Moana

"The ocean chose her for a reason."

2026 1h 55m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 876

FamilyFantasyComedyAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Teenage Moana answers the Ocean's call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with infamous demigod Maui on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people.

“The ocean chose her for a reason.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Catherine Lagaʻaia
Moana
Dwayne Johnson
Maui
Rena Owen
Gramma Tala
John Tui
Chief Tui
Frankie Adams
Sina
Jemaine Clement
Tamatoa (voice)
Emma Puahi-Shapazian
Moana (4 years old)
Amaya Masoli
Moana (8 years old)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Thomas Kail
Writers: Jared Bush, Ron Clements, John Musker
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Budget of $250M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Thomas Kail, shot by Óscar Faura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Mancina. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Melanie Oliver shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Catherine Lagaʻaia and Dwayne Johnson and Rena Owen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The ocean chose her for a reason.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt27419466 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Thomas Kail directs. Óscar Faura behind the camera. Mark Mancina scores. Melanie Oliver cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Budget of $250M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.
2Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
3Directed by Thomas Kail, shot by Óscar Faura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mark Mancina. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Melanie Oliver shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Catherine Lagaʻaia and Dwayne Johnson and Rena Owen carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The ocean chose her for a reason.".
8IMDB entry: tt27419466 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "sailboat", "sea", "friendship", "ocean".

The technical file

Cinematography: Óscar Faura
Original score: Mark Mancina
Editing: Melanie Oliver
Production design: John Myhre
Costume design: Liz McGregor
Makeup / hair: Renee Ramos
VFX supervisor: Bill Westenhofer
Sound: Tim Nielsen
Stunt coordinator: Monique Ganderton
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $250,000,000
Box office: $308,159,595
Return: 123% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Moana (2026)

Also by

Thomas Kail

Stills · wallpapers

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2026-07-10
★ 5/10
Check out my full review @ https://www.manuelsbento.com/moana-2026-stranded-on-a-soundstage-of-pure-nostalgia/ Rating: C MOANA had every chance to expand on its animated predecessor, and it wastes almost all of it. Beat for beat identical to the 2016 original, this remake trades vibrant, sun-drenched color for green screen sterility, turning musical numbers that once felt joyously alive into stiff, mechanical spectacle. The lead performance brings real warmth to the title role, and the central chemistry has its moments, but neither is enough to disguise a film that never once asks why it needed to exist.
CinemaSerf2026-07-17
★ 6/10
On a gorgeous Polynesian island where they all...speak...very...slowly, the young "Moana" (Catherine Laga'aia) is conflicted by her father's (John Tui) warning never to venture beyond the reef that protects their home and her grandmother (Rena Owen) who is embedded more in the tribe's ancestral and mystical roots and who has little fear of the open ocean and what lies beyond. When their crops all start to die, she is reminded of the legend of the demi-god "Maui" (Dwayne Johnson) who took the heart-stone from the benign goddess from whom all life sprang, and so she determines to find him and his magical hook and then restore the ornate stone to this font of all goodness. Perhaps that will reverse the process that is killing everything? Ten years on from the original animation and this doesn't really add very much to a story that was always a bit cheesy and thin. Here, it's at least forty-five minutes before the film really gets going and Johnson enters the fray and even then it's all just a little too formulaic. He does look like he's enjoying himself, but Laga'aia hasn't much by way of charisma to match and my favourites - the dart-blowing, sea-going, coconut critters - barely feature at all. The two songs that underpin this are familiar enough by now, but the rest of the music is borderline bland and by the rather hastily arrived at conclusion of this perfectly watchable but entirely forgettable rehash, I was wondering if they were already cannibalising the set from the "Lion King" on stage ready for the next iteration of "Moana" - the musical. It's pretty to look at but isn't much more than expensively crafted wallpaper, sorry.
ianrathbone2026-08-04
★ 7/10
She sings, he grins wide / Water swallows the whole screen / Talent wins the day #filmreviewhaiku