MOANA (2016) MOVIE REACTION! FIRST TIME WATCHING!! Disney | Auli'i Cravalho | Dwayne Johnson

Getting married today people! Haha - so Leave A *LIKE* !! - full length reaction watch alongs & more! www.patreon.com/thereelrejects

What I loved so much was that when Moana was down and broken, her grandma didn't give her a pep talk, she didn't tell her "chin up", she said " I am sorry I put so much on you, and if you want to go home, I will be with you." like, there are actual big stakes here, but still, she wouldn't hold it against Moana to fail, instead she tells her she is loved regardless, and that feels so radical to me.

The scene where the ocean parts & Te Ka comes racing across the seafloor towards Moana is so spectacularly well done. Te Ka might not be the most complex Disney villain, but she's certainly one of the most intimidating & frightening.

I don't think you need to feel embarrassed for crying in these reactions. It just feels like you're in tune with your emotions, and I'm here for it.

One of the most underrated Disney moments: when Moana’s mom helps her leave. I grew up with strict parents but also always knew they’d do anything to let me be my true self. Makes me sob every time.

As a pacific islander this movie meant a lot to us as maui is in a lot of stories in almost all pacific island cultures.. seeing our culture being put infront of the world meant a lot to us and put us on the world map

There are so many things I love about this movie: 1) They cast a teenage Polynesian girl to play a teenage Polynesian girl. 2) Moana being a woman has no bearing on whether she can lead her people. 3) Moana has no love interest, except for the love for her people. 4) Moana ties her hair up whenever shit gets real. No beautifully flowing, totally impractical locks just because it looks pretty. 5) The first thing Te Fiti does after having her heart restored is take a nap. I respect that. Great reaction!

You are for sure not alone in crying to this film. I’m always left kinda disappointed watching other reactors that don’t at least tear up at this movie because the poetic beauty and message of it always left me crying like a baby haha. I feel like a lot of us can relate to multiple characters in this film - Moana: searching for purpose and self-significance in the world. Maui: searching for self-worth through others. Or even Tefiti: had their heart stolen and left broken and unrecognizable until someone comes along and reminds them of the beauty within. Not to mention the visuals are STUNNING. But that scene under the stars with Moana and her grandma always leaves me in tears - how I wish that people I’ve lost could give me guidance when I need it most. I really relate to Moana and the meaning behind this entire film. So yes, Greg, I 100% understand how you felt watching this movie. Thank you for sharing your reaction, much love and hope you have a fantastic wedding!! ♥️

I love that the ultimate theme of this film is self-knowledge. “Do you know who you are? Who you truly are…” applies to just about everyone here, not just Te Ka. Grandma knows herself so well that she chooses the right tattoo, Moana eventually sees herself with that final “I am MOANA!!!” before reclaiming the heart, and Maui says, “With or without my fishhook, I’m Maui.” The ones who deny their true selves are the antagonists-Te Ka and Moana’s father, the latter because he never acknowledges to Moana that he was just like her when he was young, and doesn’t accept that side of him until he tells his daughter that “it suits you.”

The moment her mum helps her leave gets me teared up every time. You see the horror on her face when she realises Moana's mind is made up, but she helps her anyway 😭

I'm 51 years old and this is literally my favorite Disney movie. The music, the scenery, the emotion. I watch it every time it is on.

It was an absolute JOY watching you react to this. I cried so much along with you. Thank you always for your vulnerability and authenticity, and willingness to share it with us 🙏🏽🙌🏽

I saw an interview with Dwayne Johnson, he says his daughter doesn't believe he's Maui and won't stand for him "trying to sing like Maui" 😂🤣😂🤣🥰 I had forgotten how beautiful this movie is. Thank you for watching!

Auli'l almost didn't end up with the role, but received a call back and was the last one. The reason the Grandma died is because after she gave the Heart of Tifiti to Moana she basically gave what it was that was keepibg her alive. Maui's Tattoos were 2d animated. The directors of this film are Ron Clements and John Musker who have done the following previous films: The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, And The Princess and the Frog, Don't worry you are not alone in crying watching Moana the moment that broke me was the I Am Moana song.

My Dad passed away on Tuesday, and my Step-Dad is currently in the hospital, so this has been a rough week. Getting to just sit back and watch and see Greg's enjoyment of this movie has been a nice, but brief respite from all that has been going on. When this movie was released, I didn't quite know what to expect. It has some regular Disney Princess stuff, but it also has some very potentially scary moments. I liked how they helped each other grow, and visually this is really remarkable. I also appreciated the love given to Polynesians. Greg's reactions were very similar to mine, and I would think most people's watching this movie. Thanks for sharing! ~Be Blessed

I love that Moana, Boba Fett, and Aquaman all have the same dad. One of the special features on the bluray was a documentary about premiering the film in the Pacific Islands and translating it into various languages for them. THAT made me tear up a bit as well.

Moana and Encanto are my new favourite Disney movies!!! So beautifully animated, the songs are perfection (thanks Lin-Manuel), and it’s not about the quest to find love with another, but the struggle to find the strength within oneself in order to overcome adversity. LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

You should definitely check Rise of the Guardians if you haven’t seen it. It’s pretty fitting for holiday season as well.

I can't even watch reactions to this movie without bawling, let alone rewatching the movie itself. That reprise where she sings "I am Moana!" with her whole chest destroys me every time. Such a good movie!

I had an unhealthy obsession with this movie a couple years ago.. I’d watch it like 3 times a week 😂 it’s just so good. But it’s been a while…. And maybe this is my sign to make time to see my grandmother soon

No matter how many times I watch this movie, it always makes me so emotional. It’s one of my favorite Disney movies ever ❤

As a Pacific Islander living in New Zealand, this movie meant so so much to us Polynesians, it was sold out for weeks at every theatre and my sister and I even took our grown ass dad to the theatre to watch too 😂 seeing the stories we grew up with animated and sung to us on the big screen, and our culture well-represented on the world stage featuring other Pacific Island actors such as Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i was so moving for our little Polynesian nations.

I love this film SO much. The visuals, the story, the messages. 🥰 Huge love especially for the underrated Rachel House, who also played Valkyrie’s hilarious nemesis in Ragnarok. And I cry every time.

The baby versions of Disney characters are always cute but baby Moana is next level she's so flipping cute I can't take it

Leave A *LIKE* For Moana! - Thanks to Gique for partnering up with us :) GIVE THEM A FOLLOW! www.youtube.com/@GIQUE_ - Full Length Reaction Watch Alongs & MORE! www.patreon.com/thereelrejects

I love that Maui's tattoos on his back is literally his BACK story. This is stunning.

This movie to me was just one of the bests. It not only told a beautiful story, but it showed the aspects of her culture. Very well done film. This film introduced me to Auli’i and she’s now one of my top Spotify artists. She’s so talented! Thanks for a great reaction!

The music is absolutely phenomenal. I love to sing, but I cannot get through How Far I'll Go without getting choked up. Also, the singing voice of the chief is Chris Jackson, who played Washington in the original cast of Hamilton. And it was Lin's voice singing the English parts to We Know the Way, when she had the vision of her ancestors voyaging.

The song writer for all of the musical numbers was Lin-Manuel Miranda, he just makes Disney better. He also wrote and composed Encanto’s soundtrack, to me, nothing is comparable.

This movie came out about a year after my grandmother passed. And watching Moana and her relationship with her grandmother instantly brought me to tears. I love this movie so much. Thanks for another wonderful reaction.

I cried watching this the first time and second time, etc. it’s a beautiful movie in every way. As I’ve become older, I find I cry and am moved way more than when I was younger 💕

This one hit my top 5 Disney movies list the first time I saw it 🙌🏼 The music, the story, the characters, the animation, everything! That part where the sea parts and she’s walking toward Te Ka his so insanely emotional, it gets me tearing up every time.

So happy to see you reacting to this one. Moana holds a special place in my heart. When my daughter was very young and in the hospital, this movie was essentially on constant repeat. It brought her (and myself) so much comfort. Thanks!

If you haven’t watched Frozen 2 yet, you should! The way they handle anxiety and depression throughout the story is so powerful, and the journey the characters go on toward growth and healing is incredible.

Seeing people cry at this movie is understandable. It touches on a lot of different subjects that can hold some emotional weight for a lot of people. Loss of a close relative that you share a strong relationship with, the need to go out in to the world and find who you are/your purpose, and the movie is just sad in general. I don't cry, mainly because I just have no soul, but I can tell when something is genuinely sad. Know that there is no shame in crying. If you need to cry, then cry. It just shows that you care deeply about something and that's awesome!!!

As an islander myself i thank you for noticing the beauty of my islands. Even if its in animation

I remember when I first saw this movie. I got obsessed with the music and found the band that plays the music. All Polynesian band Te Vaka and their live performances are amazing

Idk ppl could cry over Moana, you have such a pure soul ❤

I'm SO excited you reacted to this. I get emotional during this movie, too. You're one of my fav reactors on TRvid because you are so genuine and have a pure heart. Never change!

The post-credits scene referencing The Little Mermaid is even better because the two films share the same directing team!

Love the emotional reaction! I saw this with my sister in law and we were both trying to hide that we were crying until we realized we both and then just openly went (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠) I love the movies message that how other people have hurt you does not define you 💚💚 And it's ESP close to my heart because me and my brother are half Filipino (like the lead singer of the Pussycat dolls who played Moana's mom). All of my mom's family is in Manila so ever since we were babies, we knew both 🇺🇲and 🇵🇭 we never only knew of 1 country or 1 language. And what you grow up with shapes how you think. My niece is now 4. I told her grandma (lola) is from the Philippines and when we go there one day, she'll love the beaches. She said 'i don't want to go there.' 'why?' 'because I've never seen it, it doesn't exist, I live here.' I told her Moana is from the Philippines and her eyes big 'REALLY??' and now she's more open to the idea. [Moana is proto-polynesian. Most likely she's in Polynesia sailing to Hawaii at the end, but the Philippines is semi included by being the started point for the Malay emigration into Polynesia]

This is literally the only musical movie I have ever liked and I mean ever! I always skip the singing parts after a few seconds of listening but the songs in this movie were just top notch I have watched it so many times it’s an amazing movie!

I’m starting to believe Greg’s reactions are therapy for all. It’s good to cry.

This is definitely one of my top movies don't worry about getting emotional I can't watch this movie with out crying every time and I've watched it more then 10 times haha

Totally underrated Disney movie. I love that that Maui’s tattoos were hand drawn animation on top of the 3D animation and that Alan Tudyk was Heihei.

7:35 It comes with age, man. Embrace it. 🙂 Also, I love how Jemaine Clement channels David Bowie for the song "Shiny" (it's intentional, according to Lin-Manuel Miranda). 27:47 The scene with the spirit of the grandmother always gives me chills. When Auli'i Cravalho belts out "I am Moana!", it's so damn powerful!

Wait you haven't seen Moana until now? Hahaha Still one of my favorite animated movies from the post-Renaissance era. I can see Moana easily as a Disney classic in the future.

I saw this in theaters. I still get chills at key moments whenever I rewatch it. I love this movie

I've been subscribed to this channel for a long time (back before we knew your name was Greg) but I hope you know that the channel has never been better. You guys still are extremely entertaining, have great discussions and do fun videos but there's so much heart these days and that's so refreshing. Really loving all of the content and am so glad I've stuck around. It makes me happy that you appreciated this movie.

My favorite Disney movie. The animation is the best they've ever done.

I cried solely at the visuals in theaters. That but at the end where they highlight the different objects and textures and just.. just how FAR animation has come. It's so beautiful

I was tearing up at the same spots lol. This movie is definitely an emotional rollercoaster and inspiring

I got the honor to meet Auli'i, the voice actress for Moana, and she's from a native Hawaiian school on the island we live on, 'Oahu. She came to volunteer at a school event I was at and she was the absolute sweetest to sing with the kids!

This is such a beautiful movie about discovering your roots and appreciating your culture. I wish Raya could've been half as beautiful as this tbh as a southeast asian. As usual, Lin-Manuel Miranda doesn't disappoint with the music. How Far I'll Go, I am Moana, and We Know the Way are such beautiful songs. This movie perhaps has the most beautiful water animation i've seen. Also, the hair animation with Moana is on point

Trust me, I cried the first time I saw it. Her grandma is one of the most amazing supporting characters in any Disney movie ever. When she sings I am Moana and her grandma embraces her... TEARS! When Te Ka/Te Fiti approaches her with the parted sea, chills. When they show her at the end on the boat ... the close up, I cried UGLY. This and Encanto are juuuuuuuust MASTERFUL.

Thank you so much for reacting to Moana - it was gratifying to see how much you appreciated its heart and empowering messages 🥰

Moana is such an underrated movie. Sure it tells a very simple and linear story... but in the best way! 💙

I saw this in the theatre 2 weeks after my grandmother past and I was silently crying from the moment the grandmother's sting ray spirit guided Moana over the reef waves and through the whole movie. I love this movie and Lin-Manuel's songs went on my playlist the moment I got home from the theatre!

This movie is a visual and emotional masterpiece!

I looooooove this movie. I cried the entire movie because I was overwhelmed by the music, animation, and her story

This movie brings so many beautiful memories. Back when I was a kid I loved it, I still do lol

I'm not sure how it took you this long to enjoy this one but I'm glad you did! Really brightens one's day to see someone discover a gem like this!

I love a sentimental Greg ❤ congrats on the wedding! Love seeing the channel feature animated movies too! So many good choices out there that tells great stories and pulls emotions.

To quote Big Chris: “It’s been emotional.” My family and I saw this in the cinema, and it was amazing. The animation, the music, the character designs, the world building and the culture on display are simply breathtaking. Great reaction.

This was one of the very few disney movies I have watched on the cinema. Usually, I watch movies on Disney channel so watching this movie and the visuals it had just blew my mind completely that I almost cried because of how beautifully it was done. Just like you, I just kept gasping and each visual would just knock a breath off my lungs. It was just so beautiful and even until now.

This is probably my favorite animated movie in recent years. The music, the voice acting, the animation, the stylistic choices, the pacing, the cuteness, the touching emotional story, the environmental messages, the family connection, the real appreciation for her people’s culture.

I love keeping up with your voyage amongst the animated cinematic experience! You are one of my favourite reactors/content creators and it's because you are not only completely genuine as a human being, you effortlessly stay that way with whatever media you're involved in. I greatly and sincerely appreciate that and I look forward to what's to come 😊❤

Literally my favorite Disney movie, and not just because I'm Hawaiian. It's just the entire story, the music, the animations, the raw emotion and everything is just... ugh. So beautiful. I cried so many happy tears with you, mate!

This is my favorite Disney movie 🥰 and watching you react to it made the 101st time watching it all that much better. Thank you 🥰

This is a beautiful movie and one of the best Disney Animated Films ever. Great storytelling and visually stunning. The songs are some of the best in a Disney Film too. Dwayne And Auli'i crashed it. Wish more Disney Movies were like this.

Have to give to Lin Manuel Miranda - he's an amazing composer/musician. The music creates this wonderful synergy with the visuals and story, I def remember shedding some tears watching this for the first time. Wish I got to see it in theaters tbh!

You're not crying, I'm crying. Even watching your wonderful reaction I am once again crying.

I feel you in a real way, man. I’ve cried more at 31 (now 32 as of last week), than I probably ever did in the rest of my life. When film or television can move you to emotion, whether it be joy, sadness, anger, or whatever, it’s a magical thing. I’ve already seen this movie multiple times, but just seeing the scene where Moana parts the ocean and returns the heart gave me goosebumps all over again. It’s amazing what movies like Moana, Coco, Inside Out, Up, etc. are able to do.

