Recently, it seems that Disney has taken the initiative to set new precedents with its princess movies. We’ve seen many “firsts,” such as the first African-American princess, Tiana, from “The Princess and the Frog” and the first Latina princess, Elena, from “Elena of Avalor.” Most recently, we’ve seen Anna from “Frozen,” the first princess to be partnered with an equally strong female character role, rather than the stereotypical male “prince charming” role.
“Moana,” Disney’s new princess movie, is set to arrive in theaters on Thanksgiving Day. “Moana” is a musical about the story of a young Polynesian girl who goes on a journey to save her people with the demigod Maui, as her companion.
“Moana” is voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, a 15-year-old girl born in Oahu, Hawaii. Cravalho is Native Hawaiian, Portuguese, Chinese and Irish. Originally, Cravalho hadn’t planned on auditioning because of all the amazing auditions she had already seen on Youtube, but she ended up posting her own audition anyway. In fact, she was the very last person to audition on the last audition day. Cravalho was cast because of her personality which matched Moana’s character perfectly. The casting crew saw this and knew that she was the right choice for “Moana.”
The demigod, Maui, is portrayed by famous and well known actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Another familiar name arrives on the cast of “Moana” — Phillipa Soo. Soo plays Eliza in the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton,” and she will be the voice of a villager in “Moana.”
There has been a lot of discussion surrounding the release of “Moana,” particularly about the precedents it will set for Disney’s princess franchise. Moana will be Disney’s first Polynesian princess, and the first one to not have a love interest in the movie. She also has very distinct Polynesian facial features, as well as a more realistic body type compared to all of the other past princesses. She is a fearless and independent girl with a vivacious spirit.
Most responses to the trailer and teaser videos have been completely positive, and many people are very excited to see Disney take such a huge step in adding diversity to the princesses. In addition, many also anticipate Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” to make significant musical contributions to the movie.
However, there has been one negative point brought out amid the positive press. Maui is mentioned in many Polynesian, Hawaiian and Tahitian mythologies. The demigod is usually described as a tall, muscular man. In the movie, Maui is portrayed as a larger, “fatter” man. Many people are saying that this character image contributes to the unfortunate stereotype that Pacific Islanders are fat and lazy, as Hollywood often shows them to be. Despite this controversy, there are still many people who like Maui’s appearance in the movie. Some say that his body is built for function, rather than just a strong appearance of muscles and abs. Others say his body gives a sturdier “bodyguard” feel. Despite the negative reaction to Maui’s appearance, it isn’t severe, and most people see both positive and negative qualities in his body.
However, it is undeniable that “Moana” is a huge step forward for Disney, people of color, women and people in general. The lack of diversity shown in media has been a persisting problem. To see such an influential company like Disney begin to expand its horizons brings a lot of attention to this issue of diversity. In addition, many Disney narratives have historically lacked a story where the female lead is independent and without a love interest. “Moana” will be the first Disney princess without a love interest of any kind. Perhaps it’s a refreshing change to see a Disney film focus on the heroine herself instead of a boy she falls in love with.
“Moana” embodies everything good that Hollywood lacks. If there is one thing to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, it is the positivity and diversity this movie stands for.
