Bumblebee
Mary Poppins Returns
Halloween
Outlander
Log in with Facebook
OR
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.
Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password.
Critics Consensus: With a title character as three-dimensional as its lush animation and a story that adds fresh depth to Disney's time-tested formula, Moana is truly a family-friendly adventure for the ages.
Critic Consensus: With a title character as three-dimensional as its lush animation and a story that adds fresh depth to Disney's time-tested formula, Moana is truly a family-friendly adventure for the ages.
All Critics (261) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (249) | Rotten (12) | DVD (1)
This is Disney's way of having its formulaic cake and eating it, too: "We know what we're doing here, and we know that you know it, too. So please stop fretting and enjoy while the pieces fall into place."
The narrative is a fairly predictable hero's journey -- Maui even calls her "The Chosen One" -- but the movie is refreshing for its lack of a love interest; instead Moana learns how to chart her own course.
An absolute delight, a lush, exuberant quest fable full of big musical numbers and featuring perhaps the most stunning visuals of any Disney film to date.
Story of Pacific Islander girl on a quest benefits from Dwayne Johnson's comic timing and a Lin-Manuel Miranda soundtrack
The film achieves what the best Disney animated features do: a sense of place that is refined and specific.
[Moana] is beautiful in more ways than I can tell, thanks to the brilliance of more animators than I could count.
There are genuine laughs and emotions to be felt here, and even though the runtime is longer than many animated Disney films, it flies by. That must mean we were having fun...
Moana is full of charm, a gorgeous-looking film that is full of life with some engaging leads and a snappy soundtrack.
I really enjoyed Dwayne Johnson's performance in this film. Not only did he showcase some vocal skills for us in a few songs but his character was funny...
Moana's heart is clearly in the right place, but it doesn't appear to have anything to offer beneath the surface - and certainly nothing to keep older viewers as entertained as younger ones on repeat viewings.
A different breed of classical animated film. She's a Disney princess...with some updates and some much-needed tweaks.
I wasn't blown away by Moana, but I liked it a lot.
Disney's animated pacific adventure is a feast for all senses. The visuals are stunningly beautiful, the songs catchy, the characters lovable. All this plays together so well, you don't even notice that the story is mostly put together of the usual chosen one tropes. Still, the film's beating heart is so huge that it easily sways you to have a wonderful time, no matter your age.
Super Reviewer
Young girl wants to realize her destiny by breaking free from the strict confines of her society. We've seen the hero's journey story before. It gently recycles elements of The Little Mermaid, Mulan and half a dozen other of their own creations. Even the way the chronicle presents fluctuating happy and sad events won't surprise anyone over the age of 5. Moana and Maui's rocky relationship are highlighted by ups and downs that I would warmly describe as haphazardly predicable . Yet the production is carried out in such a proficient manner that the appropriation is still incredibly entertaining. The soundtrack is filled with one transcendent song after another. The animation is vibrant and appealing. The evocation of paradise is stunningly beautiful. Even the water is a translucent character that protects our young hero. Her pets, a pig (Puanani Cravalho) and a rooster (Alan Tudyk), each provide wonderful comic relief. Moana happily employs an 'everything but the kitchen sink' mentality that includes the sum total of what makes a Disney film entertaining. You want colorful animation, music, sidekicks, a comic villain, humor, a moral? Well how about an army cuddly cute coconut warriors? You get all that and more and it's skillfully presented in an artistically appealing way. fastfilmreviews.com
It trips a bit in the end (post-climax) and how the characters seem to change their minds all the time, but even so this is a great animation that looks gorgeous in every way imaginable and has beautiful songs and a modern Disney Princess who is strong, independent and determined.
Disney, aware of the criticism against her, tosses another attempt to rectify wrongs ... And scores. Set amongst some Pacific islands a princess comes into her own in fetching fashion. And big fun.
There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.
View All