‘Moana’ Blu-ray Review: A Voyage of Adventure and Extras

Moana is the newest animated smash-hit from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film’s release on Blu-ray and Digital HD has been long-awaited and the day is finally here! Read on for our breakdown and review of the Blu-ray’s bonus features.

Bonus Features ✮✮✮✮✮

• • • Theatrical Short Film: Inner Workings: Inner Workings is the short that proceeded Moana in theaters. Here we get a short introduction by the filmmakers, followed by the short in its entirety.
    • Maui Mini-Movie: Gone Fishing: In this special new short, we watch Maui as he tries to catch a fish and realizes that it’s a little harder than anticipated.
    • Voice of the Islands: Directors Ron Clements and John Musker share their experiences visiting the Pacific Islands as part of their research trip for the film. The documentary footage is incredibly beautiful and high-quality, something we’ve not seen from a research trip before (where we just got still photos and perhaps some short amateur videos). The duo talks about how in the three-week travels, they were transformed by the people and the culture.
    • Things You Didn’t Know About…: In this fun two-part featurette, the film’s directors, actors, and music team answer a series of rapid-fire questions.
      • Ron, John, Auli’i & Dwayne
      • Mark, Opetaia, & Lin-Manuel
    • Island Fashion: Moana‘s Costume Designer Neysa Bové talks about designing the clothing for the film’s ancient inhabitants, the thought why certain characters wear certain things, and some interesting tidbits about the clothing.
    • The Elements Of…: In this four-part featurette, we learn about some of the film’s smaller stars:
      • • Mini-Maui: Mini-Maui is Maui’s tattoo of himself that was animated by Disney animation legend Eric Goldberg. Here he and his team talk about the challenges animating Mini-Maui and Maui’s tattoos.
      • Water: Water was one of the most complex aspects of the film and, in this featurette, you go behind-the-scenes with the technical team as they discuss what they did to tackle the living ocean.
      • Lava: Along with water lava is an important part of the film, but also one most complex. Here the technical team discusses this fiery challenge.
      • Hair: Disney hair has iconic status in pop culture. The filmmakers wanted to make sure that Moana and its characters’ hair was just as epic, so here the team discusses what they did to make it stand out.
    • They Know the Way: Making the Music of Moana: It’s not a Disney animated film without fantastic music! And in this great featurette, the music team of Mark Mancina, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Opetaia Foa’i talk about their inspiration for the music to make it feel like the perfect part of the movie. We also get more footage from the research trip that focuses on the music they experienced.

• • • Deleted Song: “Warrior Face” with Introduction by Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda:
      Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda introduces this fun deleted song (sung by Miranda’s fellow Hamilton co-stars Christopher Jackson and Ana Nogueira), which is inspired by the haka.
    • Fishing for Easter Eggs: Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson host this segment, which includes tons of fun easter eggs found in the film.

• • Deleted Scenes: Here we get nearly 30 minutes of deleted scenes, with commentaries by the directors:
    • “Grandmother’s Warning/Legend of Maui”
    • “Canoe Race; Father”
    • “Daughter, Boat”
    • “Education of Moana”
    • “Discussing Moana’s Future”
    • “Race the Wind/Ties That Bind”
    • “Under the Sea”
  • “How Far I’ll Go” Performed by Alessia Cara: The music video for the film’s standout song, as performed by Alessia Cara.
  • “How Far I’ll Go” Around the World: Watch “How Far I’ll Go” in many different languages!
  • Audio Commentary: What a treat! In this director’s commentary, directors (and Disney legends) John Musker and Ron Clements discuss a huge variety of aspects of the film such as its origins, research trip, voice cast, filmmaking team, as well as fun facts and the inside scoop from production.

Final Thoughts

The Moana Blu-ray delivers everything you would expect in a Disney Blu-ray release. Lots of behind-the-scenes stories, deleted songs and scenes, interviews from the filmmakers, and of course, a director’s commentary. Definitely pick this one up, you won’t regret it!

Purchase Moana

• Amazon: Blu-ray | 3D Blu-ray | DVD | Digital
• Target: Blu-ray + Exclusive 32-Page Storybook
• Best Buy: 3D Blu-ray + Collectible Steelbook | Blu-ray + Collectible Steelbook
• Disney Store: Moana Blu-ray with 4 Exclusive Lithographs (+ $10 off your next purchase)
• Disney Movies Anywhere: Digital
• iTunes: Digital

Edited by: Hannah Wilkes