Loving these reactions! Don't ever feel bad about getting emotional. These movies are meant to make us feel things. Getting emotional just means you're connecting with the film.

A modern classic. Saw it theaters, bought the blue-Ray when it came out. I would ride around public transportation with the soundtrack on repeat. Then got a lot of fun listening to various people's covers of the song

This is my favourite disney animated movie, the story, the characters and my gosh, the soundtrack is phenomenal! And i get shill sand tear up watching it too, especially with my daughter - its a wonderful dad and daughter watch for us.

If you haven't seen it already, Pixar's Luca is an amazing movie that I feel like you would really enjoy. Another great movie about friendship that had me bawling at some parts. Would love to see your reaction!

I'm so glad you reacted to and loved Moana, it's one of my favorite movies/musicals/Disney movies/princesses ever. I love it so much that even before I got the DVD, I listened to your welcome, shiny, and how far I'll go (movie version) multiple times. Still listen from time to time whenever I get the urge. I was so happy when I got to watch it for the first time that while eating dinner when shiny and you're welcome came on, I used my eating utensil as a mic and lipsynched to said songs.

7:35 I relate with that feeling so much. I'd be able to watch animated movies and sad moments in shows or films and be fine with it but as I get older, the emotional stuff hits me. There are so many things from my childhood or even a few years ago that I would've thought was sad or moving but that would be it. Now, that same stuff will make tear up or feel it more inside

I love how emotional you get watching these movies. You are not alone.

I have fond memories of this film. My daughters, who were 7 and 8 at the time of the film’s release, sang along to every song in the theatre because they had already learned them from TRvid.

I have only seen clips and heard the songs but I’m so glad I got to experience the full (kinda lol) movie with you!! You were not alone in tearing up the whole movie 😅❤️

I love how much emotion you felt. Toxic masculinity can suck it. It was a great movie. Definitely a very emotional story. Love it.

Man. I was going through a rough time when this came out for a lot of reasons, but chiefly my life was changing in a major way and my future was very uncertain. This movie about discovering who you really are and growing into your true self made me sob like a little child that first time and it has every time since. “This is not who you are. I know who you are.” If I’m somehow not crying by then that is the line that does it.

I watched this movie after my Nana died, so the whole thing with Gramma Tala really hit me hard. There really is a lot to say about this movie, it's probably one of the better modern animated Disney movies. Stand-outs to me are it's music and songs (it's Lin-Manuel Miranda after all), having two main characters of Moana and Maui and balancing them both out in terms of their character development (also really glad they didn't try to build any kind of romance between them), the fact that we basically got two kinds of Disney villains (the main villain, Te Kā, who basically represents the more modern "twist villains" Disney likes doing, and Tamatoa, who is basically a classic Disney villain, right down to having parallels with the main characters and a villain song), and also how the movie handled it's "all is lost" moment. There's this one video by Lindsay Ellis about Pocahontas and she points out how both movies have a lot of similarities between one-another, and makes a point to say how each movie handles it's "low-point" for the heroes differently. When Pocahontas goes to Grandmother Willow saying she can't resolve things, Willow basically tells her "you have to do it, remember your dream", and while it's phrased in a reassuring manner, it's not particularly helpful to someone who can't handle the pressure of what's been given to her. When Moana talks with the spirit of Gramma Tala, though, Tala admits that it wasn't right of her to put so much pressure on Moana with such a huge and dangerous task, and tells her that regardless of what Moana chooses to do next, her family will always love her. This leads to a stronger character moment for Moana compared to Pocahontas, who looks at a compass and Grandmother Willow is like "it's the arrow from your dream" or something and that gives her apparently what she needs to set things right. Now that she's been given the choice to do what she wants, rather than say she's obligated to fix everything, she decides on her own terms that she wants to follower her true calling of being a voyager, like her ancestors, and knows that to do this she needs to return the heart of Te Fiti. I agree with Lindsay that this works better in Moana, and is probably a better message to the kids watching the movie, too; having reassurance like Moana did can help motivate people to want to do what they want, knowing they have loved ones to fall back on should they fail or decide otherwise. At least, that's how I see things.

