'Moana' universe: Exploring Polynesian culture and mythology
Disney's Moana franchise, which includes Moana and its sequel, is praised for its colorful representation of Polynesian culture, mythologies, and history. The movies focus on Moana of Motunui (voiced by Auli`i Cravalho), a young girl who sets sail across the Pacific Ocean to become her village's voyaging wayfinder. With demigod Maui (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) by her side, they sail through several South Pacific islands.
'Moana' franchise: A blend of Polynesian cultures
The Moana franchise takes place in the Pacific Ocean, particularly in Polynesia and its many islands. Although the islands and places are imaginary, they are a combination of different Pacific nations and not just one culture. This creates an amazing amalgamation of elements that represent multiple groups of Pacific Islanders at once. Most of both films occur on the open ocean with Moana sailing her boat to save her people and answering the call of her ancestors.
'Moana' films: A journey into Polynesian history
The Moana films take place 2,000 years in the past during a time in real Polynesian history called "The Long Pause." This was when Western Polynesia was colonized over 3,000 years ago with its people using boats and navigating with the stars to discover islands like Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga. These wayfinding techniques are alluded to in the movies as Moana learns to become a wayfinder herself from Maui.
'Moana' franchise: Inspired by real-life Polynesian culture
The Moana films are directly inspired by early Polynesian culture and its various nations. While developing the first movie, Disney formed an "Oceanic Trust" featuring multiple scholars and cultural advisors to ensure that said Polynesian inspirations were both respectful and historically accurate. This included everything from the thatched roofs of the houses of the Motunui to the pits they used to cook food, their clothing and ceremonial dress, how they handled coconuts and Saoman-inspired tattoos.
'Moana' films: A blend of Polynesian languages
While the Moana films are mostly in English, there are several instances where you can hear different Polynesian languages. This includes the song We Know The Way from the first movie with Samoan, Tokelauan, and Tuvaluan words. Both Maui and Moana perform hakas in Moana and Moana 2, a traditional Maori dance with vigorous movements and chanting. This linguistic diversity makes these Polynesian-inspired stories even more enriching to watch.
'Moana' films: Polynesian gods and demigods
The Moana films feature a number of different supernatural beings and gods of the sea. Johnson's Maui is a trickster demigod and folktale hero of real Polynesian myth credited with creating the Hawaiian Islands, having pulled them up with his fishhook. In Moana 2, Maui will once again play a pivotal role. Find out what, in theaters on Friday.
