GRAMMA TALA (Rachel House), Moana's best friend and grandmother who shares her special connection to the ocean. CHIEF TUI (Temuera Morrison), Moana's father and the well-respected leader of the people of Motunui Island.
Te Kā is the main antagonist of Disney's 56th full-length animated feature film Moana. She was once the benevolent island goddess Te Fiti, but after her heart was stolen by the demigod Maui, she became a destructive lava demon.
A millennium later, a young Moana Waialiki, the daughter and heir of a chief on the small Polynesian island of Motunui, is chosen by the ocean to receive the heart as she is collecting shells on the shore.
Moana's animal companion Heihei seems completely useless except perhaps as a boat snack for Maui, but this little rooster has real meaning. Heihei the rooster appears to be utterly useless due to his stupidity, but Moana's sidekick has real meaning in the movie, proving Moana's super power.
But it's great to see that their relationship never even touches the possibility of romance. Instead, their bond is one first of adversaries, then one of comrades working together on a team. They face their own ups and downs, but Maui remains Moana's friend through it all.
Though Moana and Te Fiti aren't related by blood like Anna and Elsa, the sacrifice underscores the large role nature plays in the film. “The idea that what we perceive as the villain of the film is actually 'nature wronged' was always an idea that we had, and wanted to build toward,” Shurer said.
Maui is a shapeshifting, trickster god who comes to the aid of the film's protagonist, Moana, on her quest to save her island and family. Maui is voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and is based on the Polynesian deity of the same name.
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.
A millennium later, Moana, daughter of Motunui's chief Tui, is chosen by the ocean to return the heart to Te Fiti. However, Tui arrives and takes Moana away, causing her to lose the heart. Tui and Moana's mother, Sina, try to keep her away from the ocean to prepare her for ascension as the island's chief.
Te Fiti silently restores her island and undoes the damage caused by Te Kā across the world, as well as Moana's boat. Maui bashfully tries to joke with Te Fiti, but the goddess is not amused. He then apologizes in a formal manner, confessing that he has no excuse, which earns Te Fiti's forgiveness.
Premiering in 2016 as Walt Disney Pictures' 56th feature film, Moana follows the bold title character as she leaves her Polynesian island of Motunui to return the magical heart to the goddess Te Fiti in order to restore balance to nature.
Merida and Pocahontas are the only Princesses to not be seen married, or have wedding dresses in the franchise. Belle and a few others were featured in Disney's Beautiful Brides book.
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.
But depending on where in the world people saw Moana, they might know the great animated movie by another name. Disney retitled Moana in different countries, with most European countries using Vaiana. This change was reflected in the movie too, as Moana's name was changed to Vaiana due to copyright issues.
And there's definitely no sexual chemistry (thank demigod) between Moana and her wisecracking travel companion, Maui, voiced by 44-year-old Dwayne Johnson. According to the directors, Moana was always intended to be a princess movie without a prince.
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.
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!
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.
Moana—pronounced “moh-AH-nah,” not “MWAH-nah” means “ocean”—and the character is chosen by the sea itself to return the stolen heart of Te Fiti, who turns out to be an island deity (Tahiti, in its various linguistic forms, including Tafiti, is a pan-Polynesian word for any faraway place).
