Moana (2016)

Number Rolled: 27

Movie Name/Year: Moana (2016)

Tagline: The ocean is calling.

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Length: 107 minutes

Rating: PG

Production Companies: Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Producer: Nicole P. Hearon, John Lasseter, Osnat Shurer

Director: Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams

Writer: Jared Bush, Ron Clements, John Musker, Chris Williams, Don Hall, Pamela Ribon, Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell

Actors: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, Oscar Knightley, Troy Polamalu, Puanani Cravalho, Louise Bush, Chris Jackson, Phillipa Soo

Stunt Doubles: N/A

Blurb from Netflix: A Polynesian girl destined to be her island’s chief makes a perilous trip with a boastful demigod to undo his mistake and save her people.

Selina’s Point of View:

The first time I saw this film was while on vacation with my husband. I loved it then, and I love it now.

As Disney goes, this is a relatively unique movie. There’s no love story at all. Not even on the sidelines. It’s all just about a girl on a mission to save the world. Sure, she does eventually work with a male god, but there’s absolutely no romance thrown in. Not even in a subtle way. It’s refreshing.

The characterizations are really well done and the voices fit perfectly.

I’m not even just saying that because I 100% love Dwayne Johnson (Central Intelligence, Baywatch, San Andreas). Though… I do. That guy could make a two-hour film just involving him eating a burger and I’d still see it. But, he certainly wasn’t the only star that made his character worth remembering.

I cannot believe this film was Auli’i Cravalho’s (Gone Fishing, Rise, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2) first film. Her voice was incredible for the title character. She was memorable, and the songs were the kind that could earworm you for weeks on end. A lot of that was due to her vocals.

The only issue I had was that some of the music got a touch repetitive. Not by much, though. It didn’t make the movie unwatchable or anything, it was just something I can’t help but notice when I watch. It may be a personal observation, though – not objective.

I do recommend watching this film. It’s going to be a classic just like the majority of these kind of Disney animation. It’s got an incredible amount of heart.

Cat’s Point of View:

I was very happy that we had Moana as this movie selection. My family and I watched this film sometime around its release, and we all loved it. My daughter was super excited that we were going to watch it again. It was a wonderful way to cap off her Thanksgiving break from school.

There are so many layers to this movie. You could watch the film several times and have a fresh take-away from each viewing.

I love that the writers and developers of this film visited Polynesian islands and spent several months researching so that they could respectfully represent the culture as accurately as possible. There’s such a rich vibrancy to the film that stems from that experience.

Moana delivers on everything you’d expect from a Disney Princess movie. There are animal sidekicks, musical numbers, Easter eggs galore, and an emotional journey of personal growth for the characters. There’s serious content, and some balancing comedy.

While this wasn’t the first animated rodeo for veteran actors Dwayne Johnson (The Other Guys, Snitch, Ballers) and Alan Tudyk (Trumbo, Rogue One, Star vs. the Forces of Evil); this was the debut performance for Auli'i Cravalho (Gone Fishing, Rise), who played Moana. I was seriously impressed – and her voice is gorgeous.

All told, this movie is definitely a fun experience for the whole family, and I would happily watch it again.

Languages

Speech Available: English, Spanish

Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 96%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 89%

Metascore - 81/100

Metacritic User Score – 7.8/10

IMDB Score – 7.6/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5

P.S. Short scene after the credits.

Movie Trailer: