The newest animated feature from Disney is Moana, and the film takes us to the Pacific Ocean. This movie looks beautiful, and the animation is nothing short of top-notch. The film will introduce us to Moana (voiced by Auli’i Carvalho), a girl who has a strange relationship with water. Ladies and gentleman, this is Disney’s newest princess! She sets out to find the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson). The first thing to note, is how well they both interact. Check out the trailer below:
This is an epic tale that looks to chart its way across the Pacific in a way that resembles Homer’s Odyssey. Moana is an epic journey involving only a few characters, Maui, Moana, and her chicken (voiced by Alan Tudyk). Disney has also stated that water will also be a character in this film. This may be the fourth character in our hero group, and not an ability that Moana possesses.
Disney has come under fire a bit about the portrayal of Maui in the film. Activist groups are upset about Maui appearing overweight, claiming that this is a negative stereotype of South Pacific people. The activists claim that Disney is misrepresenting their proud culture. According to Polynesian myth, Maui is responsible for raising up the Hawaiian Islands and slowing down the Sun. Although Disney is embracing these character traits, the activists claim that Maui is portrayed as obese, something that men of their culture typically are not.
People gathered a few statements from people who are offended by the portrayal of the Maui. Jenny Salesa from the New Zealand Parliament said:
When we look at photos of Polynesian men and women from the last 100 to 200 years, most of our people were not overweight, and this negative stereotype of Maui is just not acceptable.
To me, Maui looks imposing and powerful, these are both traits of the demigod. His physique portrays strength, and although he is stalky, he in no way appears obese.
Moana hits theaters on November 23.
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