Category: NEW MOVIES: “Moana 2”

Moana^[b] is a 2016 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements from a screenplay by Jared Bush. The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho in her feature film debut. Its songs were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi, and Mark Mancina, who also composed the score. Set in ancient Polynesia, the film follows Moana (Cravalho), the strong-willed daughter of a village chief, who is chosen by the ocean to restore a mystical relic to the goddess Te Fiti. When a blight threatens her island, she sets sail in search of Maui (Johnson), a legendary demigod, in hopes of saving her people. The screenplay draws inspiration from Polynesian mythology.

Moana premiered at the AFI Fest at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 14, 2016, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 23. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $687 million worldwide. At the 89th Academy Awards, it received nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “How Far I’ll Go“.^[7]

The film later became a major streaming success on Disney+, ranking among the most-watched films in the United States during the early 2020s.^[8] A sequel, Moana 2, was released in 2024, with a third film in development. A live-action remake was released in 2026.

On the Polynesian island of Motunui, the inhabitants worship the goddess of nature, Te Fiti: a living island who, long ago, brought life to the ocean using a pounamu stone as her heart and the source of her power. One day, Maui, the shape-shifting demigod of the wind and sea and master of wayfinding, stole Te Fiti’s heart to give humanity the power of creation. This caused Te Fiti to disintegrate, and Maui was attacked by Te Kā, a volcanic demon. Maui lost both the heart and his magic fish hook to the depths of the sea.

A thousand years later, the ocean chooses Moana, the daughter of Motunui’s chief Tui, to return the heart to Te Fiti. Tui and Sina, Moana’s parents, try to keep her away from the ocean to prepare her to become the island’s chief. Sixteen years later, blight strikes the island, killing vegetation and shrinking the fish catch. Moana suggests going beyond the island’s reef with her pet pig, Pua, to find more fish and discover what is happening, but Tui forbids it.

Moana tries to conquer the reef, but is overpowered by the tides and shipwrecked. That afternoon, Moana’s grandmother Tala shows her a secret cavern of ships and reveals Motunui’s people were voyagers until Maui stole Te Fiti’s heart; the ocean was no longer safe without it. Tala explains Te Kā’s darkness is destroying the island, but it can be cured if Moana finds Maui and has him restore the heart of Te Fiti. Having been given the heart by the ocean, Tala gives it to Moana. Tala later becomes gravely ill and tells Moana to find Maui.

Moana sets sail on a camakau from the cavern along with her dimwitted pet rooster, Heihei, who stowed away on it. They are caught in a typhoon and shipwrecked on an island, where she finds Maui, who boasts about his achievements. She demands Maui return the heart, but he refuses and traps her in a cave before leaving on her boat. She escapes and confronts Maui, who reluctantly lets her on the camakau. They are attacked by Kakamora, coconut pirates who seek the heart, but Moana and Maui outwit them.

Moana realizes Maui is no longer a hero since he stole the heart and cursed the world, and convinces him to redeem himself by returning the heart. However, Maui first needs to retrieve his fishhook in Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters, from Tamatoa, a giant coconut crab. While Moana distracts Tamatoa, Maui retrieves his hook, only to find himself unable to control his shape-shifting. He is overpowered by Tamatoa, but Moana’s quick thinking allows them to escape with the hook. Maui reveals his first tattoo was earned when his human parents abandoned him as an infant, and the gods, taking pity on him, granted him his powers. After reassurance from Moana, Maui teaches her the art of way-finding, regaining control of his powers, and the two grow closer.

They arrive at Te Fiti’s island, only to be attacked by Te Kā. Moana refuses to turn back, resulting in Maui’s hook being badly damaged. Unwilling to lose his hook again, Maui abandons Moana, who loses hope and tearfully asks the ocean to find someone else to restore the heart. The ocean obliges and takes the heart, but Tala’s spirit appears, inspiring Moana to find her true calling. Moana retrieves the heart and sails back to confront Te Kā. Maui returns, having had a change of heart, and buys Moana time to reach Te Fiti by fighting Te Kā, destroying his hook in the process. Upon being unable to find Te Fiti, Moana realizes Te Kā is Te Fiti, but corrupted without her heart. The ocean clears a path for Moana, allowing her to return the heart to Te Fiti, who heals the ocean and islands of blight. Maui apologizes to Te Fiti, who fixes his hook as well as Moana’s boat before falling into a deep sleep and becoming an island.

