Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Moana 2The world of Disney’sMoana&Moana 2is incredibly vibrant, inspired by the real-life culture, mythologies, and history of Polynesia. Starring the daughter of an island chief who leaves her home to become her village’s voyaging wayfinder, Moana of Motunui (Auliʻi Cravalho) befriends the demigod Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) as they adventure across the Pacific Ocean. As seen in both movies, the world of theMoanafranchise is quite rich and lots of fun to explore.
MoanaandMoana 2are widely praised for their accuracy and inspiration from multiple Polynesian cultures. Moana’s island of Motonui and her village are essentially a mix of various nations in the Pacific rather than any one specific culture. As such, the result is an impressive blend of elements that serve to represent multiple groups of Pacific Islanders simultaneously.To that end, here’s the world of Disney’sMoanaexplained including its setting, real-life inspirations, languages used, mythological characters, and more.
Where Is Moana Set?
The Pacific Ocean And Islands of Polynesia
TheMoanamovies are set in the Pacific Ocean, specifically the region of Polynesia and its many islands in the South Pacific. That said, the islands and various locales are all fictitious, such as the predominant island of Motunui where Moana lives with her family and village. That said, the majority of both movies take place out on the open ocean with Moana sailing her boat to save her people and answering the call of her ancestors.
The movies also feature more fantastical places visited by Moana and Maui such as Lalotai, the mythological realm of the monsters. Likewise,the ending ofMoana 2confirms that other islands and people exist beyond Moana’s village of Motunui. To that end, there’s also the central island of Motufetū with its channels meant to help connect the various island nations together.
When Moana & Moana 2 Takes Place
2,000 Years Ago, During “The Long Pause”
MoanaandMoana 2both take place 2,000 years into the past.Likewise, the movies specifically take place during a period in real Polynesian history known as “The Long Pause”. Western Polynesia was colonized over 3,000 years ago with its people using boats and navigating with the stars to find islands such as Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga. Likewise, these wayfinding techniques are referenced in the movies as Moana learns to become a wayfinder herself from Maui. However, for reasons unknown to historians and scholars, the islands of Central and Eastern Polynesia (Bora Bora, Easter Island, Tahiti, and Hawai’i) were not colonized until 2,000 years later.
As such,the end of “The Long Pause” is where theMoanamovies take place. Not only do Disney’s movies provide creative and supernatural reasons for “The Long Pause” with dark forces making the seas too dangerous to navigate,but they also show how the search for new lands started once more thanks to Moana and her love of the ocean in this fictitious version of the South Pacific. That said, it’s also humorous to see more modern references to tweets, butt-dials, fanfictions, and bumper stickers despite the movie being set over two millennia in the past.
What Moana Is Based On
Inspired By Real-Life Polynesian Culture and Mythology
As noted above,theMoanamovies are directly inspired by early Polynesian culture and its various nations. While developing the firstMoanamovie, Disney formed an “Oceanic Trust” featuring multiple scholars and cultural advisors to help ensure that said Polynesian inspirations were both respectful and historically accurate. This included everything from the thatched roofs of the houses of Motunui, to the pits they used to cook food, their clothing and ceremonial dress, how they handled coconuts, and Saoman-inspired tattoos.
Motufetū Island & Moana’s Vision In Moana 2 Explained
Moana received a vision in Moana 2 that guided her toward her next goal - to break the curse the god Nalo placed on an important island, Motufetū.
Disney’s Oceanic Trust also brought about some drastic yet very meaningful changes. This notably includes the request that Maui be given his long hair when his character was originally depicted as bald during development, as hair is a source of a demigod’s power according to real Polynesian mythology). As such, there’s so much detail in every element that points back to real Polynesian cultures, right down to the design of the Fijian-style boats from the ancient history of the South Pacific.
Moana’s Gods & Demigods Explained
Maui, Te Fiti, Nalo, and More
TheMoanamovies feature several different supernatural beings and gods of the sea.Dwayne Johnson’s Maui is naturally the most prominent, a trickster demigod and folktale hero of real Polynesian myth credited with creating the Hawaiian Islands, having pulled them up with his fishhook. InMoana 2, Maui uses his hook to pull up the sunken island of Motufetu to reconnect the islands that had been lost from each other with help from Moana and her oar, herself having become a powerful demigod as well.
Maui is also said to have stolen fire from the underworld and given it to the people, as well as having captured the sun to make the days longer. As such, many of his exploits are heard in his debut song “You’re Welcome” and are featured on his ever-changing tattoos. However, Maui is not the only supernatural being in theMoanamovies. There’s also Te Fiti, a goddess with the power to create life which she used to create the islands of Polynesia, and her darker half Te Kā, a lava monster who emerged when Maui stole her heart (a pounamu stone) which also resulted in a blight began threatening islands like Motunui.
TheMoanamovies also have their fair share of supernatural villains like Nalo, a dark storm god who sunk Motofetū to keep the island nations separate from one another, and Tamatoa, a giant crab and rival of Maui’s who also sought to claim Te Fiti’s heart.There’s also Matangi inMoana 2who seems to be another demigod, one who can control bats and is forced to serve Nalo. That said, she did secretly help Moana and her crew reunite with Maui to make it to Motofetū using a portal.
The People Of The Ocean Explained
A Network Of Island Nations (Separated The Reunited)
As confirmed inMoana 2, Moana and her island nation of Motunui are not alone in the vast expanse that is the largest ocean on the planet. They were merely separated from them millennia ago due to Nalo’s sinking of Motofetū and its channels, as well as Maui’s theft of Te Fiti’s heart which made the oceans too dangerous to travel.Now that both Te Fiti and Motofetu have been restored, the various islands of Polynesia and their peoples finally have a way to cross the ocean safely and connect with one another.
Following the meeting of different wayfinders from other villages after Motofetu was brought back up to the surface, the implication at the end ofMoana 2is that “The Long Pause” has come to an end now that the wider ocean is safer to travel. As such,it also set up a potentialMoana 3where finding new islands with new friends could be in the cards. However, It’s also worth notingMoana 2’spost-credits scene did tease Nalo’s revenge with Matangi and Tamatoa, suggesting that there may still be obstacles before the People of the Ocean can start heading further East like in ancient Polynesian history.
Moana’s Languages Explained
Samoan, Tokelauan, Māori, and More
While theMoanamovies are predominantly in English, there are various moments where various Polynesian languages can be heard. This notably includes the song “We Know The Way” from the first movie featuring Samoan, Tokelauan, and Tuvaluan words. Likewise, both Maui and Moana perform hakas inMoanaandMoana 2, a traditional Māori dance involving vigorous movements and chanting. As such, it’s very cool to see so many different languages and cultures being represented in Disney’sMoana, enriching the viewing experience of these Polynesian-inspired stories even further.
Moana
Cast
Moana is a 2016 animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Set in Ancient Polynesia, the story follows the journey of a young Chieftain’s daughter named Moana as she seeks the demigod Maui to lift a curse affecting her island, exploring themes of adventure and self-discovery.
Moana 2
Moana 2 is the sequel to the 2016 animated film Moana. Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film continues the journey of Moana as she embarks on new adventures, exploring the vast Pacific Ocean while encountering new characters and challenges along the way.
