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Moana More at IMDbPro »
| Page 1 of 3: | [1] [2] [3] |
| Index | 28 reviews in total |
Jarring
Author: redber from Canada26 November 2016
It was going to sell...... Mooooaaaanaaa. Moan. Teardrops of pity. Bells and whistles clambering above and behind. It catches you. Moana is a movie of it's own, that speaks it's own language and reaps it's own wounds. Jarring. The ramifications of this movie, if you didn't know it already was, jellies from the distant aftertaste of 'Frozen' and 'Zootopia.' But this picture, if you didn't know it already was, is meant for Hawain culture, made for that specific statute of sensibility. So it's not that funny, but on a yacht at night, with the stars shining upon thee, without a whistle of wind, but the quiet rest of the open sea, and showing this film, if you didn't know it already was one, being shown on an outside projector, with a tropical drink in one hand and a bloody tissue in the other, then can this movie touch the jolts of my heart. What I am saying is this movie requires a journey for you to enjoy it instead of sitting their with a dried up full bag of large popcorn.
Charming and delightful
Author: Red_Identity from United States26 November 2016
There are various things I could say about this film that make it sound like I didn't like it. For example, I could say that it's very formulaic in its narrative and character arcs. The themes are also very derivative of themes that other films have also examined. Nothing about the film is entirely surprising. However, it says something about the quality of the execution that despite how predictable it is, it's still able to work wonders. The animation is dazzling and beautiful and the characters are really written with a lot of care. Although the story itself is very derivative, having these types of characters (of Polynesian roots) in the forefront is definitely something original and I do hope that Disney, even when creating films that hit the same beats and follow the same formula, can still create characters that are different in that way.
A Beautiful Addition to the Disney Library
Author: MockeryD from United States
23 November 2016
Moana is a fantastic movie. I have been looking forward to this movie
even since I had heard of its release and I was not disappointed.
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the team who brought us the
Little Mermaid and Aladdin, Moana tells the tale of a young Polynesian
woman named Moana who feels like she's being called to something out in
the great unknown.
Not only is the movie gorgeous to look at but the story is strong and
the characters are great. Moana is fleshed out, given strengths and
weaknesses. We also get to see her overcome her shortcomings and save
the day. Moana is voiced by newcomer Auli'i Cravalho who not only did a
good job with the acting but also with the singing. Her voice is
fantastic! She teams up with Maui, a fallen demi-god, who is voiced by
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and it's obvious the character was made just
for him. While a bit of a braggart, he is very funny and likable.
The songs in this movie are also very gorgeous, taking inspiration from
Polynesian culture. The songs were written by Opetaia Foai, Mark Macina
and Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame. They fit with the setting
perfectly and the songs are bursting with raw emotion.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves Disney and loves
mythology. I cannot recommend it enough.
This is definitely a great Disney film. It's the best Hawaiian Disney film I've seen since Lilo and Stitch. It has an amazing story to it about a young princess named Moana who also becomes a hero by saving the world from total destruction with the help of the Polynesian demigod Maui. Of course we hear Maui's backstory of how he became a demigod. He was a mortal child who was abandoned by his parents and then the Polynesian gods made him for what he is now. Maui is an awesome character too and funny and Dwayne Johnson did an excellent performance of him. I also liked the chicken Hei Hei. He's funny too. The pig was cute too. One character that I found odd though was this giant crab named Tamatoa. He was very weird looking and a bit scary for children. Of course he's also voiced by Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords who also voiced Nigel the cockatoo in Rio. That's a Non-Disney film by the way. He had a good song too. Of course all of the songs were brilliant in this including one of my favorites Opetaia Foa'i We Know the Way. I also loved Maui's song You're Welcome. Also Moana's grandmother and Moana's ancestors were just like Mufasa, cause they helped Moana remember who she was and then she went off to save the world, by confronting Te Ka who is really Te Fiti by returning her heart of pounamu to her which was stolen by Maui cause he wanted every mortal of the Pacific Islands to love him and she is restored to her old self and then everyone on Moana's island is allowed to sail the seas again as their ancestors did years ago. Great Disney film here and I so recommend this to anyone who has children.
Must See Disney Original
Author: stilloopless1 from United States
26 November 2016
First things first.
