The film *Moana* (2016) was rated **PG** (Parental Guidance Suggested) by the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
According to the MPA’s official rating summary, the film received this classification for **"peril, some scary images and brief thematic elements."** Below are the specific elements and scenes that contributed to this rating:
### 1. Peril (Action and Danger)
The "peril" in *Moana* refers to several intense sequences where the protagonists face life-threatening situations:
* **The Kakamora Battle:** Moana and Maui are attacked by an armada of "coconut pirates" (the Kakamora). While the characters are cute, the scene is an intense high-seas chase involving spears, blow darts, and large-scale ship-to-ship boarding.
* **Storms and Drowning:** There are several scenes of Moana struggling against the power of the ocean. Early in the film, she is caught in a storm while trying to cross the reef and nearly drowns. Later, she and Maui face a massive thunderstorm that damages their boat and puts them in significant danger.
* **Lalotai (The Realm of Monsters):** The journey into this bioluminescent underworld involves falling down a massive vertical drop and encountering various aggressive mythical beasts.
### 2. Scary Images
Several visual elements were flagged as potentially frightening for younger children:
* **Te Kā:** The primary "villain" for most of the film is a massive lava monster. Te Kā is depicted as a demonic, volcanic entity with a "cracked" rock face, glowing eyes, and a body made of smoke and fire. Her aggressive movements and the way she hurls fireballs at the protagonists were specifically noted as intense for a "G" rating.
* **Tamatoa:** The giant, 50-foot coconut crab in Lalotai has a sequence that starts as a colorful musical number ("Shiny") but turns dark and "creepy." He threatens to eat Moana and Maui, and his bioluminescent "glow-in-the-dark" sequence features more menacing imagery.
* **The Opening Legend:** The film begins with Gramma Tala telling a story to toddlers that includes a stylized, frightening depiction of Maui being attacked by Te Kā, which causes several of the on-screen children to cry and panic.
### 3. Brief Thematic Elements
This category refers to mature topics that require a higher level of emotional processing:
* **Death and Grief:** A major emotional beat in the film is the death of Moana’s grandmother, Gramma Tala. While handled sensitively, the scene is heavy with grief. Her subsequent "reappearance" as a spiritual stingray and a ghost involves themes of the afterlife and reincarnation.
* **Abandonment:** Maui reveals a tragic backstory where he was abandoned by his human parents as an infant because they "didn't want him." This deals with themes of rejection and trauma.
* **Cultural Legends:** The film’s focus on Polynesian mythology—specifically the idea of gods, demigods, and a dying world (the "darkness" spreading across the islands)—adds a layer of existential threat.
### 4. Other Contributing Factors
While not explicitly in the MPA summary, other parental guides (such as Common Sense Media) note the following "mild" elements:
* **Language:** Very mild instances of "rude" language or slang, such as "butt cheeks," "screwed," and a moment where a character's sentence is cut off before they can say "son of a..."
* **Humor:** There is a sarcastic joke about "human sacrifice," and some "slapstick" violence, such as Maui repeatedly throwing Moana off the boat into the ocean.