Moana (2016)

In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches Moana's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.

Directors:

Ron Clements, John Musker

Writers:

Jared Bush (screenplay by), Ron Clements (story by)

Stars:

Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 88 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Auli'i Cravalho	...	Moana (voice)
Dwayne Johnson	...	Maui (voice)
Rachel House	...	Gramma Tala (voice)
Temuera Morrison	...	Chief Tui (voice)
Jemaine Clement	...	Tamatoa (voice)
Nicole Scherzinger	...	Sina (voice)
Alan Tudyk	...	Heihei / Villager #3 (voice)
Oscar Kightley	...	Fisherman (voice)
Troy Polamalu	...	Villager #1 (voice)
Puanani Cravalho	...	Villager #2 (voice)
Louise Bush	...	Toddler Moana (voice)

Storyline

Moana Waialiki is a sea voyaging enthusiast and the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators. When her island's fishermen can't catch any fish and the crops fail, she learns that the demigod Maui caused the blight by stealing the heart of the goddess, Te Fiti. The only way to heal the island is to persuade Maui to return Te Fiti's heart, so Moana sets off on an epic journey across the Pacific. The film is based on stories from Polynesian mythology.

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Plot Keywords:

island | ocean | polynesia | polynesian | saving the world | 

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Taglines:

The ocean is calling.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for peril, some scary images and brief thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

The genie's lamp from Aladdin (1992) can be seen on Tamatoa's shell.

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Goofs

When Moana and Maui have escaped the pirates and Maui starts clearing away the darts, one shot in profile shows several darts behind Maui. However, these are suddenly gone in the next shot in profile even though Maui never turned around to grab them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gramma Tala: In the beginning there was only ocean until the Mother Island emerged. Te Fiti. Her heart held the greatest power ever known. It could create life itself. And Te Fiti shared it with the world. But in time, some began to seek Te Fiti's heart. They believed if they could possess it, the great power of creation would be theirs. And one day, the most daring of them all voyaged across the vast ocean to take it. He was a demi-god of the wind and sea. He was a warrior. A trickster. A ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

There is a post-credit scene where Tamatoa the Crab (Jemaine Clement) breaks the fourth wall by telling the audience that they would help him turn over if he had a Jamaican accent and was called Sebastian. A clear nod to the directors Ron Clements and John Musker's crab character "Sebastian" in The Little Mermaid, which they wrote.

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Gone with the Gun (2020)

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Soundtracks

How Far I'll Go
Performed by Auli'i Cravalho
Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

User Reviews

I know that chicken ... I voted for him .... TWICE!

Instant classic.

Easily ranks among the best from the Disney Studio, and a very worthy successor to Mulan 1998, a similar story equally well done.

Oddly also seems to be best work ever from Dwayne Johnson, perhaps not the first name I would have associated with "voice acting," but a star turn nonetheless.

If you want to be picky -- which is the reviewer's job, after all -- the momentum slows a little at the top of the third act, but the ultimate themes of redemption, forgiveness and self-discovery at the finale are an absolute joy.

As they used to say, "for children of all ages."

Details

Official Sites:

Disney+ Hotstar Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

23 November 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Moana

Filming Locations:

Polynesia

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$56,631,401, 27 November 2016

Gross USA:

$248,757,044

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$643,350,998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hurwitz Creative, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos DTS (DTS: X) Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Digital 12-Track Digital Sound SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1