Disney once again gives us an original short prior to the feature
called Inner Workings. It picks up where Inside Out left off, whereas
we get to see how the human mind/body works. I'm not entirely convinced
kids, especially younger kids will appreciate this one, but it hits a
powerful chord with every working adult. Boring, Boring, and Glum
resonates to the point where I laughed almost as much to keep from
crying as I did from the pure humor.
As for the newest Disney Original feature film of Moana, words like
beautiful, delightful, funny, exciting, thrilling, action packed,
innovative, charming, mesmerizing, emotional, and inspiring leap to
mind. While for the most part, I'm loving the sequels the company has
been doing, Moana recaptures the magic and wonder of Disney original
stories and makes me extremely happy this is the course they'll be
pursuing again. I'm a fan!
The largely Pacific islands cast with the exception of Dwayne Johnson
as the voice of Maui, Nicole Scherzinger, and Alan Tudyk is unfamiliar
to me. However, the perfection in the casting is undeniable. The
characters these actors create are comforting, warm, three dimensional.
The musical score, includes songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton
fame) perfectly accentuates and punctuates the story elevating the
level of entertainment. Plenty of toe tapping and seat dancing to be
had. While none of the songs will most likely reach Let I Go
proportions, I defy you not to laugh, hum along and get You're Welcome
stuck in your head.
Others have tried, maybe even come close, but no one tops Disney/Pixar
animators when it comes to water animation. No one. The overall
animation is also out of this world. There's great us combined 2D and
3D animation to make the story pop, especially the mythology sequences.
The research done to capture the vivid colors and textures of the
Pacific Islands flora and fauna gives Moana an unsurpassed tactility. I
wanted to jump on the next plane to see islands myself.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself and can't give Moana anything but a 10 and
look forward to adding it to my personal movie collection to enjoy for
years to come.
ALERT for you folks that dash out as soon as the credits roll. Stick
around to the end. Enjoy the closing credits music because there's a
final scene when all is said and done that will make you smile.
Emotional Journey, Authentic and Eye Candy AF
Author: alsavini from Los Angels
24 November 2016
As a Polynesian, there are principles and values that are central to
our culture that for many years I've tried to share with anyone I meet.
Actually many people from Hawaii and the Pacific get this, even
non-Polys :-). This story by Disney really brought many of those values
out to the larger screen, to a larger audience, and I didn't realize
seeing it this way would affect me so... deeply. When baby Moana first
stepped onto that beach in the early part of the movie... flower in her
hair, sun kissed skin... "the feels" are an understatement. My sister
and I shed a few tears as if we were seeing a reflection of our own
childhood on a beach in Hawaii -- the happiness, the curiosity, the
innocence,the sea. Yeah, the feels happened and it was GREAT.
The story of the Polynesians voyaging across the Pacific; the sense of
ohana and family; how important coconuts are to island life; how the
island provides all you need; sense of duty to go out and seek
solutions and bring them home; chickens and pigs all over the place
(!); the beautiful and varied languages; the dancing; the art and craft
of the tapestries (tapa/kapa cloth) and other designs; the canoe
designs; the laughing; the relationship with the ocean.... these are
all real things we as Pacific Islanders feel in a beautiful, unique
life. One great example of authenticity: I also loved that instead of
handshakes or just hugs as a greeting in the movie, Disney used the
honi, a traditional Polynesian greeting which I recommend to everyone!
The honi is a Polynesian greeting in which two people greet each other
by pressing noses and inhaling at the same time. This is a very special
as it represents the exchange of ha--the breath of life, and
mana--spiritual power between two people.
This was a well done movie. Breathtakingly beautiful... and actually
not so far off from reality (anyone who's been to Tahiti or Samoa will
get it). Disney deserves credit for bringing so much joy and pride to a
people that are often associated with tikis and grass skirts... We are
so much more, and the story told is a great start to learn more deeply
and authentically, in my opinion.
Great movie for kids!
