Disney's Moana has depicted part of Polynesian history in its own way, with some aspects being somewhat factual while others were exaggerated. Disney's Moana is set on the fictional island of Motunui.
Filmmakers charted out relative distances in the world they created. Te Fiti, another island in the film, was based on Tahiti, and the tattoos on Dwayne Johnson's character, Maui, are modeled on Marquesan tattoos. “Such specificity helped to keep things organized,” Gooding says.
Although the name of the island is indeed of Polynesian origin (see trivia above), there is no Motunui island in real life. The filmmakers chose to create a fictional island in order to equally represent and honor the Polynesian peoples and their cultures without giving clear preference to just one.
The fictional movie takes place 3,000 years ago in the islands of Polynesia, an area that includes Hawaii, Tonga and Tahiti. The star is 16-year-old Moana, voiced by Hawaiian actress Auli'i Cravalho, who goes on an ocean voyage with Maui, voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Moana is set on the fictional island of Motunui in the Pacific Ocean and draws inspiration from elements of the real-life island nations of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
Some enjoy the movie but believe Maui should have been portrayed as a warrior. "As a proud Polynesian woman, it's not often that you see a film like Moana come out. It headlines our Pasifika culture, and it's lead by our Polynesian artists in the industry.
Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. In fact, once you start looking for ties to Polynesian culture in Moana, it's hard to stop!
In the interest of storytelling, directors John Musker and Ron Clements traveled around the South Pacific, visiting several islands including Tetiaroa, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, and New Zealand.
5) In the film's novelization, Moana's age is given as 16. This makes her the only Disney princess to be voiced by an actress younger than herself. Moana was released on Cravalho's 16th birthday.
Created by directors Ron Clements and John Musker, and voiced by Dwayne Johnson, Maui is loosely based on Māui from Hawaiian mythology. In the film, Maui is depicted as a demigod who was abandoned by his parents and eventually adopted by the gods.
Māui is a character from Māori and Polynesian mythology. Though the stories about him do sometimes differ, he is consistently depicted as a clever, talented trickster. He's a demi-god, and he has supernatural powers, but still looks human.
Moana Waialiki of Motunui is the title character of the 2016 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Moana. Created by directors Ron Clements and John Musker, Moana is voiced by Hawaiian actress and singer Auliʻi Cravalho. As a toddler, she is voiced by Louise Bush.
Native peoples of the Pacific resumed voyaging again a thousand years later. Clements and Musker set the film at that point in time, about two thousand years ago, on a fictional island in the central Pacific Ocean, which drew inspiration from elements of the real-life island nations of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.
"Te Kā" means "the burning one" in Maori. The development name for Te Kā/Te Fiti, "Te Po", means "the dark one" in the same language. "Kā" is also a possessive particle in most Polynesian languages, which fits the character's loss of identity.
Disney's Moana has depicted part of Polynesian history in its own way, with some aspects being somewhat factual while others were exaggerated. Disney's Moana is set on the fictional island of Motunui.
Family size, too, was cut down. The young heroine Moana wasn't always the only child seen onscreen. She had six brothers, including one brother who tormented her and another who was wise and supportive. In these versions, Moana was the best sailor among her brothers, but still overlooked by her father, Chief Tui.
The song begins in Samoan and the chorus is in Tokelauan. After the first chorus, the song uses English lyrics. The English languages are changed in international translations, but most dubs of Moana keep the Polynesian lyrics unaltered.
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Dwayne Johnson was “humbled (and excited)” to share the release date for Disney's upcoming live-action remake of Moana on Tuesday. The film will hit theaters on June 27, 2025, nine years after the original. “Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface.
Set to premiere on Disney+ in 2024, Moana's sequel series should bring back many of the main characters from the original movie and should bring in a new antagonist and potential threats to Moana and Maui's new friendship.
Te Fiti does not exist in Polynesian mythology, but there is a goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes called Pele. The spiral on Te Fiti's heart, Moana's necklace, and on the sail of her boat is called a koru. Te Fiti slightly resembles the Spring Sprite from the Firebird Suite segment in Fantasia 2000.
It is a beautiful Hawaiian given name meaning "ocean, sea, or expanse of water." The name has been a firm favorite among Polynesian communities for years, gaining global popularity with the release of Disney's epic animated film in 2016.
Te Fiti's appearance was based on the real island of Tahiti, with its reefs, forests, and lagoons in particular taking heavy inspiration from the main Tahitian island.
