Moana ( 2016 film ) - Wikipedia Moana ( 2016 film ) Moana Theatrical release poster Directed by Ron Clements John Musker Produced by Osnat Shurer Screenplay by Jared Bush Story by Ron Clements John Musker Chris Williams Don Hall Pamela Ribon Aaron Kandell Jordan Kandell Starring Auliʻi Cravalho Dwayne Johnson Rachel House Temuera Morrison Jemaine Clement Nicole Scherzinger Alan Tudyk Music by Songs : Lin - Manuel Miranda Opetaia Foa'i Score : Mark Mancina Cinematography Rob Dressel Edited by Jeff Draheim Production companies Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Release date November 14, 2016 ( 2016 - 11 - 14 ) ( AFI Fest ) November 23, 2016 ( 2016 - 11 - 23 ) ( United States ) Running time 107 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $150 million Box office $643.3 million Moana ( / moʊˈɑːnə, - ænə / ) is a 2016 American 3D computer - animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 56th Disney animated feature film. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, co-directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, the film introduces Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana and features the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, and Alan Tudyk. The film features songs written by Lin - Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa'i and orchestral score composed by Mark Mancina. The film tells the story of Moana, the strong - willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with a goddess. When a blight strikes her island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a legendary demigod, in the hope of returning the heart of Te Fiti and saving her people. Moana was released theatrically in the United States on November 23, 2016 to positive reviews from critics, with particular praise going towards its animation, music, and vocal performances. The film went on to gross over $643 million worldwide. Along with Zootopia, it marked the first time since 2002 that Walt Disney Animation Studios released two feature films in the same year. It received two Academy Award nominations at the 89th Academy Awards : one for Best Animated Feature and another for Best Original Song ( `` How Far I 'll Go '' ). Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Development 3.2 Writing 3.3 Casting 3.4 Animation 3.5 Music and soundtrack 3.6 Localization 4 Release 4.1 Marketing 4.2 Home media 5 Reception 5.1 Box office 5.1. 1 North America 5.1. 2 Outside North America 5.2 Critical response 5.3 Criticism 5.4 Accolades 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Plot On the Polynesian island of Motunui, the inhabitants worship the goddess Te Fiti, who brought life to the ocean, using a pounamu stone as her heart and the source of her power. Maui, the shapeshifting demigod and master of sailing, steals the heart to give humanity the power of creation. However, Te Fiti disintegrates, and Maui is attacked by Te Kā, a volcanic demon, losing both his magical giant fishhook and the heart to the depths. A millennium later, Moana, daughter of Motunui 's chief Tui, is chosen by the ocean to return the heart to Te Fiti. However, Tui arrives and takes Moana away, causing her to lose the heart. Tui and Moana 's mother, Sina, try to keep her away from the ocean to prepare her for ascension as the island 's chief. Years later, a blight strikes the island, rotting the coconuts and dwindling the number of fish caught. Moana suggests going beyond the island 's reef to find more fish, but Tui forbids it. Moana tries conquering the reef but is overpowered by the tides and shipwrecked back on Motunui. Moana 's grandmother Tala shows her a secret cave, where a number of ships are hidden, revealing to Moana that their people used to be voyagers. Tala explains they stopped when Maui stole Te Fiti 's heart and that Te Kā 's darkness is poisoning the island, but it can be cured if Moana finds Maui and makes him restore the heart of Te Fiti, which she gives to Moana. Tala falls ill shortly after and dies. Moana sets sail on a camakau found in the cavern. She is caught in a typhoon and shipwrecked on an island where she finds the stranded Maui, who traps her and steals the camakau, but Moana catches up to him with help from the ocean. She demands that Maui return the heart but he refuses. Maui is accompanied by a sentient `` Mini-Maui '' tattoo, acting as his conscience. They are attacked by Kakamora -- coconut - armored pirates -- who seek the heart, but Moana and Maui outwit them. Moana realizes Maui is no longer a hero, and convinces him to redeem himself by returning the heart. Maui first needs to obtain his magical fishhook, which is located in Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters, and is in the possession of Tamatoa, a giant, greedy coconut crab. Maui retrieves his fishhook while Moana distracts Tamatoa, but Maui discovers he can not control his shapeshifting and loses self - confidence, quickly becoming overpowered by Tamatoa. Moana 's quick thinking allows them to escape with the hook. Maui reveals that his first tattoo was earned when his mortal parents rejected him. After reassurance from Moana, Maui teaches her the art of sailing and regains control of his powers. The two arrive at Te Fiti 's island, only to be attacked by Te Kā, who badly damages Maui 's fishhook. Fearful he will lose his hook, and therefore his power, Maui angrily abandons Moana, who tearfully asks the ocean to find someone else to restore the heart. The ocean obliges and takes the heart from Moana. Tala 's spirit appears, inspiring Moana to find her true calling. She retrieves the heart and sails back to confront Te Kā. Maui returns, having had a change of heart, and buys Moana time to reach Te Fiti by fighting Te Kā, destroying his fishhook in the process. Moana discovers Te Fiti is missing, and realizes Te Kā is Te Fiti without her heart. Moana tells the ocean to clear a path, allowing her to restore Te Fiti 's heart, transforming her back to normal. Te Fiti then heals the ocean and islands of the blight. Maui apologizes to Te Fiti, who restores his fishhook and falls into a deep sleep. Moana bids farewell to Maui, returning home where she reunites with her parents. She takes up her role as chief and wayfinder, leading her people on a voyage. Cast Auliʻi Cravalho at the film 's premiere in Samoa in December 2016 Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana, the 16 - year - old daughter of village chief Tui and Sina, who is chosen by the ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti Cravalho reprised her role in the Hawaiian - language version of the movie. Louise Bush as a younger Moana Dwayne Johnson as Maui, a legendary shapeshifting demigod who sets off with Moana on her journey Rachel House as Tala, Moana 's grandmother. Like Moana, Tala shares a passion for the ocean House reprised her role in the Māori - language version of the movie. Temuera Morrison as Tui, Moana 's overprotective father, who is Tala 's son, chief of Motunui Island Morrison reprised his role in the Māori - language version of the movie. Christopher Jackson as Tui 's singing voice Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa, a giant treasure - hoarding coconut crab from Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters Clement reprised his role in the Māori - language version of the movie. Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Moana 's mother and Tui 's wife Scherzinger also reprised her role in the Hawaiian - language version of the movie. Alan Tudyk as Heihei, Moana 's pet rooster Tudyk also voices Villager No. 3, who suggests cooking Heihei Oscar Kightley as a fisherman Troy Polamalu as Villager No. 1 Puanani Cravalho ( Auliʻi 's mother ) as Villager No. 2 Production Development Directors John Musker and Ron Clements presented footage from the film at the 2016 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. After directing The Princess and the Frog ( 2009 ), Clements and Musker started working on an adaptation of Terry Pratchett 's Mort, but problems with acquiring the necessary film rights prevented them from continuing with that project. To avoid a recurrence of that issue, they pitched three original ideas. The genesis of one of those ideas ( the one that was ultimately green - lighted ) occurred in 2011, when Musker began reading up on Polynesian mythology, and learned of the heroic exploits of the demigod Māui. Intrigued with the rich culture of Polynesia, he felt it would be a suitable subject for an animated film. Shortly thereafter, Musker and Clements wrote a treatment and pitched it to John Lasseter, who recommended that both of them should go on research trips. Accordingly, in 2012, Clements and Musker went on research trips to Fiji, Samoa, and Tahiti to meet the people of the South Pacific Ocean and learn about their culture. At first, they had planned to make the film entirely about Maui, but their initial research trips inspired Clements to pitch a new idea focused on the young daughter of a chief. Clements and Musker were fascinated to learn during their research that the people of Polynesia abruptly stopped making long - distance voyages about three thousand years ago. Their navigational traditions predated those of European explorers, beginning around 300 CE. Native people of the Pacific possessed knowledge of the world and their place in it prior to the incursion of foreigners. For example, Kānaka Maoli ( Native Hawaiians ) were well aware of the existence of far away islands, had names for these places, and were interested in exploring them to benefit their societies. This voyaging heritage was made possible by a geographical knowledge system based on individual perspective rather than the European cardinal direction system. The reasons for the halt of this voyaging tradition remain unknown, but scholars have offered climate change and resulting shifts in ocean currents and wind patterns as one possible explanation. Native peoples of the Pacific resumed voyaging again a thousand years later. Clements and Musker set the film at the end of that era, about two thousand years ago, on a fictional island in the central Pacific Ocean, which drew inspiration from elements of the real - life island nations of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. Over the five years it took to develop and produce the film, Clements and Musker recruited experts from across the South Pacific to form an Oceanic Story Trust, who consulted on the film 's cultural accuracy and sensitivity as the story evolved through nine versions. The Trust responded negatively, for example, to a depiction of Maui as bald, and to a proposed scene in which Moana threw a tantrum by throwing coconuts. In response, Maui was reworked with long hair and the coconut scene was scrapped. Te Kā was referred to in early drafts of the film as Te Pō, a reference to the Māori goddess Hine - nui - te - pō, who was originally the life - giving goddess Hine - tītama, but became the goddess of death upon discovering that her husband the god Tāne was also her father. Māui set out to defeat her in order to bring immortality to humans, but failed and was himself killed. During the 2015 D23 Expo 's panel for Disney 's slate of upcoming animated films, Moana 's last name was given as `` Waialiki '', but that name was not retained in the final film. Writing Taika Waititi wrote the initial screenplay. The first draft focused on Moana as the sole daughter in a family with `` five or six brothers '', in which gender played into the story. However, the brothers and gender - based theme were deleted from the story, as the directors thought Moana 's journey should be about finding herself. A subsequent draft presented Moana 's father as the one who wanted to resume navigation, but it was rewritten to have him oppose navigation so he would not overshadow Moana. Instead, Pamela Ribon came up with the idea of a grandmother character for the film, who would serve as a mentor linking Moana to ancient traditions. Another version focused on Moana rescuing her father, who had been lost at sea. The film 's story changed drastically during the development phase ( which happens with most Disney films ), and that idea ultimately survived only as a subtle element of the father 's backstory. Aaron and Jordan Kandell joined the project during a critical period to help deepen the emotional story architecture of the film. They are credited with developing the core relationship between Moana and Maui, the prologue, the Cave of the Wayfinders, the Kakamora, and the collector crab Tamatoa ( played by Jemaine Clement ). Jared Bush received sole credit as the writer of the final version of the screenplay. Like most Disney and Pixar animated films, several major story problems were identified in 2015 only after the film had already transitioned from development into production, but computer - generated films tend to have much shorter production schedules and much larger animation teams ( in this case, about 90 animators ) than traditionally animated films. Since Clements and Musker were already working 12 - hour days ( and Saturdays ) directing such a large team of animators, Don Hall and Chris Williams ( who had just finished directing Big Hero 6 ) came on board as co-directors to help fix the film 's story issues. The scene in which Maui and Moana encounter the Kakamora is an intentional homage to Mad Max : Fury Road. Casting Dwayne Johnson ( pictured here in 2013 ) played the co-starring role of Maui in Moana After the filmmakers sat through auditions of hundreds of candidates from across the Pacific, 14 - year - old high school freshman Auliʻi Cravalho was cast as the lead character Moana. At that point in time, the design of Moana 's face and personality was already complete, and Cravalho 's obvious physical resemblance to her character was simply a coincidence. During animation production, Disney animators were able to integrate some of Cravalho 's mannerisms into Moana 's behavior as depicted onscreen. The majority of the film 's cast members are of Polynesian descent : Auliʻi Cravalho ( Moana ) and Nicole Scherzinger ( Sina, Moana 's mother ) were born in Hawaii and are of Native Hawaiian heritage ; Dwayne Johnson ( Maui ), Oscar Kightley ( Fisherman ), and Troy Polamalu ( Villager No. 1 ) are of Samoan heritage ; and New Zealand -- born Rachel House ( Tala, Moana 's grandmother ), Temuera Morrison ( Tui, Moana 's father ), and Jemaine Clement ( Tamatoa ) are of Māori heritage. Animation Moana is Clements and Musker 's first fully computer - animated film. One of the reasons for using computer animation was that the environment, including the ocean, benefited much more from the use of CGI as