Author: mikeinpgh from United States
26 November 2016
Saw this with my wife, 3 year-old daughter & mother-in-law & we all loved it. The packed theater of mostly kids & parents seemed to love it & gave it a good round of applause at the end! It is what it is people...a Disney Princess movie with some good laughs, great songs & an overall good family time. For those who didn't like it, I'm not sure what you were expecting with an animated Disney Princess flick. My wife & I were singing the music the rest of the day. Moana had (for what its worth)likely the best song ever sung by The Rock, and he didn't sound half bad. Ms. Cravalho, as Moana, was excellent & has a beautiful voice...move over Elsa & Anna, make room for Moana! The animation was gorgeous, the writing was cute & amusing, the plot was entertaining enough, it's hard to find much to complain about. I'd give it a 10 except it wasn't scary enough for me as I love scares but hey, it was a Disney Princess movie for gosh sake! :)
The Different Kind of Lovable Disney Princess and A Sure Classic Animated Movie
Author: mikenontonmulu from Indonesia
26 November 2016
Well it's been a long time since the last animated movie of Frozen
(also by Disney) that I was truly entertained with such film that had a
lot of songs. While that movie I watched by myself, I had the pleasure
of my wife's company watching this one. And I knew from the first few
minutes that she would love this movie till the end (proven by her
various emotions during the duration of the movie). This movie was very
very good in term of story and the quality of the animation which made
the characters look soooo much alive. I could picture Grandma in real
life and also Maui (who I pictured would look like Dwayne Johnson). The
songs in this movie were mostly gorgeous with the one sung by Auli'i
especially nice (I think it was titled How Far I'll Go).
This is a movie for all audience. I am very sure children would be
entertained by the funny scenes involving Heihei (the dumbest chicken
we have seen, LOL), while the more adults would be happy to see the
adventure and the moral of the story. It is mainly about a girl trying
to find out her real destiny and doing everything she can to fulfill it
because she felt it was her responsibility. It was a different kind of
princess than the usual Disney princesses (this was mentioned very
cleverly by the writers through Maui when he talked about this in the
first few scenes of him together with Moana in the ocean). Another
thing that was a bit different from the previous Disney movies such as
Zootopia or Jungle Book, was the fact that in this movie, the animals
do not speak.
In addition to those, the relationship built between Moana and Maui,
plus the strong presence of Grandma made the whole movie truly felt
like a complete Disney style animated movie. Well done Disney team, you
have done it again!
For those of you who have not watched this movie, please go there and
see it. And please do not be late, as there was a very great short
story presented before the movie started. I am very sure those working
people like me, would appreciate such a lovely story. Oooh and another
thing. Apparently there was also an end credit scene which I did not
know of. So if you have not seen it, do not leave your seats till the
very end. I understand it would show something that people who watched
Disney's animated movies could relate to.
For my complete review, pls have a look at
michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id
Finally, Disney's BACK!!!
Author: miss_michka from Montréal, Canada
26 November 2016
It's been FOREVER since I walked out of a Disney movie all dreamy and amazed...there's always been something off...the music, the story, the animation. Moana just got it all, I walked out with the biggest grin on my face!! I feel like finally, Disney got his act together and remembered what we loved with the Lion King, Aladin, Beauty of the Beast... The animation is AMAZING. The sea, the colors. The islands, the land, the flowers, the colors. Yo don't know where to look, everything looks amazing. The story is great, authentic, based on a great culture. There was research involved and you feel it. The characters are awesome, authentic as well, strong. Yet super funny too. And the songs are diverse and catchy again!! I just LOVED the movie, I've been twice already, bought the soundtrack...well. Disney's back :) I strongly recommend it.
Another return to Disney's classic formula
Author: datautisticgamer-74853 from Chicago, Illinois, US
25 November 2016
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Moana was the only other animated film besides Zootopia that I considered a must-see film for this year. I was really drawn in by its premise, which I thought was a spiritual predecessor to Lilo and Stitch (a movie that I consider a must-see as well). For the most part, I wasn't disappointed, as the story does capture the feel of what seemed to be obligatory in a movie with this kind of premise. The characters aren't as complex as they are in Zootopia, but they do feel closer to what some people consider those from a true Disney musical. The characters present me with one of my main complaints of this movie: I am still not certain of what Maui's motivation was to rejoin Moana. It's not a surprise that the animation is Disney's finest yet, with more colors than I can count and effects that I have never seen before in a Disney film (the way it blends CGI with hand-drawn effects, such as Maui's tattoos). The songs are at worst tolerable, but at their best, they seem like ones from a Disney Renaissance film, even if there are so many of them. Speaking of the Disney Renaissance, this film has solidified the existence of the Neo-Renaissance that began, as many Disney buffs like to consider, 7 years ago. It doesn't have the ambition of Zootopia, however it is amazing in its own way and should please those who have a passion for Disney's musical formula. All I can sum this up with is go watch it.
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