Ballerina
2016France★ 7.26 pt match
What ties these together is belonging, figuring out who you are, and longing. Both circle the same ground: family duty and caught between worlds. The feel is the same: hopeful, warm, escalating, and episodic.
Moana
2016USALanguage: EnglishDirected by Ron Clements, John Musker★ 7.6
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
Themes and style
Tone
hopefulwhimsicalwarmdark comedyabsurdist
Pacing
escalatingepisodic
Story
journeysurvivalrebellionescape
Emotion
figuring out who you arebelongingsacrificeloyalty under pressureredemptionlonging
Themes
family dutyfamily wounds passed downcaught between worldsreligion and faith
Feel
crowd pleasercatharticrewatchablefun scary
Violence
mildWhere to watch
Foreign films like Moana
These foreign films share the same emotional core, themes, and structural feel as Moana. Every one of them has confirmed English subtitles or dubbing.
Suzume
2022Japan★ 7.94 pt match
What ties these together is longing, sacrifice, and figuring out who you are. The world both films live in revolves around family wounds passed down, family duty, and caught between worlds. Both move the same way too, hopeful, whimsical, and escalating.
Whisper of the Heart
1995Japan★ 7.93.5 pt match
Both films sit with longing, figuring out who you are, and belonging. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down and family duty. The feel is the same: warm, hopeful, and episodic.