opposed to traditional animation. The filmmakers have also suggested that three - dimensional computer animation is well - suited to the `` beautiful sculpturing '' of the faces of the people of the South Pacific. Eric Goldberg worked on the hand - drawn animation used to depict Maui 's sentient tattoos. During early development, the filmmakers considered the possibility of making the film with hand - drawn traditional animation, but only a few early animation tests were made in that style. In the final cut, only Maui 's tattoos are hand - drawn. Moana was produced in makeshift quarters in a giant warehouse in North Hollywood ( together with Zootopia ), while Disney Animation 's headquarters building in Burbank was being renovated. Musker observed that Moana was similar in that respect to The Little Mermaid, which was produced in a warehouse in Glendale. Production wrapped on October 20, 2016. Music and soundtrack Main article : Moana ( soundtrack ) The film 's soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on November 18, 2016. The songs were written by Opetaia Foa'i, Mark Mancina, and Lin - Manuel Miranda, while the score was written by Mancina. The lyrics are in English, Samoan, and the Tokelauan language. The soundtrack peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Localization In many European countries, the name of the titular character, Moana, was changed to Vaiana due to a trademark conflict. The film was released in those countries to bear the alternative name in the title. In Italy, the film was released with the title Oceania. Media outlets speculated that the name change was to avoid confusion with Italian pornographic actress Moana Pozzi, and Disney Italy 's head of theatrical marketing, Davide Romani, acknowledged they were `` thinking about the issue '' at a meeting of Italian exhibitors in 2015. Following the success brought by international productions of Disney 's Frozen, which led to the release of a complete set album which included all the official versions of `` Let It Go '' released at the time, Disney decided to produce a special Tahitian dubbing for the movie. On October 25, 2016, at a press conference in Papeete, it was announced that the film will be the first motion picture to be fully dubbed in the Tahitian language. This marks the third time Disney has released a special dubbing dedicated to the culture which inspired the film : the first case was The Lion King ( 1994 ), for which the directors travelled to South Africa to cast voice actors for a Zulu - dubbed version ; and the second case was Mulan ( 1998 ), which was the first Disney film to have a Mandarin Chinese dubbing made in China, separate from and independent of the version released in Taiwan. In June 2017, a Māori - language dubbing of the movie was announced, premiering in Auckland on September 11, with 30 theatres screening it for free as part of Māori Language Week. Rachel House, Jemaine Clement, Temuera Morrison, and Oscar Kightley reprised their respective roles in this version, directed by Rachel House herself. In November 2017, a Hawaiian - language dubbing was announced to be under way, with Auli'i Cravalho reprising her role as Moana. The movie premiered on June 10, 2018. show `` Moana '' worldwide Language Title Translation Arabic موانا ( Moana ) Bengali মোয়ানা ( Moana ) Brazilian Portuguese Moana : Um mar de aventuras Moana : A seaful of adventures Bulgarian Смелата Ваяна ( Smelata Vayana ) Brave Vaiana Canadian French Moana Cantonese Chinese 魔 海 奇 缘 Romance of the demon of the ocean Castilian Spanish Vaiana Catalan Vaiana Croatian Vaiana : Potraga za mitskim otokom Vaiana : Quest for an island of myth Czech Odvážná Vaiana : Legenda o konci světa Brave Vaiana : The legend of the end of the world Danish Vaiana Dutch Vaiana Estonian Vaiana European French Vaiana, la Légende du bout du monde Vaiana, the legend from the end of the Earth European Portuguese Vaiana Finnish Vaiana Flemish Vaiana German Vaiana -- Das Paradies hat einen Haken Vaiana -- Paradise has a hook Greek Βαϊάνα ( Vaiana ) Hawaiian Moana Hebrew מואנה ( Moana ) Hindi मोआना ( Moana ) Hungarian Vaiana Icelandic Vaiana Italian Oceania Japanese モアナ と 伝説 の 海 ( Moana to densetsu no umi ) Moana and the sea of legend Kazakh Моана ( Moana ) Korean 모아 나 ( Moana ) Latin American Spanish Moana : Un mar de aventuras Moana : A seaful of adventures Latvian Vaiana Lithuanian Vaiana Mandarin Chinese ( China ) 海洋 奇 缘 ( Hǎiyáng qí yuán ) The romance of the ocean Mandarin Chinese ( Taiwan ) 海洋 奇 缘 ( Hǎiyáng qí yuán ) The romance of the ocean Māori Moana Norwegian Vaiana Polish Vaiana : Skarb oceanu Vaiana : Treasure of the ocean Romanian Vaiana Russian Моана ( Moana ) Serbian Вајана ( Vaiana ) Slovak Vaiana Slovene Vaiana Swedish Vaiana Tamil மோனா ( Moana ) Tahitian Moana Thai ผจญ ภัย ตํานาน หมู่ เกาะ ทะเล ใต้ ( P̄hcỵ p̣hạy tảnān h̄mū̀ keāa thale tı̂ ) Adventure on the islands of the legendary southern sea Turkish Moana Ukrainian Ваяна ( Vayana ) Vietnamese Hành trình của Moana Moana 's journey Release On October 20, 2014, Walt Disney Pictures announced that it would be releasing the film in late 2016, and hinted that it might be the November 23, 2016 release window previously announced by the studio in March 2014 for a then - untitled film. In November 2014, Disney confirmed that it would be releasing the film on November 23, 2016. The film is accompanied by the short film, Inner Workings. The film 's world premiere was held at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 14, 2016. On January 27, 2017, a sing - along version of Moana was released in more than 2,000 theaters in the United States, featuring on - screen lyrics. Marketing Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330 - 200 Moana logojet landing at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas in March 2017 On October 15, 2016, Hawaiian Airlines unveiled their Moana - themed livery for three of their Airbus A330 - 200 fleet. There are currently meet - and - greets with Moana at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa. At Hong Kong Disneyland, there will be a stage show called Moana 's Village Festival, which is scheduled to open in 2018. Home Media Moana was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu - ray ( 2D and 3D ) and DVD in the United States on March 7, 2017, with a digital release on February 21, 2017. The releases include the short film, Inner Workings. The Blu - ray release also introduces a short film featuring Maui and Moana, titled Gone Fishing. The film is also available for streaming on Netflix. Reception Box Office Moana grossed $248.7 million in the U.S. and Canada, and $394.5 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $643.3 million. On January 22 and March 16, 2017, respectively, the film reached the $500 million and $600 million marks, becoming the fourth consecutive Walt Disney Animation Studios film to reach both milestones after Frozen ( 2013 ), Big Hero 6 ( 2014 ), and Zootopia ( 2016 ). Although Disney has not disclosed the film 's production budget, most of its animated films cost around $150 million. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $121.3 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film, making it the 12th-most profitable release of 2016. North america In the United States, Moana was released during the Thanksgiving weekend. The film played in 3,875 theaters of which a majority of them ( 80 % ) screened it in 3D. It also played in 50 premium large - format screens and more than 400 D - Box screens. It was projected to take in around $50 million in three days, with $75 -- 85 million in five days ( some estimates going as high as $90 million ). Deadline.com said the numbers were good for the original Disney film and marked a great rebound for the company in the wake of Pixar 's The Good Dinosaur the previous year, which had made $55 million over five days off a production budget of $175 -- 200 million. Moana made $2.6 million from Tuesday paid previews which began at 7 pm, the highest ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film and for a non-Pixar Disney animated film. On its opening day, it made $15.5 million, a new record for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film opening on Wednesday ( breaking Frozen 's record ) and the biggest opening day ever for a film released on pre-Thanksgiving Day. On Thanksgiving Day, it earned $9.9 million, a decrease of 36 % from its previous day. On Black Friday -- the highest - grossing day of the Thanksgiving stretch -- it made $21.8 million, a 127 % increase from the day before. Through Sunday, the film posted a three - day opening weekend worth $56.6 million over its Friday - to - Sunday debut and $82.1 million from Wednesday to Sunday, the third biggest three - day Thanksgiving opening ( behind Frozen and Toy Story 2 ) and the second - biggest five - day Thanksgiving opening ( behind Frozen ), dethroning Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them off the top spot. Among all films that did not necessarily open in this weekend but may have played, Moana ranks sixth among three - day weekends and fifth among five - day weekends. The film 's opening was considered to be another animated success for the studio after Zootopia and Pixar 's Finding Dory posted huge openings, respectively, the same year in March and June. In its second weekend, the film dropped by about 50 % for a total of $28.3 million, a smaller drop than Toy Story 2, Frozen, Tangled, and The Good Dinosaur. The film managed to top the box office for its third weekend, despite competition from newcomers and holdovers, earning $18.5 million while falling by 34 %. It became the sixth film of 2016 to top the box office three times, following Deadpool, Zootopia, The Jungle Book, Finding Dory, and Suicide Squad. The film was overtaken by Disney 's own Rogue One : A Star Wars Story in its fourth weekend, despite only a marginal decline. It fell to number six in its fifth weekend, due to competition from four new releases -- Sing, Passengers, Why Him ?, and Assassin 's Creed -- despite a small drop again ; it grossed $2.9 million on Christmas Day. On the holiday week of December 23 -- 29, the film finished at number four with a gross of $26 million, which was 14 % up from the previous week, despite losing over 300 theaters. It finished at number four in its sixth weekend, going up 42 % and 97 %, respectively, during the three - day and four - day weekends ; it grossed $3.6 million on New Year 's Day. It fell outside the top ten in its eighth weekend ( which included Martin Luther King Jr. Day ), dropping 33 % and 4 %, respectively, during the three - day and four - day weekends. Outside north america Internationally, the film earned $17.2 million in its first weekend from 12 markets, the bulk of which came from China. In its second weekend, the film expanded to a total of 30 markets, adding an additional $33.7 million. In China, the film had a November 25 opening day with $1.9 million from 38,000 screenings. However, it enjoyed a big weekend bump on Saturday -- even though its screens dipped -- and Sunday. In total, it scored an opening weekend of $17.2 million, the second best for a Disney animated title, behind only Zootopia. It was No. 2 behind Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Strong social media numbers showed among the highest the studio has seen there, similar to how Zootopia started off slow and later became a blockbuster phenomenon. The film slipped 55 % in its second weekend, earning $5.8 million, and $21.8 in total in China. It would eventually earn a total of $32.7 million in China. It had similar successful number - one debuts in France, Russia, Mexico and Spain. The film also saw success in Belgium, the Netherlands and French - speaking Switzerland. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film faced competition from Fantastic Beasts -- which was playing in its third weekend -- and as a result, it posted a low opening of only £ 2.2 million ( $2.8 million ). The biggest earning markets to date have been Japan ( $45.9 million ), followed by France ( $35.5 million ), China ( $32.8 million ), the UK ( $25.3 million ), Brazil ( $22.9 million ), Australia ( $19 million ), Germany ( $17 million ), Italy ( $15.9 million ), and South Korea ( $15.5 million ). Critical response On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Moana holds an approval rating of 96 % based on 246 reviews, and an average rating of 7.9 / 10. The website 's critical consensus reads, `` With a title character as three - dimensional as its lush animation and a story that adds fresh depth to Disney 's time - tested formula, Moana is truly a family - friendly adventure for the ages. '' Subsequently, the film is also listed as number 11 on the website 's `` 50 Best Computer Animated Movies '' list. On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating `` universal acclaim ''. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of `` A '' on a scale ranging from A+ to F, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave an 89 % overall positive score and a 71 % `` definite recommend ''. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal proclaimed that `` Moana is beautiful in more ways than I can tell, thanks to the brilliance of more animators than I could count. '' Animator Eric Goldberg received praise from critics and audiences for his hand - drawn animation of Maui 's tattoos, which they claimed `` stole the show '' from the actual CGI - animated motion picture. Wai Chee Dimock, writing in the Los Angeles Review of Books, compared the ocean in Moana to the one in `` The Water Baby '', a short story by Jack London, saying that both are animated : one, by the tension between digital and analog animation, and the other, by the tension between an encroaching future and a past in retreat still capable of pushing back. Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film three - and - a-half out of four stars, stating that `` ' Moana ' would have been enormously entertaining regardless of when it came out, but its arrival at this particular moment in history gives it an added sense of significance -- as well as inspiration. '' Peter Debruge of Variety praised the film, calling it `` a return to the heights of the Disney Renaissance ''. Criticism Disney has been accused of appropriating Polynesian mythology and culture. Through the film, the corporation has been claimed to perpetuate settler colonialist practices of exploitation and erasure by utilizing the knowledge and narratives of native peoples to spur a profitable capitalist enterprise of music, celebrities and merchandise. A Maui `` skin suit '' costume made to tie in with the film was pulled by Disney from its online store following complaints about it being culturally insensitive and for appearing to promote brownface. The film takes specific cultural elements from a variety of native Pacific groups and incorporates them into one generalized portrayal of Polynesian culture. This conglomeration of cultures has been regarded as degrading to the diversity of the Pacific, falsely reducing all of Polynesia to a single cultural entity. The film has also been criticized as a tourism advertisement for the Pacific. It has been accused of fetishizing Polynesian island nations as exotic vacation spots, the people and culture of which exist only to entertain foreign audiences. Disney initiating a partnership with Hawaiian Airlines to promote the film has been perceived as having this particular motive, as well as Auliʻi Cravalho speaking with The New York Times in an interview sharing travel tips for visitors to Hawaii. Critiques of these promotional tactics focus on how adverse effects of tourism have devastated native communities in the Pacific, resulting in environmental degradation and poverty. Colin Philp, an educator on Polynesian history, noted that the sailing canoe used by the film 's protagonists is believed to be a Fijian camakau, and that the film 's concept artists based it on one of the canoes they saw when they visited the Korova settlement in Laucala. Philp said that using that design without permission of the Korova community could be viewed as a violation of the intellectual property rights of their elders. Brigham Young University -- Hawaii sociocultural anthropologist Tēvita ' Ō. Ka'ili stated that `` despite its important girl - power message, the film had a major flaw. It lacked symmetry by its omission of a heroic goddess. Disney resorted to reducing the mighty god Maui to a one - dimensional, selfish, borderline abusive, buffoon to foreground the strength of the movie 's protagonist Moana. '' He went on to explain that, `` the omission of a goddess - heroine is significant because Polynesia is a culture with a vast pantheon of powerful heroic goddesses. Hina, a companion goddess to the god Maui, was nowhere to be found in Disney 's imagineering of Moana. '' Accolades Main article : List of accolades received by Moana ( 2016 film ) See also List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films Polynesians Austronesian peoples References ^ Jump up to : Fleming Jr, Mike ( March 24, 2017 ). `` No. 12 ' Moana ' Box Office Profits -- 2016 Most Valuable Movie Blockbuster Tournament ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Moana ( 2016 ) ''. The Numbers. Retrieved March 25, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Moana ( 2016 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 28, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Oscar Nominations : Complete List ''. Variety. Los Angeles : Variety Media. January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Auli'i on Instagram : ' Aloha nui kākou ! Eia nō hoʻi au ʻo Auliʻi Cravalho ma Nuioka nei. A piha ʻeu ka hauʻoli i ka hana hou ʻia ʻana ʻo Moana... ai kēia... ' ''. Instagram. ^ Jump up to : Speak Māori ( June 8, 2017 ). `` Te Reo Māori Moana Casting '' -- via YouTube. ^ Jump up to : `` Moana / English cast ''. CHARGUIGOU. Jump up ^ `` Nicole Scherzinger on Instagram : ' I 'm over the moon to announce I 'll be joining @ auliicravalho again for @ disneyanimation 's MOANA ! ! ! This time the entire film in ʻōlelo... ' ''. Instagram. Retrieved 2018 - 04 - 13. Jump up ^ Connelly, Brendon ( April 6, 2013 ). `` What Disney 's Film of Terry Pratchett 's Mort Might Have Looked Like... And A Preview of Things To Come ''. Bleeding Cool. Retrieved October 20, 2014. Jump up ^ Miller, Bruce ( August 24, 2013 ). `` Sioux City native Ron Clements preps new film for Disney studio ''. Sioux City Journal. Retrieved October 20, 2014. Jump up ^ Ron Clements and John Musker ( November 23, 2016 ). `` The Irascible Ron Clements and John Musker Talk ' Moana ' '' ( Interview ). Interviewed by Dan Sarto. Animation World Network. Retrieved November 28, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Giardina, Caroline ( November 25, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Directors Reveal How the Story Changed ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 27, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Deitchman, Beth ( Spring 2016 ). `` Finding Her Way : Directors John Musker and Ron Clements Have Charted A Course For Their New Film, Moana, Which Sails Into Theatres In November 2016 ''. Disney twenty - three. Burbank : Walt Disney Company. 8 ( 1 ) : 32 -- 33. ISSN 2162 - 5492. OCLC 698366817. ^ Jump up to : Robinson, Joanna ( November 16, 2016 ). `` How Pacific Islanders Helped Disney 's Moana Find Its Way ''. Vanity Fair. New York : Condé Nast. Retrieved December 15, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Chang, David A. ( 2016 ). `` Looking Out From Hawai'i's Shore : The Exploration of the World is the Inheritance of Native Hawaiians ''. The World and All the Things Upon It : Native Hawaiian Geographies of Exploration. Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press. pp. 1 -- 32. Jump up ^ Julius, Jessica ; Malone, Maggie ( 2016 ). The Art of Moana. San Francisco : Chronicle Books. p. 10. ISBN 9781452158976. Jump up ^ Ito, Robert ( November 15, 2016 ). `` How ( and Why ) Maui Got So Big in ' Moana ' ''. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved November 19, 2016. Jump up ^ Ron Clements and John Musker ( 2016 ). Moana : Audio Commentary. Disney. Event occurs at 3 : 00. Jump up ^ B.G. Biggs, ' Maori Myths and Traditions ' in A.H. McLintock ( editor ), Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, 3 Volumes. ( Government Printer : Wellington ), 1966, II : 447 -- 454. Jump up ^ Alpers, Anthony ( 1964 ). Maori Myths and Tribal Legends. Auckland : Longman Paul. p. 70. ISBN 0 - 582 - 71674 - 8. Jump up ^ `` Meet Disney 's New ( And First Polynesian ) Princess ! ''. US Weekly. August 20, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Taika Waititi behind Disney script ' Moana ' ''. The New Zealand Herald. October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Giroux, Jack ( November 23, 2016 ). `` Interview : ' Moana ' Directors John Musker and Ron Clements on Making Their First CG Movie '' ( Interview ). / Film. Retrieved November 27, 2016. Jump up ^ Ron Clements and John Musker ( November 27, 2016 ). Moana : Ron Clements & John Musker Official Movie Premiere Interview ( Video ). YouTube. ScreenSlam. Event occurs at 4 : 50. ^ Jump up to : Topel, Fred ( November 21, 2016 ). `` Moana Directors Talk The Films Influences and Fun References ''. Den of Geek !. DoGTech, LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2016. Jump up ^ V, Billy. `` Hawaii brothers write for Disney 's ' Moana ' ''. Hawaii News Now. Raycom Media. Retrieved December 2, 2016. Jump up ^ Rice, Lynette ( October 7, 2015 ). `` Meet the Next Disney Princess -- and Get a First Look at Her Movie, Moana ! ''. People. Retrieved October 8, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Meet the Voice of Disney 's New Princess, Moana ''. comingsoon.net. October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Williams, Angela. `` 14 Things to Know About Disney 's ' Moana ' Before You See It ''. New York : ABC News. Retrieved November 19, 2016. Jump up ^ Desowitz, Bill ( September 30, 2013 ). `` Immersed in Movies : John Musker Talks ' Little Mermaid ' Going Blu and ' Moana ' ''. Animation Scoop. Retrieved October 20, 2014. Jump up ^ Kanai, Maria ( October 13, 2015 ). `` 5 Things You Should Know About Disney 's Moana Starring Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne ' The Rock ' Johnson ''. Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Dell, Brad ( October 15, 2015 ). `` ' Moana ' : a look into Disney 's upcoming Polynesian voyage ''. Ka Leo. Retrieved October 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Madison, Charles ( March 1, 2015 ). `` Concept art of Maui, Dwayne Johnson 's character in Disney 's Moana ''. filmdivider.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015. Jump up ^ Siegemund - Broka, Austin ( June 16, 2015 ). `` Veteran Animator Eric Goldberg Joins USC Film School Faculty ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 8, 2015. Jump up ^ Busch, Jenna. `` D23 : Interview with Moana 's Dwayne Johnson and the Filmmakers ''. Welcome to the Legion !. Retrieved April 6, 2016. Jump up ^ Snetiker, Marc ( November 24, 2016 ). `` Moana directors Ron Clements, John Musker talk four decades Disney movies ''. Entertainment Weekly. New York : Time Inc. Retrieved January 13, 2017. Jump up ^ Breznican, Anthony ( August 14, 2015 ). `` Dwayne ' The Rock ' Johnson makes surprise appearance for Disney 's ' Moana ' : ' This is my heritage ' ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 8, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Disney 's ' Moana ' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Available Today '' ( Press release ). PR Newswire. November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Tokelau Pride : Te Vaka 's song for Disney 's Princess Moana '' ( Press release ). Government of Tokelau Bulletin. August 24, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2016. Jump up ^ Caulfield, Keith ( January 9, 2017 ). `` The Weeknd Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200, ' Moana ' Soundtrack Zooms to No. 2 ''. Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2017. Jump up ^ `` La princesa Moana en España se llamará Vaiana ( y otros problemas de branding ) '' ( Princess Moana in Spain will be called Vaiana ( and other branding problems ) ) ( in Spanish ). Verne ( El País ). October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015. Jump up ^ `` In Italia il nuovo film Disney si intitolerà ' Oceania ' e non ' Moana ' '' ( In Italy, the new Disney movie will be titled ' Oceania ' and not ' Moana ' ). Il Post ( in Italian ). December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015. Jump up ^ Martinelli, Marissa ( November 18, 2016 ). `` Disney Had to Change Moana 's Title in Italy to Avoid Being Confused With a Porn Star ''. Slate. ISSN 1091 - 2339. Retrieved February 3, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Vivarelli, Nick ( November 18, 2016 ). `` Disney Changes ' Moana ' Title in Italy, Where It Has Porn Star Connotations ''. Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Let It Go The Complete Set '' -- via Amazon. Jump up ^ `` Moana to be first Disney film translated into Tahitian language ''. Entertainment Weekly. October 25, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Nala ''. Charguigou. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Mandarin ''. Charguigou. Retrieved November 21, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Casting ''. www.adrenalingroup.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017. Jump up ^ Haunui - Thompson, Shannon. `` Moana in Māori hits the big screen ''. Radio New Zealand. Radio New Zealand. Retrieved December 2, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Moana / English cast ''. Charguigou. Retrieved June 27, 2017. Jump up ^ Speak Māori ( June 8, 2017 ), Te Reo Māori Moana Casting, retrieved June 27, 2017 Jump up ^ `` Disney 's Moana to make World Premiere in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at Ko Olina 's World Oceans Day, June 10 ''. Ko Olina. May 1, 2018. Retrieved 2018 - 05 - 19. ( press release ). Jump up ^ `` Walt Disney Animation Studios Announces 2016 Release, Moana ''. ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Disney Animation Unveils ' Moana ' From ' Little Mermaid ' Filmmakers For November 2016 ''. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014. Jump up ^ Yamato, Jen ( November 10, 2014 ). `` Disney Dates 2016 Animated Pics ' Zootopia ' & ' Moana ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 10, 2014. Jump up ^ Evry, Max ( April 22, 2016 ). `` Moana Footage & Inner Workings Coming to Annecy Fest ''. ComingSoon.net. Retrieved April 25, 2016. Jump up ^ Flores, Terry ( November 15, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Premiere : Hollywood Transforms Into Ocean of Stars ''. Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Disney Says ' You 're Welcome ' : ' Moana ' Sing - Along Coming To Theaters Nationwide ''. / Film. Retrieved January 11, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Hawaiian Airlines unveils ' Moana ' plane ''. Honolulu Star - Advertiser. October 15, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016. Jump up ^ Wolfe, Jennifer ( January 13, 2017 ). `` ' Moana ' Sails Home on Digital HD February 21 and Blu - ray March 7 ''. Animation World Network. Retrieved January 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Nancy Tartaglione ( January 22, 2017 ). `` ' Rogue One ' Blasts Past $1 B at Global Box Office ; ' Moana ' Sails To $500 M + ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 22, 2017. Jump up ^ Dave McNary ( March 16, 2017 ). `` Disney 's ' Moana ' Sails to $600 Million at Worldwide Box Office ''. Variety. Retrieved March 19, 2017. Jump up ^ Thompson, Adam ( December 8, 2016 ). `` Disney Needed a Brainless Rooster for ' Moana, ' So It Called Alan Tudyk ''. The Wall Street Journal. New York : The Dow Jones Company. Retrieved December 14, 2016. Disney wo n't disclose the budget of Moana, but major animated films typically run upward of $150 million. Jump up ^ Brent Lang ( November 21, 2016 ). `` Thanksgiving Box Office : Disney 's ' Moana ' to Feast on Brad Pitt 's ' Allied, ' ' Bad Santa 2 ' ''. Variety. Retrieved November 22, 2016. Disney did n't release a budget, but most of the studio 's animated films cost north of $150 million. Jump up ^ Meriah Doty ( November 21, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' to Ride Big Box Office Wave With $75 Million - Plus ''. The Wrap. Retrieved November 22, 2016. Jump up ^ Pamela McClintock ( November 21, 2016 ). `` Holiday Box Office : Disney to Dominate, Can Awards Contenders Escape the Arthouse ? ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 22, 2016. Jump up ^ Brevet, Brad ( November 22, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Sets Sights on $80 + Million 5 - Day Thanksgiving Debut ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 23, 2016. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( November 21, 2016 ). `` Will ' Moana ' Slay ' Fantastic Beasts ' Over The Thanksgiving Stretch ? ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 22, 2016. ^ Jump up to : D'Alessandro, Anthony ( November 23, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' & ' Fantastic Beasts ' Owning Thanksgiving Stretch -- Midday B.O. Update ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 23, 2016. