Moana Feature Scores
Explore all 45 feature scores for Moana, organized into pros and cons.
Scores by Feature
Summary
45 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.013 (29%)
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Positive 3.5-4.45 (11%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.49 (20%)
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Negative 1.5-2.413 (29%)
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Very negative below 1.55 (11%)
Pros
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The Polynesian and Pacific Islander cast, dance, music, community rituals, and physical diversity are consistently celebrated. The live performers make Motunui’s culture feel more tangible and specific.
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The returning songs are the remake’s most consistent strength, with How Far I’ll Go, We Know the Way, You’re Welcome, and Shiny still landing. The new end-credits song receives much weaker reactions.
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The practical clothing is one of the remake’s clearest craft strengths, with rich texture, careful cultural detail, and convincing weathering. Liz McGregor’s work translates the animated designs with impressive precision.
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The core tale of identity, leadership, restoration, and voyaging remains strong, clear, and emotionally accessible. The remake benefits greatly from inheriting one of Disney’s better modern stories.
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The strongest images are crisp tropical vistas, sweeping island views, and bright ocean colors. Oscar Faura’s long shots give the production some genuine scale even when effects-heavy scenes feel enclosed.
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Motunui, the boats, and the practical island spaces show strong craftsmanship and texture. The production is most convincing before the adventure moves into heavily digital settings.
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The physical sets, costumes, hair, and weathered details are carefully executed. These tangible elements stand out positively against the less convincing digital environments.
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Rena Owen, John Tui, and Frankie Adams add warmth, dignity, and family texture. Owen in particular is repeatedly singled out for scene-stealing emotional presence.
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Moana and Maui sometimes have snappy, playful friction that keeps the adventure moving. Other critics found the pairing awkward, stiff, or short on the effortless camaraderie of the animated film.
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Catherine Laga’aia is one of the film’s most dependable strengths, bringing an earnest presence, likability, and a strong singing voice to Moana.
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Moana’s growth into a confident leader remains satisfying, and her determination comes through clearly. Maui’s vulnerability and the pair’s bonding receive less depth than they need.
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The coming-of-age themes are presented clearly enough for children while still carrying ideas about identity, duty, and courage for older viewers.
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The final act earns praise for its warmth, visual lift, and emotional release. The choral score helps the conclusion feel more stirring than several of the middle sections.
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Moana’s story remains refreshingly free of a love interest. The focus stays on leadership, identity, family, and friendship rather than forcing a romance into her journey.
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Mark Mancina’s Pacific Island–inflected choral scoring gives the finale weight and urgency. The music is especially effective when supporting the story’s cultural and emotional peaks.
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The ocean, storms, and environmental effects receive strong, immersive treatment. In a premium theater, the surrounding waves and weather add welcome scale.
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The ocean, mythology, village life, and animated flourishes create a colorful world between live action and fantasy. The cultural specificity is more convincing than the digital physicality.
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The editing keeps portions of the adventure moving cleanly, but some transitions and scene rhythms feel clunky. Momentum is strongest during the musical numbers.
Cons
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The overwhelming complaint is that the remake adds almost nothing new. Its shot-for-shot instincts, recycled staging, and fear of meaningful change make it feel more like imitation than reinterpretation.
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The central value problem is that a more vivid version is already widely available. Paying theater prices for a near-copy with flatter visuals is difficult to justify for viewers who know the original.
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The tropical palette, costumes, and occasional stylized musical passages can be attractive. Much of the movie still looks flat, overprocessed, stagebound, or less vibrant than the animation it copies.
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Maui’s wig, prosthetic bodysuit, and overly literal physical recreation are among the most repeated complaints. The look is frequently described as artificial, distracting, or costume-like.
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Critical response is predominantly negative, centered on the remake’s lack of purpose and invention. A smaller group considers it a buoyant or at least competent entry among Disney’s live-action adaptations.
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The mix of actors, green screens, digital water, and cartoon-like creatures rarely feels physically coherent. Many scenes look polished but not convincingly real.
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The voyage often drags between musical highlights, and several critics felt every minute of the nearly two-hour runtime. Familiarity makes slower passages feel even longer.
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Thomas Kail handles some musical and village scenes with energy, but the broader direction is often described as anonymous, stagebound, and overly dependent on the animated blueprint.
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The remake often inspires a desire to revisit the animated original instead. Its limited surprises and weaker visual translation reduce the incentive for repeat viewing.
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The animated tattoos and a few stylized musical moments work well, but many hybrid creatures look awkward beside human actors and lose the charm of the original designs.
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The songs, cultural detail, and occasional bursts of whimsy provide real pleasure. Overall enjoyment is limited by repetition, flat stretches, and the constant sense that the animated film offers the same experience more vividly.
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A few water effects, Kakamora scenes, and stylized sequences impress, but the dominant look is polished yet artificial. Green-screen backgrounds and cartoon creatures frequently lack physical weight.
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The screenplay preserves a strong underlying story but contributes little invention of its own. Familiar lines, scenes, and structure are reproduced with only modest adjustments.
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The cast is uneven overall. Catherine Laga’aia and several supporting players bring warmth and presence, while some dialogue delivery feels stiff and Dwayne Johnson often seems restrained.
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You’re Welcome, Shiny, and a few character exchanges still generate laughs. Heihei and other visual gags often translate poorly, becoming awkward or less charming in the realistic style.
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The story follows the 2016 film beat-for-beat with only minor additions. Viewers should expect the same quest, conflicts, twists, and resolution.
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At roughly the same length as the original plus a modest extension, the runtime is not excessive on paper. Even so, sluggish middle sections make it feel considerably longer to many viewers.
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Moana’s songs, her bond with Tala, and parts of the finale can still move audiences. Much of the remake, however, feels emotionally muted because it recreates familiar moments without restoring their original spark.
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This is an exceptionally faithful adaptation, preserving nearly every plot beat, song, joke, and character turn. That accuracy will comfort some viewers but is also the main reason others find it redundant.
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The story still contains moving material, yet the remake often rushes emotional beats or fails to let tense and sad moments breathe. That weakens the sense of stakes.
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Viewers unfamiliar with the animated film may enjoy the story and songs on their own terms. Longtime fans are much more likely to question why this nearly identical version exists.
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The lyrics and occasional witty exchanges still land, but much of the spoken dialogue feels copied, stiff, or delivered without enough rhythm and spontaneity.
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The story remains accessible, musical, and centered on courage, family, and community. Families new to the material may have fun, though some critics believe children are better served by the more colorful original.
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The seafaring set pieces can look large and energetic, especially the Kakamora and ocean encounters. The climax is more divisive, with some finding it spectacular and others seeing noisy, weightless spectacle.
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The effects range from artful water work and lively stylization to obvious green screen and awkward creature designs. The overall result is technically busy but inconsistent.
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Themes of identity, duty, inheritance, courage, ecology, and cultural memory remain meaningful. The remake preserves them but misses opportunities to deepen their relevance for a new decade.
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As a family fantasy musical, it delivers recognizable songs, adventure, comedy, and a clear heroic journey. It works adequately within the genre but rarely feels fresh or magical.