Of all Disney’s princesses via the years, Moana is well my favourite. And I am not alone: Seven years after its launch, Moana was the most-streamed film of 2023 with a whopping 11.6 billion minutes watched!
With the sequel coming later this yr, I believed it will be enjoyable to take a deep dive within the beloved movie. So, listed below are 17 enjoyable information that modified how I view Moana:
1.
Initially, Disney deliberate for the film to concentrate on Maui, our favourite demigod. Moana was envisioned as a secondary character on a mission to rescue her love curiosity. Fortunately, that did not occur! The movie is far stronger as a journey of self-discovery.
2.
Administrators Ron Clements and John Musker additionally co-directed one other Disney film set within the ocean: The Little Mermaid. They usually included a small Easter egg throughout “You are Welcome” — Flounder! You’ll be able to spot him swimming with the opposite sea animals.
3.
Talking of “You are Welcome,” the music was truly speculated to be sung by Moana as a substitute of Maui earlier than they’d nailed down the characters’ personalities. John informed Leisure Weekly, “When she first met him, she idolized him, and when she came across this down-and-out man, this mope, she needed to get him going and so she sang a music to him reminding him, ‘Do not you realize you probably did all these nice issues?'” Finally, the staff determined to show Maui into the assured demigod we all know and love right now. Fortunate for us as that is Dwayne Johnson’s solely music!
4.
Many members of the Disney staff — together with administrators, animators, and producers — traveled throughout the Pacific on analysis journeys. They frolicked within the villages, went crusing, and spoke to folks of all ages and backgrounds. An elder approached them and stated, “For years, we’ve been swallowed by your tradition. For as soon as, are you able to be swallowed by ours?” Whew, speak about highly effective! This caught with the staff and have become their driving pressure to dive deep into Pacific cultures.
5.
Whereas on the journey, they had been moved by the message that the ocean just isn’t what separates the islands — it is what connects them. Pacific Islanders additionally emphasised the thought of nature being alive. This comes throughout all through the film, the place the ocean is a personality in its personal proper.
6.
Maui was initially speculated to be bald like The Rock. However when Disney took early artwork to Polynesian cultural advisers, they weren’t followers. “The advisers stated, ‘Maui isn’t bald. He has this lengthy, wealthy hair that’s a part of his mana (religious vitality),'” Ron informed USA Right this moment. “And all of us stated, ‘Okay, Maui may have hair.'”
7.
Auli’i Cravalho was the final lady seen by casting brokers on the final day of auditions. Through the on-line callback session, the Disney staff requested her to behave out her response if she landed the position earlier than telling her she truly bought it.
8.
Pua initially went on your entire journey with Moana. That may’ve been so enjoyable to see this cutie with a bigger position!
9.
Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote lots of the songs together with “How Far I will Go” and “You are Welcome.” He labored on the Moana soundtrack throughout his Hamilton run and even turned to some costars like Phillipa Soo when recording demos.
10.
The film addressed a real-life historic occasion known as the Lengthy Pause. Folks arrived within the Western Pacific Islands round 3,500 years in the past after which took an estimated 1,000-year-long break earlier than persevering with on to Jap Polynesia. Although students have debated the rationale for the pause, it stays unknown. Moana defined it with Maui stealing the center of Te Fiti and the boats not returning, which sparked widespread concern of going past the reef.
11.
From the start, the administrators wished Moana to have a unique physique kind than earlier princesses. John informed BuzzFeed, “That was a deliberate try, partly impressed by wanting her to be completely different. After which we wished her to be an motion hero, able to motion. Even the visible improvement drawings we had achieved and stuff, primarily based on drawings of individuals within the South Pacific…it simply appeared proper for this character to have her appear to be she may bodily maintain her personal for what sort of stunts we wished her to do, and the physicality of the position.”
12.
The administrators checked out The Lion King‘s template for musical success: composer Hans Zimmer, pop star Elton John, and South African producer Lebo M. They discovered an analogous method for Moana: composer Mark Mancina who labored on hits like Tarzan and Brother Bear, Lin-Manuel because the gifted superstar, and Opetaia Tavita Foa’i, a singer and songwriter who based the Pacific Islander band Te Vaka.
13.
Maui’s character was impressed by a mixture of Polynesian myths. Whereas many islands have their very own variations of Maui, there are just a few widespread tales. He’s usually credited with giving the information of fireplace to people, slowing down the solar, and utilizing his hook to tug up the islands from the depths of the ocean. A few of the myths even made their method into the film.
14.
Maui additionally drew inspiration from one other supply. On Twitter, Dwayne wrote, “A lil’ @Disney gem of a secret, my character Maui was partly impressed by my late grandfather, Excessive Chief Peter Maivia of Samoa. #grateful.”
15.
Hawaiian Airways celebrated Disney’s first Polynesian princess by portray three of their planes. In addition they embellished the over-head compartments with Moana-themed decals.
16.
At Comedian-Con, a Disney panel revealed that Heihei was a really completely different hen in earlier variations of the film. “Heihei the animal went via a little bit of a personality evolution,” author Jared Bush stated. “He began out as sort of a jerk. Heihei had loads of perspective. Over the course of many alternative screenings, [we learned] the character wasn’t resonating. We began to alter only one little factor about Heihei.”
17.
And at last, Moana’s title is symbolic. The phrase moana truly means ocean in lots of Polynesian languages. So when the ocean chooses her, it’s extremely becoming!
Know another enjoyable Moana information? LMK within the feedback under!
