Moana (2016)
The ocean is calling.
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 13 October 2016 |
| Genre | Adventure, Comedy, Family, Animation |
| Director | John Musker |
| Starring | Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson and Rachel House |
| Runtime | 107 min |
| Rated | PG |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7.9/10 · Metacritic 81/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 95% · IMDb 7.6/10 · TMDB users 7.6/10 |
| Budget | $150 million |
| Box office | $691 million worldwide |
Where to watch Moana
Moana is streaming on Disney+ ($15.99 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Disney+ is $15.99 at list price.
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What kind of watch this is
Moana is a 2016 animated adventure about a chieftain’s daughter who hears the ocean calling her across the sea to find Maui. The runtime is 107 minutes, which is enough time for a demigod to be annoying and a curse to unravel. John Musker directs the film, and the tagline is simple: the ocean is calling. It is a story about answering a summons when everyone else is busy ignoring it. The stakes are high, but the tone keeps the volume at a manageable level for family viewing.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes sits at 95% as of January 2025, based on 287 reviews. Metacritic gives it 81 out of 100 as of December 2024, a score that signals universal acclaim. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal called it "beautiful in more ways than I can tell." Peter Debruge of Variety saw it as "a return to the heights of the Disney Renaissance." The consensus praises the three-dimensional lead and the fresh depth added to the formula. It ranks 20th on the site’s list of best computer-animated movies. Critics noted the hand-drawn tattoos stole the show from the CGI. The ocean gets a literary nod from Wai Chee Dimock, who links it to Jack London.
How it did with audiences
$150 million estimated production cost. $691 million worldwide gross. That is a healthy margin, the kind that keeps studio executives smiling while they plan the next sequel. In the U.S. and Canada, it earned $248.7 million, with the rest coming from other countries. By late January 2017, it had crossed the $500 million mark, joining a short list of recent Disney hits. TMDB users rate it 7.6 out of 10. For a film about a girl who ignores her mother’s advice to go to sea, that is a respectable return on investment.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Moana.
Sources
- Moana on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q18647981 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Moana (2016 film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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