Moana (2016)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
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.
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Cast
as Moana
as Maui
as Chief Tui
as Gramma Tala
as Sina
as Tamatoa
as Heihei, Villager #3
as Fisherman
as Villager #1
as Villager #2
as Toddler Moana
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Critic Reviews for Moana
All Critics (260) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (248) | 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.
Audience Reviews for Moana
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
Super Reviewer
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.
Super Reviewer
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