Of all the Disney princesses, Moana is my favorite. And I’m not alone: 7 years after release, Moana was the most streamed movie of 2023, with a whopping 11.6 billion minutes watched.
With a sequel set to be released later this year, I thought it would be fun to dig deeper into this beloved film.So here are 17 fun facts that changed my perspective Moana:
1.
Originally, Disney planned a movie that would focus on our favorite demigod, Maui. Moana was conceived as a secondary character tasked with rescuing her lover. Thankfully, that didn’t happen! This film is more of a journey of self-discovery.
2.
Directors Ron Clements and John Musker also co-directed another Disney film set at sea. little mermaid. And there was a little Easter egg included during “You’re Welcome” – Flounder! You can find him swimming with other sea animals.
3.
Speaking of “You’re Welcome,” this song was planned to be sung by Moana, not Maui, before the characters’ personalities were defined. John told Entertainment Weekly magazine, “When she first met him, she adored him. And then when she met this depressed guy, this asshole, she had to cheer him up.” I didn’t have one, so I sang a song to remind him.” Don’t you know that you have done all these wonderful things? ” Ultimately, the team decided to transform Maui into the confident demigod we know and love today. Lucky for us because it’s Dwayne Johnson’s only song!
Four.
Many members of the Disney team (including directors, animators, and producers) traveled across the Pacific on research trips. They spent time in villages, went sailing, and talked to people of all ages and backgrounds. An elder approached them and said, “We have been swallowed up by your culture for years. Would you please be swallowed up by our culture just once?” I did. Wow, talk about powerful! This stuck with the team and motivated them to dive deeper into Pacific culture.
Five.
During their trip, they were moved by the message that the ocean does not separate islands, but connects them. Pacific Islanders also emphasized the idea that nature is alive. This comes through throughout the film, with the ocean being a character in its own right.
6.
Maui was originally supposed to be bald like The Rock. But when Disney brought the early art to its Polynesian cultural advisors, they weren’t fans. “My advisors said, ‘Maui is not bald. Maui’s long, thick hair is part of his mana (spiritual energy),'” Ron told USA Today. “And we all said, ‘Okay, Maui is going to have hair.'”
7.
Auli’i Cravalho was the last girl the casting agent saw on the last day of auditions. During her online callback session, the Disney team asked her to act out her reaction if she won the role, before telling her that she had actually won the role. .
8.
Pua originally continued her adventures with Moana. It would have been so much fun to see this cutie in a bigger role!
9.
Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote many songs, including “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome.” What he worked on was Moana his active soundtrack hamilton When recording the demo, he also relied on several co-stars, such as Philippa Soo.
Ten.
The film was about a real historical event called The Long Pose. People arrived in the Western Pacific Islands about 3,500 years ago, then took an estimated 1,000 years of rest before moving on to Eastern Polynesia. Scholars have debated the reasons for the suspension, but it remains unclear. Moana He explained that Maui had stolen the center of Te Fiti and the fear of crossing the reef was widespread when the boats never returned.
11.
From the beginning, the directors wanted Moana to have a different body type than previous princesses. John told BuzzFeed: “This was a deliberate effort, partly inspired by wanting her to be different, and we wanted her to be an action hero who could do the action.” “We wanted to do that. Even the visual development drawings that we created were based on the drawings for the movie.” South Pacific…It seemed like the right thing for this character to make her look like she could physically hold her own with the stunts we wanted her to do and the physicality of her role. is. ”
12.
the directors saw it The Lion Kingtemplate for musical success: composer Hans Zimmer, pop star Elton John, South African producer Lebo M. They discovered a similar formula. MoanaMark Mancina, the composer of hit songs such as: tarzan and brother’s bearplayed by Lin-Manuel, a talented celebrity, and Opetaia Tavita Foai, a singer-songwriter who founded the Pacific Island band Te Vaka.
13.
Maui’s characters are inspired by a combination of Polynesian mythology. Although many islands have their own variations of Maui, there are some stories in common. He is credited with giving humans the knowledge of fire, slowing the movement of the sun, and using fishing hooks to pull up islands from the deep sea. Some myths have also appeared in movies.
14.
Maui also drew inspiration from another source.upon twitterDwayne wrote, “A secret little @Disney gem, my character Maui was partially inspired by my late grandfather, Samoa’s Chief Justice Peter Maivia. #ThankYou.” wrote.
15.
Hawaiian Airlines has painted three of its planes to celebrate Disney’s first Polynesian princess. They also decorated the overhead compartment as follows. Moana-Themed decals.
16.
At Comic-Con, a Disney panel revealed that Hei Hei was a completely different chicken in the early versions of the film. Screenwriter Jared Bush said, “Hei Hei the animal has undergone a bit of a character evolution.” “He was a bit of an unpleasant person at first. Heihei had a very good attitude. As he went through various examinations, [we learned] I couldn’t relate to the characters. We started changing one very small thing about Hei Hei. ”
17.
And finally, Moana’s name is iconic. The word Moana actually means sea in many Polynesian languages. So it’s only fitting that her ocean chooses her.
Find out about other fun things Moana fact? Write your LMK in the comments section below!