Awesome reaction! This is my favorite of the modern disney films and Moana is definitely an incredibly empowering character. Her journey and personal growth is phenomenal and so moving. I cry every time I watch it, especially when the grandma dies, and when she comes back, and most especially when Moana has her confrontation/realization with Te Ka. If you enjoyed the music here as much as you seemed to, please watch Hamilton if you havent already. LMM is a musical and lyrical genius and that show/movie is absolutely incredible.

What I love about Moana is that she didn’t give up on her duties/expectations as the next chief in line & her love for the ocean. Because it’s a “Disney Princess” movie I thought she would’ve given up on one by the end of the movie to have the other but in this case she chose both.

This is one of my favorite movies. It's so amazing. Nice to see someone cry through this as much as I did. And her grandma was supportive the whole way through, even when she said she couldn't do it the grandma said it was okay. Moana had to find herself and damn is it such a beautiful journey!

The glowing ray coming out to symbolise the grandma's death is just one of the most gorgeous things

So the singing voice of Moana’s father is Christopher Jackson who played George Washington in Hamilton no surprise he was picked as Lin did the music for this movie

This movie is beautiful from beginning to end and I’m happy to see how much you enjoyed it. Also, it’s always wonderful and refreshing to see men unabashedly show their emotions. 💖

I have a slightly unrelated movie suggestion for you. Have you seen "The Fall" with Lee Pace? It is filled with unparalleled cinematic beauty, and has a heartstring tugging double-layered tale of love.

I used to be obsessed with this movie. saw it in theatres when it came out. Once it was i could watch it at home i watched it many more times. been a while since I've watched moana. might watch it some time soon. thanks for this reaction. It rekindled my love for this movie.

I love this movie for so many reasons, music, stunning visuals, but mostly because if it's message of being true to yourself. As you said, it could have been another rebellious teen theme, but didn't go there. Moana knew that her calling might hurt her family, but she learned that denying her true voice would have hurt her more. If people truly love you they will care for and respect you for who you are. ❤

This movie was directed by the duo who also directed Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog etc. They also happened to direct the movie that got Lin Manuel Miranda hooked on musicals at a very young age, Little Mermaid. He loved the movie so much as a kid and his love for it never went away to the point of naming his kid Sebastian after Sebastian the crab. This was also the first time Lin Manuel worked for Disney and it was a dream come true to work with this duo specifically. It was Miranda's vocals in the voyagers' song "We Know The Way", the english lyrics. He recorded the demo and it was supposed to be re-recorded with another singer but they liked his vocals a lot so they just went ahead using his vocals. They surprised him with it too. There's a video of them revealing it to Lin Manuel Miranda on youtube somewhere. This movie's soundtrack did soooo good that Disney then gave Lin Manuel more jobs like Encanto, Marry Poppins Returns and he's executive producing the Little Mermaid live-action adaptation as well.

This is my favorite Pixar movie, I always tear up in the end. When it came out I watched it with my daughter and we both loved it. The animation, music and story are 👌🏼

I’m a native Floridian so swimming in the ocean is nothing new to me, but when I went to Hawaii I was shocked at how powerful the waves there are. I snorkeled out in Hanauma Bay and almost got thrown into some nasty rocks by the surf. That scene of her being tossed onto the reef is 100% accurate.

"The call isn't out there at all, it's inside me" That single line man, gets me everytime. Lin Manuel has such a way with words it's amazing.

By far the most underrated dinsey movie. Shame it wasn't a massive hit and get a sequel. Has the best music and the story is very emotional. Me, my wife and kids all love it

We love a sensitive guy! Hahah it’s cute that you get emotional over the little things ❤️