In Ancient Polynesia, an adventurous teenager named Moana is chosen by the ocean to reunite a mystic relic with the goddess Te Fiti. When a blight strikes her island, she sets sail on a daring mission to save her people, seeking out the once-mighty demigod Maui to guide her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they navigate the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds to restore the heart of the world.
Information |
|
|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
November 23, 2016 |
Running time |
107 minutes |
Genre |
Animation Adventure Comedy Family Fantasy Musical |
Budget |
$150,000,000 |
Box Office |
$687,228,908 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
Ron Clements John Musker |
Produced by |
Osnat Shurer |
Written by |
Jared Bush |
Music by |
Lin-Manuel Miranda Mark Mancina Opetaia Foa'i |
Cinematography |
Rob Dressel Adolph Lusinsky |
Edited by |
Jeff Draheim |
Production Co. |
Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Pictures |
Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Official Trailer
The Plot
The Legend of Te Fiti and the Demigod's Theft
In the beginning, there was only the ocean until the mother island, Te Fiti, emerged. As an island goddess, she used her heart—a small, glowing green pounamu stone—to create all life and power. After sharing her creation, she fell into a deep slumber, becoming the island itself. However, the heart possess immense power, and it was sought after by the monstrous forces of the sea. A millennium ago, the shape-shifting demigod of the wind and sea, Maui, voyaged to the island to steal the heart, hoping to gift humanity the power of creation. Using his magical giant fish hook, he successfully stole the stone.
Removing the heart caused the island to collapse and unleashed a terrible darkness. As Maui attempted to escape, he was confronted by Te Kā, a demon of earth and fire. During the battle, Maui was struck from the sky; his magical hook and the heart of Te Fiti were lost to the depths of the ocean. Without the heart, the islands Te Fiti created became cursed, slowly draining of the life she once gave them, while Te Kā remained acting as a gatekeeper to prevent anyone from approaching the fallen goddess.
The Chosen One of Motunui
A thousand years later on the Polynesian island of Motunui, a toddler named Moana is collecting shells near the shore when the ocean miraculously interacts with her. The water recedes to clear a path, presenting her with the lost heart of Te Fiti. However, her father, Chief Tui, arrives to bring her back to the village, causing her to drop the stone, which is lost once more. Tui and Moana's mother, Sina, are protective and insist that Moana stays away from the water, preparing her to eventually become the Chief of Motunui.
Sixteen years later, Moana has grown into a teenager who feels torn between her duties to her people and her unexplained draw to the sea. Despite her father's insistence that "no one goes beyond the reef," the island begins to suffer from the ancient curse. The coconut harvest yields only spoiled, black ash-filled fruit, and the fishermen find that all the fish have disappeared from the shores. Moana proposes fishing beyond the reef to find food, but Chief Tui angrily forbids it. Sina later explains to Moana that her father's fear stems from a tragedy in his youth, where he lost his closest friend to the unforgiving waters after they sailed past the reef.
The Secret of the Cave
Determine to save her people, Moana attempts to sail past the reef alone with her pet pig, Pua. However, the powerful waves overpower her canoe, shipwrecking her back on the shore of Motunui. Seeing her failure, her eccentric grandmother, Gramma Tala, finds her on the beach. Tala reveals that she has kept the truth of their heritage hidden and leads Moana to a secret cave concealed behind a waterfall. Inside, Moana discovers a fleet of massive ancient sailboats. By banging on the drum of a ship, she experiences a vision revealing that her ancestors were voyagers who sailed the vast ocean discovering new islands, only stopping when Maui stole the heart and made the seas unsafe.
Tala gives Moana the heart of Te Fiti, which she had recovered and kept safe since Moana was a toddler. She explains that the darkness of Te Kā is consuming the life of the islands and that the only way to save Motunui is to find Maui and force him to restore the heart. Shortly after, Tala falls gravely ill. On her deathbed, she uses her dying breath to tell Moana to go, giving her the necklace that holds the heart. Inspired by her grandmother's spirit, Moana packs provisions, commandeers one of the ancient camakau sailboats from the cave, and sets sail into the open ocean against her father's wishes.
The Voyage to Find Maui
Moana is not alone on her journey; she discovers that Heihei, a dimwitted rooster, has accidentally stowed away on the boat. Following the instructions left by her grandmother, Moana navigates by following a constellation shaped like a fish hook. A violent typhoon strikes, flipping her sailboat and knocking her unconscious. The ocean carries her to safety, and she wakes up the next morning on a small, desolate island inhabited by none other than Maui.
The demigod is not what Moana expected. Arrogant and self-absorbed, he assumes Moana is a fan and performs a song about his exploits to distract her. He traps Moana in a cave and steals her sailboat, threatening to eat Heihei as a snack. Moana manages to escape the cave and chases him down. The ocean, acting as Moana's ally, continually throws her back onto the boat every time Maui tries to toss her off. She shows him the heart and demands he help her return it, but Maui recoils in fear. He calls the heart a cursed trap that attracts monsters and refuses to help.