Moana bids farewell to Maui and Te Fiti, returning home and reuniting with her parents. After placing a shell on top of the stack of stones placed by all previous chiefs, Moana takes up her role as chieftess and wayfinder, leading her people as they resume voyaging, accompanied by Maui.

• Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana, the curious daughter of village chief Tui and his wife Sina, who is chosen by the ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti
  • Cravalho reprised her role in the film’s Hawaiian-language version^[9]
  • Louise Bush as young Moana
• Dwayne Johnson as Maui, a legendary and strong-willed, yet egotistical shape-shifting demigod who sets off with Moana on her journey
• Rachel House as Tala, Tui’s mother and Moana’s paternal grandmother. Like Moana, Tala shares a passion for the ocean and the two have a very deep bond
  • House reprised her role in the film’s Māori-language dub^[10]
• Temuera Morrison as Tui, Moana’s overprotective father, Sina’s husband, and Tala’s son. He is chief of Motunui Island
  • Morrison reprised his role in the film’s Māori-language dub^[10]
  • Christopher Jackson as Tui’s singing voice
• Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa, a giant, villainous, treasure-hoarding coconut crab from Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters, and Maui’s nemesis
  • Clement reprised his role in the film’s Māori-language dub^[10]
• Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Moana’s mother, Tui’s wife, and Chieftess of Motunui
  • Scherzinger also reprised her role in the film’s Hawaiian-language dub^[11]
• Alan Tudyk as Heihei, Moana’s pet rooster
  • Tudyk also voices Villager No. 3, an old man who suggests cooking Heihei
• Oscar Kightley as a fisherman
• Troy Polamalu as Villager No. 1
• Puanani Cravalho (Auli’i Cravalho’s mother) as Villager No. 2

Night Nurse is a 2026 American erotic thriller film written, produced, and directed by Georgia Bernstein. It stars Cemre Paksoy, Bruce McKenzie, Eleonore Hendricks, Colleen Rose Trundy, and Mimi Rogers.

At the start of her new job in a luxury retirement community, Eleni is drawn into a series of scam calls targeting the elderly residents. As the community’s strange rhythms close around her, she grows increasingly intimate with her elusive patient, Douglas, until the line blurs between care and desire, devotion and delusion.

• Cemre Paksoy as Eleni Sadik
• Bruce McKenzie as Douglas
• Eleonore Hendricks as Mona
• Colleen Rose Trundy as Michelle
• Mimi Rogers as Doctor Mann
• Keith Kupferer as Detective Murphy

Evil Dead Burn is a 2026 American supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Sébastien Vaniček, and produced by Rob Tapert and series creator Sam Raimi. It serves as a sequel to Evil Dead Rise (2023) and the sixth installment in the Evil Dead film series. The film stars Souheila Yacoub as a young woman who seeks solace with her in-laws after her husband’s death, as the family comes together in a secluded house. The gathering becomes a “family reunion from hell” as members gradually turn into Deadites. It also stars Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Erroll Shand, and Maude Davey in supporting roles.

A sixth Evil Dead film was announced in February 2024, with Vaniček hired to direct a script he co-wrote with Florent Bernard, while Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert were producers, with Ghost House Pictures producing the project. In December 2024, Vaniček revealed the title to be Evil Dead Burn, with a tentative release scheduled for 2026. Casting began in May 2025, filming began in July, and filming concluded in October that same year in New Zealand.

Evil Dead Burn was theatrically released in France on July 8, 2026, followed by the United States on July 10, in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, and internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing through its Screen Gems banner. The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $26 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.