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( November 24, 2016 ). `` Can ' Moana ' Melt ' Frozen 's $93.6 M Thanksgiving 5 - Day Record ? -- Early AM Update ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2016. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( November 26, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Rings Up $22.5 M on Black Friday As She Cruises Toward Disney 's 2nd Best Thanksgiving Debut -- Late Night B.O. '' Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 26, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Biggest 3 - day Thanksgiving Openings at the Box Office ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Biggest 5 - day Thanksgiving Openings at the Box Office ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Biggest 3 - day Thanksgiving Weekends at the Box Office ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Biggest 5 - day Thanksgiving Weekends at the Box Office ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 28, 2016. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( November 27, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Slots 2nd Best Thanksgiving Debut ; ' Allied 's Fight ; ' Rules ' The Worst Turkey Since ' Victor Frankenstein ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 28, 2016. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( December 4, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Keeps Fire Going in Chilly December Weekend ; ' Manchester ' & ' Jackie ' Bask in Awards Season Rays ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 6, 2016. Jump up ^ Brevet, Brad ( December 4, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Repeats at No. 1, Topping Slow Post-Thanksgiving Weekend ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 6, 2016. Jump up ^ Brevet, Brad ( December 11, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Threepeats at No. 1, ' La La Land ' Opens Big in Limited Release ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 12, 2016. Jump up ^ Brevet, Brad ( December 18, 2016 ). `` ' Star Wars : Rogue One ' Debuts With Over $290 Million Worldwide, ' Collateral Beauty ' Struggles ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 19, 2016. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( December 27, 2016 ). `` ' Rogue One ' & ' Sing ' Christmas Juggernaut Leaves Room For Specialty Films -- Final Weekend Update ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 30, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Moana ( 2016 ) -- Weekly Box Office Results ''. Box Office Mojo. December 30, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016. Jump up ^ `` December 30 -- January 1, 2017 ''. Box Office Mojo. January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017. Jump up ^ `` December 30 -- January 2, 2017 ''. Box Office Mojo. January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017. Jump up ^ `` January 13 -- 15, 2017 ''. Box Office Mojo. January 15, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` January 13 -- 16, 2017 ''. Box Office Mojo. January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Tartaglione, Nancy ( December 6, 2016 ). `` ' Fantastic Beasts ' Bests $600 M WW ; ' Moana ' Mints $180 M ; ' Doctor Strange ' Ices ' Deadpool ', ' Iron Man 2 ' -- Intl Box Office ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` China Box Office for Moana ( 2016 ) ''. The Numbers. Retrieved July 20, 2017. Jump up ^ Patrick Frater ( November 28, 2016 ). `` China Box Office : ' Fantastic Beasts ' Enjoys $40 Million Opening ''. Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2016. Jump up ^ Tartaglione, Nancy ( November 27, 2016 ). `` ' Fantastic Beasts ' Climbs To $474 M Global ; ' Moana ' Catches $16.3 M Offshore Wave -- Intl Box Office ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 28, 2016. Jump up ^ Amidi, Amid ( December 4, 2016 ). `` Chinese Embrace Makoto Shinkai 's ' Your Name, ' Reject ' Moana ' ''. Cartoon Brew. Jump up ^ Charles Gant ( December 6, 2016 ). `` Moana and Sully bobbing in the wake of Fantastic Beasts at UK box office ''. The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2016. Jump up ^ Tartaglione, Nancy ( January 15, 2017 ). `` ' Rogue One ' Rises To $980 M Global ; ' Passengers ' Takes Over Offshore No. 1 -- International Box Office ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Moana ( 2016 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved February 22, 2018. Jump up ^ `` 50 Best Computer Animated Movies ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved September 29, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Moana Reviews ''. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 30, 2016. Jump up ^ Morgenstern, Joe ( November 23, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' Review : The Waves Part ''. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 23, 2016. Jump up ^ Brayson, Johnny ( November 23, 2016 ). `` ' Moana ' In 3D & 2D Both Offer Something Special for the Viewer ''. Bustle. Retrieved May 13, 2017. Jump up ^ Monahan, Kaely ( November 23, 2016 ). `` Disney mixes classic animation, computers to create captivating ' Moana ' ''. KTAR News. Retrieved May 13, 2017. Jump up ^ McDonnell, Brandy ( November 23, 2016 ). `` Movie review : ' Moana ' ''. NewsOK. Retrieved May 13, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Animating the Ocean ''. Los Angeles Review of Books. February 3, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017. Jump up ^ Lemire, Christy ( November 22, 2016 ). `` Moana Movie Review & Film Summary ''. RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 9, 2017. Jump up ^ Debruge, Peter ( November 7, 2016 ). `` Film Review : ' Moana ' ''. Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Constante, Agnes ( November 18, 2016 ). `` Critics Accuse Disney of ' Cultural Theft ' ahead of ' Moana ' Release ''. NBC News. Jump up ^ `` Disney has pulled its controversial Moana costume after consumer complaints ''. Chip and Co. September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Disney accused of ' brownface ' over Moana costume ''. BBC News. Jump up ^ Murar, Katie ( November 2, 2016 ). `` Hawaiian Airlines -- Disney partnership first of its kind ''. Pacific Business News. Jump up ^ Daniel, Diane ( November 17, 2016 ). `` What to See in Hawaii ? Ask Auli'i Cravalho of Disney 's ' Moana ' ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ Grandinetti, Tina ( January 12, 2017 ). `` Moana might be great for representation but it 's not all heartwarming for Hawaii ''. The Guardian. Jump up ^ Madigibuli, Ana ( October 27, 2014 ). `` Disney uses our camakau ''. Fiji Times. Jump up ^ Ka'ili, Tēvita O. ( November 26, 2016 ). `` Goddess Hina : The Missing Heroine from Disney 's Moana ''. The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 2, 2016. