The reasons behind the change of name are not completely clear, but a tweet from Disney España gives an important clue: 'Moana' is registered as a trademark in Spain, and in a number of other European countries, hence the change to Vaiana in Europe.
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.
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.
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!
That's why Cinema Pro Studio published a trailer with the Euphoria star joining The Rock in the film, with a very accurate description: "Here's our concept trailer for 'Moana Live Action,' an exhilarating cinematic journey that brings Zendaya's Moana and Dwayne Johnson's Maui to life in a captivating new adaptation.
Rachel House reprised her role in the Māori version of Moana, and took over the direction of the dubbing. In many European countries, the name of the titular character, Moana, was changed to Vaiana due to a trademark conflict. The film was released in those countries to bear the alternative name in the title.
As of early October 2023, Disney has not officially announced the development of Moana 2. In the past decade or so, the studio has progressively veered away from making sequels and instead focused on developing live-action remakes.
Since it's a remake, the live-action Moana should retain most of the same characters. The only confirmed actor so far is Dwayne Johnson, who will be reprising his role as Maui. Auli'i Cravalho will not return as Moana but is going to be producing the movie alongside Johnson.
On December 20, Netflix removed Moana to make room for a new lineup of films for Christmas and New Year's Eve. While Moana is no longer available on Netflix, you are still able to enjoy the movie over the holidays. Amazon Prime offers Moana for purchase, and iTunes offers both a rental and a purchase option.
Why Disney's character Moana's name was changed to Vaiana when the movie was released in Italy? It's not just Italy, the movie is called Vaiana in several European countries, but Oceania in Italy (though the main character is nonetheless called “Vaiana”).
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.
At sixteen, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) is in the middle of the pack, but her ending makes her age less of an issue, at least on the surface. Her film, Moana, is one of the more recent additions to the franchise and doesn't include a romantic plot.
Additionally, Moana the character is a good role model for girls as she shows leadership skills, strength and independence. Moana isn't suitable for children under the age of 8 years. We recommend parental guidance for children aged up to 10 years because of the movie's violent and scary scenes.
Moana (voice: Auli'i Cravalho), Maui (voice: Dwayne Johnson). Not long after the announcement, Johnson revealed that the upcoming live remake is slated to release in theaters on June 27, 2025.
In the first Frozen movie, Elsa's age was 21, while Anna was 18. Considering Frozen revolved around Elsa's coronation, it's refreshing to see that Arendelle waited until she was a more appropriate age to receive the queen title. Frozen II occurred after a 3-year time jump, with Elsa now 24 and Anna 21.
In the Disney film Moana, the relationship between Moana and Maui is not romantic because Moana is a sixteen year old girl and Maui is thousands of years old. This is a step up from prior Disney movies.
The story of the demigod Maui stretches across the Pacific and is estimated to be over 1000 years old. Always on a quest to empower mankind, Maui has become an endearing icon to the people of Polynesia.