At his family’s lake house, Joseph Price researches his late grandfather Benjamin’s studies of the Necronomicon and Deadites. He uncovers the Kandarian Dagger, which Benjamin claims can destroy Deadites. His discovery attracts Deadite Jessica, who murders a pair of fishermen before making her way towards Joseph. Joseph’s brother Will gets into a fight with his wife Alice and drunkenly drives away, crashing into Jessica. As Will burns to death in the car wreck, Jessica recites a passage from the Necronomicon and passes the Deadite possession to Will.

Some time later, Alice, Joseph, his girlfriend Thya, his parents, Susan and Edgar, and his grandmother, Polly, reunite for Will’s cremation. Alice struggles to bond with Susan and Edgar, who blame her for the crash. After the service, Edgar privately visits Will’s coffin before he is cremated. Will’s Deadite-possessed corpse breaks out of the coffin, burns Edgar, and kills the cremator. The family returns to the lakehouse where Edgar slowly succumbs to possession. During a tense family dinner, Edgar stabs the family dog Max to death and collapses. Joseph and Thya attempt to drive him to the hospital, but he causes the car to crash and murders Thya while Joseph flees. At the house, Alice stumbles upon Benjamin’s research and nearly reads from the Necronomicon before she is attacked by a possessed Max.

Joseph arrives at the house when Thya suddenly appears, now also a Deadite. The family lock her in the basement and try to flee but are forced to retreat when Edgar and Max confront them. While the others barricade the house, Thya tricks Polly into letting her out. Thya brutally attacks the entire family, trying to track down the dagger. Joseph manages to kill Thya. Polly, possessed by a Deadite after her encounter with Thya, manipulates a traumatized Susan into letting Deadite Edgar inside. Susan kisses Edgar and begins to succumb to Deadite possession as she tries to convince Joseph to reveal the dagger’s location.

Edgar attacks the family, breaking his promise to Susan to leave Joseph alone. Alice hides during the chaos and has flashbacks to being abused by Will during their marriage. She arms herself with a rotary saw and finds Susan, only to be ambushed by Polly. Polly deafens Alice’s right ear, but Alice manages to subdue Polly with a stair lift. Joseph succumbs to his wounds at the hands of Edgar and dies while Alice and Susan flee to the bathroom. Alice ties Susan up and confronts her about Will’s abusive past. Susan admits her hatred of Alice and becomes fully possessed. Alice fends her off and escapes to the attic, where she finds the Kandarian dagger. Deadite Joseph attacks her, but she manages to kill him, releasing his body from possession.

Alice flees to the roof pursued by Susan and Edgar but drops the dagger. Climbing back into the house via the chimney, she manages to decapitate Susan and fatally wound Edgar with the saw before setting the house on fire. Alice kills Max with the dagger before collapsing. Will arrives at the burning house and pursues Alice to a building site. After a lengthy struggle, Alice manages to trap Will in a pit filled with tar and kill him with a jackhammer and the dagger. Paramedics arrive as the sun rises and rescue Alice.

In a mid-credit scene, the still-possessed Polly is revealed to have escaped the house and is found by a motorist crawling away. Polly scratches the motorist’s leg, passing on the Deadite possession.

In a post-credit scene, the daughter of the crematorium’s manager finds Ellie Bixler‘s unclaimed ashes before Deadite Ellie appears and kills her.

• Souheila Yacoub as Alice Price
• Tandi Wright as Susan Price
• Hunter Doohan as Joseph Price
• Luciane Buchanan as Thya
• Erroll Shand as Edgar Price
• Maude Davey as Polly Price
• George Pullar as William Price
• Victory Ndukwe as Leo
• Keanu Karim as Jared
• Tapiwa Soropa as Mike
• Alain Chabat as Alice’s dad (voice)
• Lara Macgregor as Crematorium Manager
• Greta Van Den Brink as Jessica
• Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie Bixler

Executive producer Bruce Campbell, who previously portrayed Ash Williams in every previous installment of the franchise, has a cameo appearance on a photograph.^[5]