made me feel like I was a little kid watching Tarzan or Hercules for the first time.
Review by Popcornography ★★★★½

Brimming with gorgeous visuals, enchanting tunes and a captivating narrative, MOANA is a refreshing take on the princess genre with plenty of wind in its sails!
Review by amy ★★★★★

this is the best disney classic and no one can convince me otherwise
Review by Wesley R. Ball ★★★★½

Moana follows Disney's typical three/four-act plot structure, but what it lacks in plot complexity it more than makes up for in being endlessly joyous and wondrous to behold. Some of Disney's best animation is here- specifically the startlingly realistic water textures- but its homage to cultural Polynesian styles is all but apparent. Each song is memorable in its own way (even the totally out of place "Shiny" has an oddly fascinating tone to me).

Moana is evidence enough that Disney has gone well beyond graduating from its usual damsel in distress motif. Moana is strong and independent, a force to be reckoned with, and someone you clearly would not want to find yourself in the wrong end of an argument…
Review by Robbin Batey ★★★★½

Tied with Hercules for second best soundtrack from a Disney movie, what's keeping it from 5 stars is that the story of Tikal was confusing