Review Roundup - Disney's MOANA Sails Into Theaters This November

Disney's MOANA, featuring music by Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i, sails into theaters on November 23, 2016.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios, MOANA is a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who is inspired to leave the safety and security of her island on a daring journey to save her people. Inexplicably drawn to the ocean, Moana (voice of Auli?i Cravalho) convinces the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) to join her mission, and he reluctantly helps her become a wayfinder like her ancestors who sailed before her. Together, they voyage across the open ocean on an action-packed adventure, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills her quest and discovers the one thing she's always sought: her own identity.

Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker ("The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "The Princess & the Frog"), the film is produced by Osnat Shurer ("Lifted," "One Man Band").

Let's see what the critics have to say thus far!

Matt Tamanini, BroadwayWorld: As we move into the holiday season, undoubtedly there is much for everyone to be thankful for, and if you head out to the movie theatre over the long Thanksgiving weekend, chances are good that you will be counting your blessings that the gods have brought Disney's latest animated musical MOANA into your life... Most importantly, many of MOANA's songs have the unique Lin-Manuel Miranda ability to make you cry by the sheer force of their optimism.

John Boone, ET: And oh, the music! Moana comes from the Disney legends behind classics such as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, but the music comes by way of another phenomenon: the Broadway uber-hit, Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda, alongside Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina, lends his words to some of the soundtrack's standout songs, and I only wish he'd lent his voice to one of the characters too. The Polynesian-tinged tunes may not seem as instantly catchy as "Let It Go," good riddance, but will worm their way in on repeat listens.

Brian Truitt, USA Today: The Hamilton creator and the island personalities of Moana make beautiful music together in this charming seafaring epic. While it wears out its welcome in places, the latest from The Little Mermaid directors Ron Clements and John Musker gets a lot of things right, including a memorable soundtrack, a commitment to Polynesian culture and an MVP voice performance from Dwayne Johnson.

Peter Debruge, Variety: More than "Tangled," more than "Frozen," "Moana" keeps with the tradition that made Disney the leader in animated fairy and folk tales, and yet, showing a thoroughly modern touch, it's the first to do so without so much as suggesting a love interest ...As princess movies go, this one broadens the studio's horizons, and as Moana herself sings in the film, "no one knows, how far it goes."

Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter: It may have taken a village, but when you add in a selection of infectious, soul-stirring songs by Hamilton sensation Lin-Manuel Miranda along with score composer Mark Mancina and Samoan musician Opetaia Tavita Foa'i, you've got a tropical Frozen with the potential for a similarly wide-reaching audience

Alonso Duralde, The Wrap: "Moana" does what it does so well that you wish its makers had imbued it with some X factor that separates the classics from the merely beloved. If you don't mind Disney's business as usual dressed up with a little hibiscus, then you'll enjoy this latest journey of self-discovery.

Steve Rose, The Guardian: Frozen defied its fairytale template by swerving into matters of sisterhood, Big Hero 6 pulled off a clever trans-Pacific cultural fusion, and this year's excellent Zootopia was both a snappy, original comedy and a valuable primer in identity politics. Moana never quite reaches these heights. Its cultural setting is fresh; its storytelling, less so. It navigates the reefs but it doesn't discover a whole new world.

Eric Kohn, IndieWire: In the pantheon of great animated odysseys in which children venture across strange lands - from "James and the Giant Peach" to this year's "Kubo and the Two Strings" - "Moana" doesn't raise the bar, but it's so eager to hit the right notes it offers enough colorful, enticing possibilities to carry it along.

Nick De Semlyen, Empire: It's got some mighty music, thanks in no small measure to the involvement of Broadway smash Lin-Manuel Miranda. There are some parallels between this and the musical that made him famous: both Moana and Hamilton involve someone leaving a tropical island to achieve greatness (you could call this Clamilton), and both feature earworming anthems of empowerment.

Nemisha Sharma, IBTimes: the end, "Moana" delivers a powerful message that is especially useful to youngsters in today's age. Hats off to Disney for at least embracing diverse cultures and trying to give the film an authentic Hawaiian touch.

BWW will bring you additional reviews as they roll in!

Image courtesy of Walt Disney

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