Battle with the Kakamora
Maui's fears are realized when they are ambushed by the Kakamora, a massive fleet of coconut-armored pygmy pirates. During the chaos, Heihei swallows the heart of Te Fiti, making the rooster a target. The Kakamora harpoon Moana's boat and capture Heihei. When Maui realizes Moana cannot sail, he attempts to flee, but Moana boards the pirate ship to rescue her rooster and the heart. Impressed by her bravery, Maui is forced to intervene. He maneuvers their massive sailboat to collide with the pirate ships, and the three barely escape unharmed. Realizing he owes her, and that he cannot act as a hero without his magic, Maui agrees to return the heart, but only if they first retrieve his magical fish hook.
The Realm of Monsters
Maui explains that his hook is in Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters. They climb a massive rock face to access the undersea entrance to this dangerous world. There, they find Tamatoa, a gigantic, villainous coconut crab who loves to hoard shiny objects. Tamatoa has the magical hook displayed on his shell. While Maui attempts to sneak up on the crab, Moana acts as a distraction, flattering Tamatoa and encouraging him to sing about his own glamour.
The plan works briefly, and Maui grabs his hook, but he discovers he cannot control his shapeshifting, transforming into random weak animals. Tamatoa overpowers him and prepares to kill them. Thinking quickly, Moana creates a bioluminescent fake "heart of Te Fiti" using a barnacle covered in glow-algae. Tamatoa drops Maui to chase the decoy, allowing the duo to escape the lair, leaving the giant crab stranded on his back in a futile attempt to grab the fake prize.
Learning the Way
Back on the ocean, Maui is depressed by his inability to shapeshift properly. He reveals that his powers were a gift from the gods after his human parents abandoned him as an infant. Moana consoles him, telling him that the gods didn't make him Maui; his own resilience did. Encouraged, Maui regains control over his hook, successfully turning into a giant hawk. During the rest of the voyage, Maui teaches Moana the art of wayfinding—reading the stars, the waves, and the wind—and they bond, becoming true friends.
The Fall and Rise of Moana
They finally arrive at the location of Te Fiti, but are immediately attacked by the lava demon, Te Kā. Maui tries to fight, but Te Kā is too powerful. Despite Maui's warnings to turn back, Moana steers the boat into danger. Te Kā lands a devastating blow that severely cracks Maui's hook and sends them flying far out to sea. Furious, Maui tells Moana that one more hit will destroy his hook forever. He abandons her, transforming into a hawk and flying away, claiming the ocean chose the wrong person.
Heartbroken and alone, Moana begs the ocean to take the heart back and choose someone else. The ocean obliges, and the stone sinks to the bottom of the sea. As Moana breaks down, the spirit of Gramma Tala appears in the form of a bioluminescent manta ray. Tala does not force her to continue but asks her to look inside herself. Moana reflects on her journey, her ancestors, and her own strength, proudly realizing that she is a voyager and the savior of her people. She dives into the dark ocean, retrieves the heart, and repairs her boat to finish the mission alone.
Restoring the Heart
Moana uses her wayfinding skills to return to the barrier islands. She skillfully maneuvers her boat to evade Te Kā's attacks. Just as the demon prepares to incinerate her, Maui returns, having had a change of heart. He engages Te Kā in battle to buy Moana time, allowing his hook to be destroyed in the process. Moana reaches the summit where Te Fiti should be, only to find the island gone. She looks out at the furious Te Kā and notices a spiral symbol on the demon's chest that matches the heart. She realizes the truth: Te Kā is Te Fiti, corrupted without her heart.
Moana asks the ocean to clear a path, walking calmly toward the raging lava monster. She holds up the heart, causing Te Kā to hesitate. The demon touches her forehead, and Moana sings to her, calming the beast and restoring her to her original form. She presses the heart into the spiral on the demon's chest, instantly transforming Te Kā back into the lush and vibrant Te Fiti.
The Island Goddess Restored
As the curse is lifted, the blackened trees regain their green leaves, and the fish return to the sea. Maui apologizes to Te Fiti for stealing her heart, admitting he was wrong. In return, she forgives him, gifting him a new magical fish hook that shines brightly. She also repairs Moana's broken boat. Maui bids Moana farewell with a hug, thanking her for all she's done. He transforms into a hawk and flies off to visit his people, now free to roam the world.
Homecoming
Moana returns to Motunui, where her people are overjoyed. Her father, Chief Tui, embraces her, finally accepting that the ocean is a part of who she is. Sina and the villagers celebrate the return of the lush vegetation and plentiful fish. The villagers release the ancient boats from the hidden cave, resuming their ancestral voyaging traditions. Moana assumes her role as the new chief and master wayfinder. Instead of placing a stone on the pile of rocks atop the sacred mountain like previous chiefs, she places a seashell she collected when she was little, symbolizing her unique path. She sets sail with her people, teaching them the ways of the ocean, as Maui flies overhead in his hawk form, watching over them.
Post-Credits Scene
In a final, humorous moment, Tamatoa is shown still stranded on his back in the Realm of Monsters. Struggling to flip over, he breaks the fourth wall, wondering if the audience would care more about his plight if he were a Jamaican crab named Sebastian, referencing The Little Mermaid.
Top Cast
- Auli'i Cravalho as Moana
- Dwayne Johnson as Maui
- Rachel House as Gramma Tala
- Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui
- Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa
- Nicole Scherzinger as Sina
- Alan Tudyk as Heihei
- Oscar Kightley as Fisherman
- Troy Polamalu as Villager #1
- Puanani Cravalho as Villager #2
Movie Collection
- Moana (2016)
- Moana 2 (2024)
- Moana (2026)