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Moana ( 2016 film ) Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moana ( 2016 film ). Official website Moana on IMDb Moana at The Big Cartoon DataBase Moana at AllMovie Moana at Box Office Mojo Disney theatrical animated features Walt Disney Animation Studios films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( 1937 ) Pinocchio ( 1940 ) Fantasia ( 1940 ) Dumbo ( 1941 ) Bambi ( 1942 ) Saludos Amigos ( 1942 ) The Three Caballeros ( 1944 ) Make Mine Music ( 1946 ) Fun and Fancy Free ( 1947 ) Melody Time ( 1948 ) The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad ( 1949 ) Cinderella ( 1950 ) Alice in Wonderland ( 1951 ) Peter Pan ( 1953 ) Lady and the Tramp ( 1955 ) Sleeping Beauty ( 1959 ) One Hundred and One Dalmatians ( 1961 ) The Sword in the Stone ( 1963 ) The Jungle Book ( 1967 ) The Aristocats ( 1970 ) Robin Hood ( 1973 ) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ( 1977 ) The Rescuers ( 1977 ) The Fox and the Hound ( 1981 ) The Black Cauldron ( 1985 ) The Great Mouse Detective ( 1986 ) Oliver & Company ( 1988 ) The Little Mermaid ( 1989 ) The Rescuers Down Under ( 1990 ) Beauty and the Beast ( 1991 ) Aladdin ( 1992 ) The Lion King ( 1994 ) Pocahontas ( 1995 ) The Hunchback of Notre Dame ( 1996 ) Hercules ( 1997 ) Mulan ( 1998 ) Tarzan ( 1999 ) Fantasia 2000 ( 1999 ) Dinosaur ( 2000 ) The Emperor 's New Groove ( 2000 ) Atlantis : The Lost Empire ( 2001 ) Lilo & Stitch ( 2002 ) Treasure Planet ( 2002 ) Brother Bear ( 2003 ) Home on the Range ( 2004 ) Chicken Little ( 2005 ) Meet the Robinsons ( 2007 ) Bolt ( 2008 ) The Princess and the Frog ( 2009 ) Tangled ( 2010 ) Winnie the Pooh ( 2011 ) Wreck - It Ralph ( 2012 ) Frozen ( 2013 ) Big Hero 6 ( 2014 ) Zootopia ( 2016 ) Moana ( 2016 ) Ralph Breaks the Internet ( 2018 ) Frozen 2 ( 2019 ) Live - action films with animation The Reluctant Dragon ( 1941 ) Victory Through Air Power ( 1943 ) Song of the South ( 1946 ) So Dear to My Heart ( 1948 ) Mary Poppins ( 1964 ) Bedknobs and Broomsticks ( 1971 ) Pete 's Dragon ( 1977 ) Who Framed Roger Rabbit ( 1988 ) Enchanted ( 2007 ) Disneytoon Studios films DuckTales the Movie : Treasure of the Lost Lamp ( 1990 ) A Goofy Movie ( 1995 ) The Tigger Movie ( 2000 ) Return to Never Land ( 2002 ) The Jungle Book 2 ( 2003 ) Piglet 's Big Movie ( 2003 ) Pooh 's Heffalump Movie ( 2005 ) Bambi II ( 2006 ) Planes ( 2013 ) Planes : Fire & Rescue ( 2014 ) Other Disney units films The Nightmare Before Christmas ( 1993 ) James and the Giant Peach ( 1996 ) Doug 's 1st Movie ( 1999 ) Recess : School 's Out ( 2001 ) Teacher 's Pet ( 2004 ) A Christmas Carol ( 2009 ) Gnomeo & Juliet ( 2011 ) Mars Needs Moms ( 2011 ) Frankenweenie ( 2012 ) Strange Magic ( 2015 ) Related lists Unproduced films Book Walt Disney Animation Studios List of feature films Released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( 1937 ) Pinocchio ( 1940 ) Fantasia ( 1940 ) Dumbo ( 1941 ) Bambi ( 1942 ) Saludos Amigos ( 1942 ) The Three Caballeros ( 1944 ) Make Mine Music ( 1946 ) Fun and Fancy Free ( 1947 ) Melody Time ( 1948 ) The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad ( 1949 ) Cinderella ( 1950 ) Alice in Wonderland ( 1951 ) Peter Pan ( 1953 ) Lady and the Tramp ( 1955 ) Sleeping Beauty ( 1959 ) One Hundred and One Dalmatians ( 1961 ) The Sword in the Stone ( 1963 ) The Jungle Book ( 1967 ) The Aristocats ( 1970 ) Robin Hood ( 1973 ) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ( 1977 ) The Rescuers ( 1977 ) The Fox and the Hound ( 1981 ) The Black Cauldron ( 1985 ) The Great Mouse Detective ( 1986 ) Oliver & Company ( 1988 ) The Little Mermaid ( 1989 ) The Rescuers Down Under ( 1990 ) Beauty and the Beast ( 1991 ) Aladdin ( 1992 ) The Lion King ( 1994 ) Pocahontas ( 1995 ) The Hunchback of Notre Dame ( 1996 ) Hercules ( 1997 ) Mulan ( 1998 ) Tarzan ( 1999 ) Fantasia 2000 ( 1999 ) Dinosaur ( 2000 ) The Emperor 's New Groove ( 2000 ) Atlantis : The Lost Empire ( 2001 ) Lilo & Stitch ( 2002 ) Treasure Planet ( 2002 ) Brother Bear ( 2003 ) Home on the Range ( 2004 ) Chicken Little ( 2005 ) Meet the Robinsons ( 2007 ) Bolt ( 2008 ) The Princess and the Frog ( 2009 ) Tangled ( 2010 ) Winnie the Pooh ( 2011 ) Wreck - It Ralph ( 2012 ) Frozen ( 2013 ) Big Hero 6 ( 2014 ) Zootopia ( 2016 ) Moana ( 2016 ) Upcoming films Ralph Breaks the Internet ( 2018 ) Frozen 2 ( 2019 ) Associated productions The Reluctant Dragon ( 1941 ) Victory Through Air Power ( 1943 ) Song of the South ( 1946 ) So Dear to My Heart ( 1949 ) Mary Poppins ( 1964 ) Bedknobs and Broomsticks ( 1971 ) Pete 's Dragon ( 1977 ) Who Framed Roger Rabbit ( 1988 ) Enchanted ( 2007 ) People Executives Edwin Catmull Roy Conli Roy E. Disney Walt Disney Don Hahn Jeffrey Katzenberg John Lasseter Jennifer Lee Peter Schneider Thomas Schumacher David Stainton Disney 's Nine Old Men Les Clark Marc Davis Ollie Johnston Milt Kahl Ward Kimball Eric Larson John Lounsbery Wolfgang Reitherman Frank Thomas Related topics History Disney animators ' strike Disney Renaissance Methods and technologies 12 basic principles of animation Computer Animation Production System Disney Animation : The Illusion of Life Multiplane camera Documentaries Frank and Ollie ( 1995 ) The Sweatbox ( 2001 ) Dream On Silly Dreamer ( 2005 ) Waking Sleeping Beauty ( 2009 ) Other Disney animation units Disney Television Animation Lucasfilm Animation Marvel Animation Pixar Animation Studios DisneyToon Studios ( defunct ) Circle 7 ( defunct ) Miscellaneous Alice Comedies Laugh - O - Gram Studio List of Disney animated shorts List of Disney theatrical animated features unproduced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Mickey Mouse ( film series ) Silly Symphonies Once Upon a Time Films directed by Ron Clements and John Musker The Great Mouse Detective ( 1986 ) The Little Mermaid ( 1989 ) Aladdin ( 1992 ) Hercules ( 1997 ) Treasure Planet ( 2002 ) The Princess and the Frog ( 2009 ) Moana ( 2016 ) Disney portal Film in the United States portal 2010s portal Animation portal Cartoon portal LCCN : no2016133041 VIAF : 66147663054060551721 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moana_(2016_film)&oldid=854659329 '' Categories : 2016 films English - language films 2016 3D films 2016 computer - animated films 2010s adventure films 2010s American animated films 2010s fantasy films 2010s musical films American 3D films American adventure comedy films American children 's animated adventure films American children 's animated fantasy films American computer - animated films American fantasy adventure films American films American musical fantasy films Animated coming - of - age films Animated musical films Annie Award winners Demons in film Films scored by Mark Mancina Films about shapeshifting Films directed by John Musker Films directed by Ron Clements Films directed by Don Hall Films directed by Chris Williams Films featuring anthropomorphic characters Films set in Polynesia Films with underwater settings Polynesian mythology Sea adventure films Seafaring films Walt Disney Animation Studios films Walt Disney Pictures films Fictional Oceanian people Hidden categories : CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) Use mdy dates from February 2018 Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Български Čeština Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Кыргызча ລາວ Magyar Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Reo tahiti Русский Sardu Shqip Simple English Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska ไทย Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray ייִדיש 中文 31 more Edit links This page was last edited on 12 August 2018, at 23 : 07 ( UTC ). 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Question: what island is the moana movie based on
Answer: Fiji