Moana (2016)

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The good:
  • Aesthetically, this film is gorgeous, colorful, vibrant, technically proficient, well animated and immersive.
  • Strong female lead. Moana is a believable character with depth and personality.
  • Some of the older Disney films have been criticised for racism, sexism, unrealistic body images, etc. and this one has adapted in those regard.
  • The voice acting
  • The musical scenes are entertaining, and they never overstay their welcome
But the plot is formulaic. The overprotective family that wants their child to stay safe with the familiar instead of go out into the unknown has been done several times before with the 90's films.

There are no twists and turns in this movie at all. Everything is predictable if you've seen Disney movies before. Little things like Mau's animated tattoos are novel, but not much originality overall. But the whole film is well executed.

I would strongly recommend this for children, as they may be less discerning about plot and may not have seen lots of other movies. It's still a decent film for adults though.


6 or 7 out of 10.




I would strongly recommend this for children, as they may be less discerning about plot and may not have seen lots of other movies.
Ha. The children in my family would beg to differ.

I did notice you’ve said “may” here.



I saw it in the theater and loved it. I think that the music is great (especially "How Far I'll Go" and "You're Welcome"). The vocal performances (from Cravalho and Johnson's lead performance to Clement's borderline cameo) are strong across the board.

And I did think that there was a nice unexpected moment in terms of how the main conflict with the "villain" was resolved.

Yes, a princess who doesn't want what's intended for her is hardly new territory for any Disney film, but I thought that this incarnation of that plot was incredibly well done.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
I consider this film one of the better Disney animated movies to come out in the last decade.
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Suspect's Reviews



On my Top 5 Disney animated films.
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When it comes to the works of Clements and Musker, I'm more of an Aladdin guy. But I'd easily put Moana in the same league as Lilo and Stitch.



It did seem a little unoriginal my first time through it, but it definitely grew on me and my daughter. The songs are top notch admittedly, even though The Rock seems a bit too arrogant on pushing 'Youre Welcome' as one of the best Disney tunes ever.